The Nebraska Golden Owl Award honors teachers for their exceptional commitment to students and dedication to agricultural education. This year, out of many nominations, six finalists were selected. Finalist, Ellen Trahan, from the Keya Paha FFA chapter, strives to create unique opportunities both in and out of the classroom for students to get out of their comfort zones and grow.

Coming out of high school, Mrs. Trahan knew that she wanted to be an agricultural educator because she was passionate about teaching people, couldn’t see herself leaving the agriculture industry, and recognized the need for agriculture teachers. She began her studies at Cloud County Community College in Kansas, where she participated in the horse judging, livestock judging, and crops judging teams. She then transferred to Kansas State University to finish her undergraduate degree in agricultural education. During her time at K-State, she connected with Jerry Volesky, a Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Specialist. This connection led Mrs. Trahan to take an internship with Volesky at the North Platte Research Center, which ultimately introduced her to Nebraska Agricultural Education.

Mrs. Trahan has spent her entire eight-year teaching career at Keya Paha. When she assumed leadership of the program, it was only two years old. “Mrs. Trahan has not only transformed the lives of her students but has also significantly enhanced our agriculture program throughout the years,” noted one nominator. During her time at Keya Paha, Mrs. Trahan has focused on developing the chapter by enhancing their shop’s capabilities, updating and adding equipment to their greenhouse, and increasing chapter membership. Currently, according to Mrs. Trahan, all but four high school students are members of the FFA chapter. Each of her students has a Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) project, and for some students, their SAEs have even become their jobs.

Persistence has best prepared her for success in her program. She was inspired to teach by some amazing teachers she had in high school and her horse judging coach at Cloud County Community College. “Someone along the way once told me, ‘If you want to make a great impact in the world, go into politics or teaching,’” recalled Mrs. Trahan, “And I’m better with teaching.” She also noted that to be a successful agriculture teacher for the long haul, you must put your priorities in this order: Faith, Family, Work.

Something unique that Keya Paha FFA undertakes is an agricultural business trip every year for students who have completed Mrs. Trahan’s agricultural business class. Over the years, they have visited Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Arizona to learn about agriculture in other areas of the United States and the culture of those regions as well. “I think we’re known for taking challenging situations and creating highly impactful learning opportunities,” shared Mrs. Trahan. Those trips are some of Mrs. Trahan’s favorite memories as an agriculture teacher. She noted that it’s especially rewarding when students begin asking critical thinking questions about how agriculture works in different states.

Outside the classroom, Mrs. Trahan enjoys raising her son and travelling to visit her family members, who are spread out all across the United States. She also enjoys raising goats with her husband and helping him with his custom grazing business.

Mrs. Trahan would like to extend a special thank you to her husband, family, friends, the Keya Paha County community, administration, and strong FFA officer team.

The Nebraska Golden Owl Award is sponsored by the Nebraska Agriculture Educators Association, the Nebraska FFA Foundation, and Nationwide.