by Kim Cameron
After 463 hours spent on Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE), Emma Daly is receiving her FFA State Degree.
Emma moved to Kremmling at the beginning of this school year from North Park and is currently
a junior at West Grand. She has spent much of her high school years on her different SAE projects from her own business, to greenhouse management and working at All Smoked Up BBQ in Walden.
Already an entrepreneur, Emma has had her own lawn care service, Daly Lawn Care and owns a small herd of Angus cattle on her grandparent’s ranch in Wyoming.
Both of her grandparents ranch and she spent much of the school’s closure helping her grandparents calve in Flagler, Colorado. She admits the lessons learned from helping her grandparents, “will last a lifetime and prepare me for whatever life throws at me.”
FFA has also taught her, “that you are never in it alone….no matter how many differences you and another person might have we are all just trying to get through life.” She adds, “It is always worth helping somebody else because you’re going to need the help someday too.”
A District 1 Vice President and West Grand FFA president, Emma recalls all the small things everyone did for others while she was running a workshop at the District Leadership Conference this year in SoRoCo. “Whether it was helping make sure their scarf or tie was on straight, helping someone
on crutches they didn’t even know tie their shoes, or helping someone struggling with an activity, we
were all helping each other.”
For these reasons and more, Emma recommends FFA to underclassmen. “When you join FFA, you’re not
just joining another extra-curricular activity, you’re joining a family, and we have a good time with everything we do whether it’s with meetings, competitions, and even field trips.”
Emma has a long list of accolades and awards with FFA. She is a top speaker and won the Chapter Prepared Speaking Contest and won two different silver placing at District 1 for Creed Speaking and Chapter Prepared Speaking.
In addition, she was on the district winning quiz bowl team and placed in the Bronze category for Employment Skills at state. She was also awarded the Chapter Star Greenhand award and Outstanding Ag II Student while she was in North Park.
Of her many awards though, placing third with her quiz bowl team at the state convention her freshman year was a favorite memory.
She thanks many of her former teachers and mentors for her achieving her success in FFA so
far and says it was her North Park vo-ag teacher/FFA advisor, Eric Wellman who encouraged her to apply for her State Degree. Only a small percentage of FFA members receive a state degree, and Emma says, “He helped me grow so much as a person. If he knew I didn’t do something to my full potential, he would talk to me and make sure I did it again the right way.” Mr. Wellman even followed Emma’s progress when she moved to Kremmling and was no longer one of her students. Her North Park employment coach, McCall Etl, has also continued to stay in touch and keep pushing her.
Emma also thanks her current vo-ag teacher/FFA advisor Autumn Rompf and John Staley, a mentor and advisor for first year teacher Ms. Rompf. He earned a shout-out for working with her to complete her State Degree application and making sure it was done well.
And of course Emma acknowledged her parents, Jack and Angie Daly, “who have been my biggest fans since I can remember.”
Emma is also a varsity basketball player, belongs to the National Honor Society, and is a Jostens Renaissance delegate. She also does shot put and discus, but the track & field season was cancelled this year.
After high school she plans to attend Northeastern Junior College in Sterling and major in Agricultural Education.
, Emma Daly is receiving her FFA State Degree.){kind=link}