LDD, Jae, with a piglet while visiting the pig sty at La Bastilla

Holding a piglet while visiting the pig sty at La Bastilla.

 

DSCN5312Hi, my name is Jae Williams, I am a rising senior at Dougherty Valley High School, and today I tackled the role of El Lider del Dia. We boarded our bus at 4:30AM and headed to La Bastilla, a technical-agricultural science high school that puts equal emphasis on the application and education of real-life jobs in agriculture. Upon arrival, we took a bumpy tractor ride up the mountain before splitting into groups: one with the chickens and the cows, the other with the pigs and the vegetable garden. The day and the work was equally grueling and rewarding; just knowing that the vegetables grown in the patch we had just prepared would grow and be sold in order to support the school was an incredible feeling.

La Bastilla is fairly new, only about five years old, and only has about fifty-five students. I was pleasantly surprised by the positive attitude and determination exemplified by each student. No one person was more inspiring than another; the fact that they were all working to maximize their futures by gaining viable experience truly demonstrated their desire to succeed in the future.

Assuming the responsibility of El Lider del Dia was definitely a challenge; between my own 3:AM wake up call, the hot, steep hike to lunch, and keeping everyone motivated throughout the day, I had to push myself to remain patient, understanding, and spunky. I realized that leadership requires flexibility and compassion in addition to organization and personal strength.