Claire Shipp
College Composition and Research
College Application Essay
September 12, 2017
College Composition and Research
College Application Essay
September 12, 2017
Days That Became a Future
The day was September 6th, 2017. I walked into seventh hour greeted by the familiar atmosphere of my home for the past four years, the Litton Ag Center. Mr. Wolf came to me with a quote from his “Inspiration Journal” just as he had each day of my senior year. His quote of the day was, “I can do things you cannot, and you can do things I cannot; together we will do great things.” It was a mediocre quote, but then he made it mean more by adding, “You and me, Claire we’re going to make it through together.” Nothing compares to the feeling I get when I am reminded that someone is walking beside me as I pursue my future. I’ve been given an abundance of tough love and encouragement from my agriculture teachers, and it is my goal to pass that on to future generations of agriculturalists by helping them discover their passions, their talents, and their dreams.
The day was August 25, 2014, and I am a freshman sitting in Animal Science I taught by Mr. Martin; this is the teacher that has helped me discover my passion, agriculture. With each class came a new bit of information. I learned that a single farmer today feeds 155 people compared to only 19 in the 1940s. I learned about genetically modified organisms, and how the agriculture industry adapts as consumers grow and change. I had a thirst for knowledge about the agriculture industry that I couldn't seem to quench. This ravenous thirst was a symptom of the passion I had developed for agriculture. For four years, Mr. Martin has walked beside me, feeding me bits of information, as my love for American agriculture grew into a fervent passion.
The day was October 11, 2015, and I was a sophomore giving myself a pep talk before giving my speech to Mr. Wolf; this is the teacher that has helped me discover my talent, public speaking. Many years ago, I stood in front of my 4-H club; my body shaking, sweat dripping, and heart pounding -- giving my first form of a public speech, a demonstration. Standing in front of my agriculture teacher, my voice is no longer shaky and the words of my speech came from my memory almost effortlessly. I closed my speech with “Agriculture in our country is under attack. It is calling out for help. I know Young Farmers, Young Farm Wives, and FFA members will answer that call.” I closed my speech again, however, this time Mr. Wolf was not looking back at me. The judges for the State Young Farmers and Young Farm Wives Speech Competition were looking back at me, impressed with my performance. As I looked back at them, I knew that Mr. Wolf had led me to discover my talent, public speaking.
The day was May 5, 2017, and I was a junior standing at the podium of our Chillicothe Chapter Banquet, newly inducted as the Chillicothe FFA Chapter President, looking out into the crowd, I met eyes with Mrs. Schreiner; this is the teacher who helped me discover my dream, being a Missouri State FFA Officer. From the day I met Mrs. Schreiner, I knew I wanted to impress her. I wanted to achieve so that she’d have no other option than to be proud of me. As a freshman, I pushed myself to accomplish my goals, but as my FFA career progressed a I developed an internal drive to succeed. While standing at the podium as the Chillicothe FFA Chapter President, I knew that I had accomplished my dream. When I made eye contact with Mrs. Schreiner, I knew that I was not going to stop there. My new dream: being a Missouri State FFA Officer.
The day is May 13th, 2018, and as I stand in my cap and gown I know where I am headed; I am ready to continue my education so that I can walk beside future generations of high school students as they discover their passions, skills, and dreams. I am ready to help high school students discover their futures, just as Mr. Martin, Mr. Wolf, and Mrs. Schreiner have helped me discover mine--becoming an agriculture educator.
The day was August 25, 2014, and I am a freshman sitting in Animal Science I taught by Mr. Martin; this is the teacher that has helped me discover my passion, agriculture. With each class came a new bit of information. I learned that a single farmer today feeds 155 people compared to only 19 in the 1940s. I learned about genetically modified organisms, and how the agriculture industry adapts as consumers grow and change. I had a thirst for knowledge about the agriculture industry that I couldn't seem to quench. This ravenous thirst was a symptom of the passion I had developed for agriculture. For four years, Mr. Martin has walked beside me, feeding me bits of information, as my love for American agriculture grew into a fervent passion.
The day was October 11, 2015, and I was a sophomore giving myself a pep talk before giving my speech to Mr. Wolf; this is the teacher that has helped me discover my talent, public speaking. Many years ago, I stood in front of my 4-H club; my body shaking, sweat dripping, and heart pounding -- giving my first form of a public speech, a demonstration. Standing in front of my agriculture teacher, my voice is no longer shaky and the words of my speech came from my memory almost effortlessly. I closed my speech with “Agriculture in our country is under attack. It is calling out for help. I know Young Farmers, Young Farm Wives, and FFA members will answer that call.” I closed my speech again, however, this time Mr. Wolf was not looking back at me. The judges for the State Young Farmers and Young Farm Wives Speech Competition were looking back at me, impressed with my performance. As I looked back at them, I knew that Mr. Wolf had led me to discover my talent, public speaking.
The day was May 5, 2017, and I was a junior standing at the podium of our Chillicothe Chapter Banquet, newly inducted as the Chillicothe FFA Chapter President, looking out into the crowd, I met eyes with Mrs. Schreiner; this is the teacher who helped me discover my dream, being a Missouri State FFA Officer. From the day I met Mrs. Schreiner, I knew I wanted to impress her. I wanted to achieve so that she’d have no other option than to be proud of me. As a freshman, I pushed myself to accomplish my goals, but as my FFA career progressed a I developed an internal drive to succeed. While standing at the podium as the Chillicothe FFA Chapter President, I knew that I had accomplished my dream. When I made eye contact with Mrs. Schreiner, I knew that I was not going to stop there. My new dream: being a Missouri State FFA Officer.
The day is May 13th, 2018, and as I stand in my cap and gown I know where I am headed; I am ready to continue my education so that I can walk beside future generations of high school students as they discover their passions, skills, and dreams. I am ready to help high school students discover their futures, just as Mr. Martin, Mr. Wolf, and Mrs. Schreiner have helped me discover mine--becoming an agriculture educator.
works cited
AgInnovationShowcase. “Today 1 US Farmer Feeds.” Twitter, AgInnovationShowcase, 23 Mar. 2016,
twitter.com/agshowcase/status/712671079198797824.
twitter.com/agshowcase/status/712671079198797824.