Raised on a commercial cattle operation west of Adair, Oklahoma, Shelly Peper Sitton’s roots run deep in agriculture. However, the role agriculture played in her life and future career path changed in high school when she became a member of the Adair FFA.

Sitton, who is now an assistant professor of Agricultural Communications & 4-H Youth Development at Oklahoma State University, credits FFA with her success. FFA is the student organization associated with CareerTech agricultural educational programs.

“My life would have followed a completely different path had I not been in agricultural education. There is no doubt in my mind about that,” Sitton said. “I still think I would be a teacher but agricultural education gave me direction.”

“I have never burned out on ‘ag’ or FFA,” Sitton said. “ I laugh that I bleed orange and black in one arm and blue and gold in the other. Both OSU and FFA are tied closely together.”

Today Sitton helps guide her students toward successful careers through a partnership she has developed with the CareerTech system. That partnership includes management of a fast-paced pressroom and required internship program.

That's why Sitton is being recognized as a CareerTech champion. Champions are alumni of the system's programs or student organizations who attribute much of their success to their CareerTech experience.

Sitton believes that CareerTech education gives students a solid grounding, most often through the mentoring of teachers who are passionate about what they do.

“I believe agricultural teachers make a huge difference in the lives of their students,” Sitton said. “My agricultural teacher, Dennis De Lozier, taught us a lot about work ethic, but he also taught us how to care about students. One of the reasons that I approach the classroom the way I do is because of what I learned from him.”

Sitton began her teaching career at OSU in 1992. At that time the agricultural communications department had 25 students. Under her leadership, the number of students has grown to more than 150 in the undergraduate program and the program now includes a master of science degree in agricultural communications.

The involvement that Sitton has helped bring between the CareerTech system and the agricultural communications department at OSU has been revolutionary.

For the past 10 years Sitton has run the pressroom at the FFA state convention, also as part of her hands-on learning technique. Sitton, as well as the agricultural communications students, write and edit news stories about the individual winners in proficiency awards and other state FFA contests.

“Many of Shelly’s students are former FFA students so it is just a natural fit,” said Kent Boggs, FFA executive secretary. “She takes her students to the pressrooms at stock shows and FFA convention and gives those young people the opportunity to be actively involved with press releases and photography."

The partnership of CareerTech and OSU has been beneficial to both organizations. The students that participate in the pressroom receive excellence experience. The exposure benefits the FFA.

“We love the connection with the FFA,” said Sitton. “ We never have a lack of volunteers, because such a large percentage of the agricultural communication population at OSU has ties with the FFA. I think they all want to give back to an organization that helped them so much.”

“I absolutely love what I do. To me life is about serving others. This job allows me to do that and make a difference in the lives of our students,” Sitton said. “I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

• OSU Agricultural Communication

posted 8/14/2004