How rejection launched a California FFA success story

When Samantha Selliers walked into her first ag class at Coalinga High School in California as a 13-year-old freshman, she didn’t realize she was stepping into her future.

“Everyone else was 17 or 18, and I was a little 13-year-old,” she laughed. “I really just was like, ‘I don’t want to be here.’ ” But what began as a mandatory high school rule set by her mom — “You have to at least be in FFA your freshman year” — blossomed into a four-year journey of leadership, self-discovery, and national recognition.

Now, with a $10,000 National FFA scholarship in hand and a national SAE grant under her belt, Selliers is preparing to leave California for Kansas State University. There, she’ll triple-major in agricultural communications, finance, and pre-law — an ambitious combination that reflects the passion and purpose she’s cultivated in the blue corduroy jacket.

Samantha is a third-generation FFA member. Her grandfather was active in South Dakota, showing cattle and working on a dairy SAE. Her mother followed in his footsteps as a Coalinga FFA member — the same chapter Samantha would later represent.

“It just felt like continuing a family tradition,” she said. “We still have some of the things she won and her old jacket is still there. I got to serve in the same chapter and carry on her legacy.”

Though initially hesitant, her freshman year saw a turning point. “I did creed speaking and absolutely loved public speaking. From there, I did prepared speeches for three years and participated in Ag Expo’s extemporaneous events. That’s when I realized FFA had a place for me.”

Building a voice in ag communications

What truly launched Selliers’ unique voice in FFA was her SAE in agricultural communications — an area she stumbled into after a series of setbacks.

“I ran for regional and sectional office and didn’t make it to the next round either time,” she said. “So I was bored, and I really liked posting on social media. I started vlogging state conference and other things under ‘FFA Around the World.’ Eventually, it became more ag-focused, and I rebranded it to ‘Ag Around the World.’”

This digital passion project snowballed into something much bigger. Selliers began creating educational posts, interviewing ag students across the country, and even organizing booths at Tractor Supply events to teach her local community about garlic, dairy, and other local industries.

“One of my favorites was when we took chickens to TK classes to teach kids what hens and roosters are,” she said. “A lot of kids tried to take our chickens home, which was hilarious!”

Her most high-profile piece? A mental health advocacy video made for National FFA’s Speak Ag Showcase.

“It got played at National Convention,” she said proudly. “I focused on mental health in agriculture and how it impacts California ag communities.”

Selliers’ work didn’t just make waves nationally — it changed things at home, too. She became the first student in Coalinga High School history to earn a National FFA SAE grant for an agricultural communications project.

“My advisor was unsure at first. She said, ‘I don’t really know how ag comms works — what’s enough?’ ” Selliers recalled. “We were both kind of jumping in without knowing what was underneath. But then I got the grant.”

That $1,000 SAE grant from National FFA, matched by Farm Credit, allowed her chapter to buy new poultry supplies and welding equipment for future student projects.

“Helping my chapter while also growing my own project was one of the coolest parts of all of this,” she said.

Selliers’ story is not without struggle. Her junior year was especially tough. “I applied for everything — subcommittees, conferences, sectional office, regional office. I got rejected from all of them,” she admitted. “And I went from being chapter president to secretary. That hurt.”

But instead of quitting, she leaned into the FFA motto: Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve. Encouragement from friends and attending the Washington Leadership Conference gave her the push to stay involved.

“Everything ended up paying off,” she said. “If I had quit, I wouldn’t have gotten the SAE grant. I wouldn’t have gone to the Sacramento Leadership Experience. I would’ve missed everything.”

That Sacramento conference was a crowning achievement. Reserved for just 75 of California’s most involved seniors, it had never included a Coalinga student before. “I thought there was no way I was getting in. One of my friends, who had way more experience, didn’t get accepted. And then I saw my name on the list. I made chapter history.”

Big dreams in the Little Apple

After graduation, Selliers is heading to Kansas State University — over 1,400 miles from home. “Against my dad’s wishes,” she laughed, “I only applied to four schools, and they were all out-of-state. Kansas State gave me a great scholarship and felt like the right place.”

She’s already connecting with faculty and future roommates and looking ahead to joining organizations like the Agricultural Communicators Network. Her dream? Turning “Ag Around the World” into a full-fledged business that could one day offer scholarships to FFA students.

“I know how much my ag scholarships have helped me, and I want to give back to students like me — especially in places like Coalinga, where there are a lot of ag kids and not a ton of scholarships.”

To younger members, Selliers has clear advice: “Be prepared. Most scholarship applications ask for the same stuff — your activities, your impact. Focus on your top three achievements and make sure you’re talking about what you did for others, not just yourself.”

And above all: Don’t give up, she stresses. “You’re going to get a lot of no’s. I did. But those no’s can turn into yeses really quickly.”

If you ask Selliers how she describes FFA to someone who’s never heard of it, she doesn’t say Future Farmers of America. “I always say it stands for Family, Friends, and Agriculture,” she said. “Your jacket friends become your family. The people you meet become lifelong friends. And no matter what you do — welding, animals, business, communications — there’s a place for you in ag.”

That sense of belonging, of carving out space for yourself, is what she hopes others will take from her journey. Whether speaking on a stage, filming a video, or handing out brochures at Tractor Supply, Selliers’ goal is always the same: Make agriculture more accessible and more human.

Selliers will spend the summer traveling to Greece, with plans to highlight agriculture abroad through farmer’s markets and local food systems. She also plans to compete one final time at the California Youth Ag Expo, wrapping up her senior vlog series where it began.

As for the future, her eyes are on agriculture — and beyond. Whether she ends up in law, communications, or advocacy, one thing is certain: Selliers is just getting started.

“I may be done wearing the blue jacket,” she said, “but I’ll never stop being part of the FFA family.”

Heidi Crnkovic, is the Associate Editor for AGDAILY. She is a New Mexico native with deep-seated roots in the Southwest and a passion for all things agriculture.