Macie Kelly, a senior studying Agricultural Communications, was among a special group of people at the 92nd National FFA Convention and Expo. She was selected to serve in the backstage crew.

      “We were there the entirety of convention,” Kelly said, “from setup to teardown. We organized the backstage flow, created a space for national officers to relax, and mostly just made sure the whole event ran smoothly.”

     The crew’s jobs went beyond general sessions. They were present for every practice and run through that took place, which required hours of preparation and work. Kelly said part of her specific job was to ensure camera angles were correct, to double-check the marked places on stage, and to confirm the precise timing of everyone involved.

     “On the busier days, where there are two or three sessions a day. It was a madhouse,” Kelly said. “I remember running around grabbing seating cards, making sure people were in the right spot, and checking everything. We still had to make sure we did our jobs to avoid any unforeseen hiccups.”

     One element of working backstage did rise to the top of the list for her. One of the colossal moments at National FFA Convention is the election of the new national officer team. Members wait for this all week to see if their state’s candidate will make the cut.

     Six students are chosen to serve a twelve-month term representing the National FFA Organization. Once they are installed the new officers are rushed backstage, where they disappear for a time. After their name is announced a backstage crew member is assigned to them. That crew member’s job is to keep track of their officer and guide them through the next steps.

     “The crew is briefed about our job, but the officers usually don’t know we are there to escort them,” Kelly said “We stayed very close to them as they celebrated for about five minutes with their friends and families backstage. We whisked them away to their immediate training and press appearances.”

     As Kelly reflected on her latest National FFA Convention experience as one of service, she described her love for the organization that gave her so much. This year gave her a chance to give back in a way she never has before. It also allowed her to bring new knowledge back to Arkansas FFA for future reference.

     “This is Arkansas FFA’s third year to be in the Hot Springs Convention Center,” Kelly said, “which gives us huge potential to grow. It’s important to have more people who know the inner workings of an FFA convention. This year’s backstage experience taught me more about how to make it more efficient behind the scenes.”