Being in FFA takes hard work and dedication, something that senior, Dawson Donich knows very well. Dawson has been in FFA all four years of high school however, he has been more than familiar with it since 7th grade due to his sister. He has been extremely involved in the club throughout his high school career.

Donich has played many roles in FFA throughout his time at RHS. As a sophomore, Donich was the Chapter Treasurer for Ripon High. As a junior and senior, He has been the Chapter President. Two years ago, he served as the Delta Valley Section President. Currently, Donich is serving as the Central Region President. He has also served as a National Delegate and has been on the California Executive Committee. Donich states, “Seeing all aspects of this association and organization on a national level has allowed me to see the leadership perspective and what we can do as students in this organization.”

Not only has Donich played many roles in FFA, but he has also competed in competitions. Donich recently got fourth in the state of California for extemporaneous speaking. This contest is a way for FFA students to display their agricultural knowledge and ability to think by giving a speech and answering questions with limited time to prepare. Donich drew from eighteen agriculture related topics and got to choose three of interest to possibly give a speech on. He then chose a topic and had thirty minutes to prepare using five resources. Then, Donich presented his speech to a panel of judges for four to six minutes. Lastly, he answered questions related to his topic for five minutes. This is an extremely challenging competition, and Donich did exceptionally well.

When asked what his strongest characteristic for AG are, Dawson says, “My strongest characteristic that goes with anything, is a work ethic. When you’re involved with anything in this industry, you don’t work to get your eight hours in, you work to get the job done.”