FFA Proceedings 2002 - National FFA Organization

Retiring Address
44
Sarah was different. She didn’t
fit in. She listened to punk music
and wore eccentric clothes. She
had this black and burnt orangecheckered
silky shirt she would
wear with dark gray and white
striped pants. She had a tongue
ring and a bold personality. She
Anne Knapke
“All That We Let In”
National FFA Eastern
Region Vice-President
was really active in a group called
“The Committee for Justice in
Palestine.” And, she was Saudi
Arabian.
Contrast this with the rest of
her residence hall floor her freshman
year in college. She lived in
Scott House at The Ohio State
University, which was the dorm
where nine out of ten residents
were enrolled in the College of
Agriculture. Sarah was not. She
didn’t even know who Kenny
Chesney and George Strait were.
Where everyone wore Wranglers
and boots, she wore fishnet stockings
and red shoes. And no one
liked that. Sarah didn’t really get
along with many of the people on
our floor, or maybe it was that,
many of the people on our floor
chose not to get along with Sarah.
People talked about her all the
time. People called her a freak.
They’d make snide comments and
laugh at her. She was the target
on the floor for hatred. And by
the end of the year, she returned
it. She didn’t appreciate people’s
close-mindedness about her background,
and it bred hatred and
loneliness in her heart.
I lived two doors down from
her in Room 315, and by springtime,
Sarah and I had become
pretty good friends. We would
spend afternoons walking down
to the café by the lake on campus
and get fruit smoothies. Then
we’d sit in the sun on a blanket
for hours, trying to study, but
we’d talk and giggle instead.
When I came to
really know Sarah, I
found the differences
between her and I to
be pretty minimal.
Though we
approached life a bit
differently, we were
both just trying to find
our place and to find
happiness. She was a
lot of fun when she
wasn’t defending herself,
and she was vulnerable
to just wanting to be
accepted for who she was.
I don’t know if I really impacted
Sarah’s life by befriending her,
but I know I became a better person
because of our friendship. I
began to realize that no matter
the differences between us, we all
need the same things. We need
friendship. We need belonging.
We need kindness from others.
Sarah just needed someone to
hold out a hand to her, despite
differences, to just be compassionate
with her. Really, Sarah
needed the same things we all do.
There are so many stories similar
to Sarah’s that fill our lives –
stories of those who are outcast,
those who struggle to find acceptance,
who long to be included.
Maybe, many of us have felt
those insecurities before in our
own lives. I know I have.
So I find myself wondering,
what’s the answer to helping
those like Sarah? What’s the
answer to helping us all? What’s
the key to pushing close-mindedness
out and spreading kindness
instead? What is the answer? Of
course, we are.
That’s the power we hold in
our hands. That’s the responsibility
we have. Each one of us holds
the key to a better tomorrow for
all of us. So, listen up if you want
to live a life that’s really valuable
in our world. First, we have to
break down the barriers that exist
in all of our minds about those
that are different than us. And
only after we’ve grasped the concept
of acceptance can we move
on to begin doing the things that
really count for something in our
world—things like reaching out
to those less fortunate, serving
others before ourselves. We’re
better off for all that we let in.
Have you ever just sat and
wondered about strangers?
Strangers that walk by, that pass
you in their cars, that pass by you
in the lunchroom? I often wonder
about people I don’t know. I
wonder what their lives are like,
what their aspirations are, what
their stories are.
I remember the strangers I
befriended thousands of miles
away in Japan earlier this year.
For instance, my new friend Yui
and I discovered we liked the
same type of music, and we even
watched a James Dean movie
together. I learned that cultural
barriers can hardly hold you back
from friendship.
Earlier this year, my taxi driver
in Washington, D.C. was from
Pakistan. He shared with me that
he had moved his family here as
they were in danger because of
their religion in their home
country. That day, our conversation
taught me a little bit more
about having appreciation for the
opportunities I have in my life.
Two years ago when I traveled
to Europe, I stayed with a family
in Germany for a few days. And
I’ll never forget the way my host
mother, Rosie, couldn’t speak a
word of English, but I learned
that someone can show motherly
love for me, even as a stranger.
This year, I learned in