June 19, 2025 • 43 mins
Dr. Arquimides Reyes shares his inspiring journey from a small farm in El Salvador to becoming an associate professor of animal science at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His story exemplifies how agricultural education, mentorship, and the FFA can transform lives and create leaders who give back to their communities.
• Grateful for family, God, teaching opportunities, and the FFA which instilled purpose and passion for agriculture
• Grew up on a small dairy and beef farm in El Salvador before coming to the United States at age 11
• Initially viewed agriculture as "the job of the poor" until FFA showed him the true potential of agricultural careers
• Nearly dropped out of high school to work full-time and support his family
• The FFA jacket became a symbol of opportunity that "levels the playing field" for all students
• Graduated as valedictorian and pursued higher education at Texas A&M and Colorado State University
• Identifies adaptability, communication skills, and integrity as keys to success in agriculture
• Currently serves as an associate professor and volunteer firefighter, committed to giving back to his community
• Believes "when your values are clear, your choices are easy"
Go out and do something great for somebody – encourage them, equip them, empower them. Plant great seeds and grow an incredible future.
Learn more at MyTexasFFA.org
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast.
In this show, the Texas FFAFoundation will take on a
journey of exploration intoagricultural science, education,
leadership development andinsights from subject matter
experts and sponsors who providethe fuel to make dreams come
true.
Here's your host, AaronAlejandro.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Here is your host, aaron Alejandro.
Well, good morning, goodafternoon, good evening, or
whenever you may be tuning intothe Growing Our Future podcast.
You know, we just appreciate somuch that technology has
allowed us to have a platformlike this where we can bring
guests on and they can sharetheir insights, their
experiences, their expertise,and then we get to put it on
(00:53):
this incredible platform so itcan be listened to around the
world.
And you know, it all reallycomes back to this point.
You know, I like to always sayif agriculture has taught me
anything, it's taught me.
If you want to know what thefuture is, grow it.
Well, how do you grow thefuture?
You got to plant the rightseeds, and that's what we do
(01:14):
with our guests, and so it is anhonor.
I've been excited about bringingthis man back.
He's been part of ourleadership series before, but
we're now bringing him backofficially on the podcast and I
am honored.
I've had a front row seat tothis man's career.
It has been an honor to watchhim grow personally,
(01:35):
professionally, and I'm excitedfor y'all to get to meet him
today.
Ladies and gentlemen, this isMarkimidis Reyes.
Is it Dr Reyes?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Dr Reyes, good work, dr.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Reyes, he earned it.
Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Well, like I said, we're going to dig in deeper and
we're going to talk about youknow kind of where and how you
ended up where you're at, and Iknew that he was a doctor.
I just wanted to make sure thatI had it correct because let me
tell you something, I suspectthey didn't just hand it to him.
Something tells me that heearned it and I know his
family's proud of him, I'm proudof him, and so I wanted to make
(02:12):
sure that I got that titleexactly right.
So, archimedes, I'm going tocall you Archimedes through the
day, but just know there's nodisrespect to your being Dr S.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Oh no, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Here we go, so every guest gets the same question,
the same first question, andthat is what are you grateful
for today?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
I think that's a good question and there's a lot of
things to be grateful for, buttoday I'm grateful for my family
.
To me, they're my foundationand they're my constant source
of support.
Okay, when I need it the most,they're always there for me.
I'm also grateful to God forthe blessings and guidances that
have strengthened me, that haveshaped me to make me who I am,
(02:58):
basically lead me through thisjourney.
I'm also thankful for theopportunities to teach the
students and to mentor thefuture generation of agriculture
.
That's something that fills mybucket, and I guess I'm also
grateful for organizations likethe Future Farmers of America,
who instilled a purpose, apassion for agriculture in my
(03:20):
life, and I think it's doingthat for others.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
And we've got to do a whole podcast, and I could just
stop right there.
I couldn't agree with you more.
I don't think there's anythinggreater than family.
I don't think anybody you know.
I had a kid the other day askedme this.
I thought this was pretty good.
I was down in Area 3, houstonarea and I had a kid ask me how
(03:44):
important is faith to leadership.
That's a good question.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
It's a good question.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I just told him this you know, I said name the most
famous people you could name inathletes and movie stars and in
business and entertainment.
And they named all these famouspeople and I said now name me
just one of them, just one thatmakes their own heartbeat every
day.
And I said, if you don't have alittle faith, you really might
(04:12):
not find your purpose, but alittle faith, family friends, a
purpose, passion for what we doand a recognition that we stand
on the shoulders of somebodythat went before us.
That's true, yes, sir, and youjust you outlined all of that in
a very simple introduction, sothank you for sharing that.
(04:32):
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yes, sir, it means a lot.
You know just to say thatfamily, god and friends right
and your foundation for growthand success and you have to be
able to utilize them.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
I agree.
I agree, I wouldn't have madeit, I wouldn't have been where I
was at right now if it hadn'tbeen for all those things.
So let's dive in here, allright.
I remember this young man whenhe was a much younger man and he
was a volunteer in ourfoundation ambassador program.
(05:05):
That's right.
And I got to know him and then,the more I learned about his
story, the more inspired I wasby his grit, his resiliency, his
focus on the future, hisadaptability.
There's just so many thingsthat come to mind when I think
of Archimedes' story, but Idon't want to tell it.
(05:26):
I want y'all to hear it.
So, archimedes, I want you totake us back and we're going to
get to where you're at today.
Today, you're a professor,you're an associate professor of
animal science at theUniversity of Wisconsin in River
Falls.
That's a long way.
That's just north Texas.
I mean, that's just on thenorth part of Texas.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
No, it's the north part of Texas, that's right.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Several states away and you're doing great things
there, but I think that yourstory is one, in my opinion, of
the most inspiring stories I'vebeen privy to in my time in the
FFA and in working with students, and so take us back and tell
us.
You know how did you end up?
I think you were Lake Travis,is that correct?
(06:09):
High?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
school or Lanier?
No, no, lanier High School.
At the time it changes names.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You were Lanier there in Austin.
But take us back to how youcame to Lanier, kind of how you
found your way into FFA andagricultural science and kind of
what happened next.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah, I guess you know my life started.
My journey started in a smallcountry in El Salvador at the
time and still probably now it'sconsidered a third world
country where agriculture was away of life.
So I grew up in a small dairyand beef farm, working alongside
my grandparents, but growing up, that was the job of life.
So I grew up in a small dairyand beef farm working alongside
my grandparents, but growing up,that was the job of the poor.
I didn't want to do farming.
(06:50):
When I came to the UnitedStates that's something that I
was like hey, I want to be abusinessman, I want to wear a
suit, I want to go to aboardroom, I want to be
successful in life and have somemoney in my pocket.
And to me at the time I thoughtthat that was going to fill my,
my bucket and and it was hardto to picture myself going back
(07:11):
to farming because I knew howhard it was.
But once I came to the UnitedStates, I had different
opportunities to be able to workalongside my dad, who was a
construction worker, and then Irealized that I needed to go to
school rather than just keepworking, because that was also a
hard work, respectful work, butit was pretty tough and I said
(07:32):
to myself maybe there'ssomething else there for me, and
so I decided to.
We got enrolled in high schooland I had the opportunity to
meet an incredible ag teacher,mr Tracy Cortez.
He has been a foundation, arock in my life and my success,
and I get a little tearysometimes when I talk about him
(07:53):
because he means a lot to me.
And so he saw in me what Ididn't see in myself at the time
and he encouraged me to just domore.
He encouraged me to lead.
He encouraged me to just domore.
He encouraged me to lead.
He encouraged me to becompetitive and, more
importantly, he helped me findmy voice and my values.
And so I got to Texas, toCentral Texas, when I was 11
(08:17):
years old 10, 11 years old and Ihad the opportunity to learn
alongside Mr Tracy Cortez.
As I started and I joined FFA,still didn't want to do
agriculture okay so I startedwanting to do something else and
he encouraged me to pursue mydreams.
And as I pursued those dreams,I ended up finding myself back
(08:42):
into animal science.
It's where I felt the comfortof home, it's where I felt like
I belong and I was able to seethrough the FFA that there was
future in agriculture.
It was more than just a poorman's job.
You're feeding the world andyou're doing it as ethically as
possible and as responsible aspossible, utilizing all the
resources that God has providedus.
(09:03):
And it's just a story that'sguided me through the days and
it's taken me.
Every day.
I look back and I said, hey,here's where I came from, I
can't forget it and I need to goback to it.
And so it's hard right, butthrough the opportunity of
joining our local FFA chapter, Iwas able to develop a deep
respect for raising animals.
(09:24):
I raised pigs and I raisedgoats, and so that helped me
understand more of how cattleand how animals and how
livestock and how things werebeing raised in this country and
the importance of feeding theworld and feeding everybody
around you.
And all of that led me topursue an animal science career
(09:48):
and eventually I was able topursue a master's in animal
science with an emphasis in meatscience, and a PhD at Colorado
State University with meatscience and ruminant nutrition
focus.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
And so it's just a little bit of everything, I
guess.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I don't know if I cover most of most of the
questions, but my life is.
My journey has been long, fromgoing to Lanier FFA and being
part of the local chapter tojoining the Corps of Cadets at
Texas A&M and becoming theleader I was able to, to grow in
there, and I think I went toone of your.
One of our meetings was when Iwas already in the corps of
(10:27):
cadets.
Uh, when I, uh you, bought memy first plane ticket.
I remember that and I flew fromamarillo.
I was there doing some dairyscience education and I flew
from amarillo to dallas and thatwas a, that was an experience.
My first flight, um, we went tomeet with one of the donors, la
quinta, one of the sponsors.
Remember that very, veryvividly.
(10:49):
And so from there, you know, youlearn to lead, you learn to
grow, you learn to succeed, andand then you rely on those
friends that you have that openthe doors for you and for
guidance.
And so I always called my myteacher.
I always called those friendswhen I have questions of life am
I doing this right?
What would you do in my case?
And so guidance.
And so I always called my, myact, teacher.
I always called those friendswhen I have questions of life.
Am I doing this right?
What would you do in my case?
And so that's a little bitabout my life.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Well, it's an incredible story and I don't
know, can I, can I throw someother details in there, because
I really admire you know,everybody's got a story, by the
way Archimedes everybody and noteverybody shares their story.
And what they don't understandis that God gives us our story
(11:35):
because God knows there's goingto be somebody just like us that
needs to hear that story and wenever know when that's going to
happen.
But I understand that when youfirst came here, that as you
started in elementary and middleschool, that you struggled with
the dialect of English andmaybe didn't get the full
(11:59):
attention of teachers that maybeyou could have used, but you
didn't slow down, you justpersevered right through that.
And because you perseveredthrough it they ultimately the
teacher said hey, y'all reallyneed to take note of this young
man.
And even at that moment theycouldn't quite fully grasp just
(12:20):
how talented you were, not onlyacademically but how driven you
were to succeed.
And I understand that there wasa very pivotal point when you
entered high school where youcould have very easily chosen to
drop out of school.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
But it was that.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
It was one of those moments I remember.
You know, like I mentionedbefore, I come still consider
myself, you know, middle-class,right?
So I grew up in a very poorfamily and work.
We needed to work to make endsmeet, and so I was part of the
working force in my householdand I remember working and
realizing hey, I'm making money.
If I quit school and I work anextra eight hours a day, I'm
(13:05):
going to make this much moremoney.
My mom doesn't have to have asecond job.
Maybe if I work an extra eighthours a week, my dad doesn't
have to have a second job.
And so it's always a thoughtand question in my head Can I do
more so my parents do less,Because they're getting old?
It's my time to provide.
And it came to that moment whereI thought about dropping out.
And it came to that momentwhere I thought about dropping
(13:26):
out.
And again, Mr Cortez was sopivotal in that moment where he
basically promised me a littlebit of income if I were to stay
for six weeks.
And I remember that veryvividly and that led me to
racing my first goat, going tothe county fair and making a
little bit of money.
And then my life changed, andif it wasn't for that, I
(13:47):
probably would still be workingat the same job that I was
working in high school, becausethat's all I knew what to do and
so.
But no, it was definitely anexperience.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
So I come into this story and I find this young man
and he becomes a foundationambassador and, as you've
already heard, he's a workhorseand he got in there and he
worked with our sponsors and hedid an incredible job.
And then the thing that I'llnever forget, archimedes, I'll
never forget it is I remember Iwas at the Bob Bullock History
Museum down by the state capitoland they were doing the Rodeo
(14:26):
Austin Scholarship Awards andI'm sitting over here and I'm
watching all this because we hada bunch of FFA kids getting
scholarships and all of a suddenthey put the microphone up to
the sky and the words I'll neverforget.
I never forgot it, archimedes.
He said my name is ArchimedesReyes.
(14:47):
I'm graduating valedictorian ofmy class, I'm going to go to
Texas A&M, I'll be in the CorpsCadet and I'm going to become an
ag teacher and keep kids inschool, just like me just like
my ag teacher did and I neverforgot that I was so inspired.
And then, when we were workingwith La Quinta, which is one of
(15:09):
our major corporate sponsors, wewere having a host committee
meeting in Dallas and I knew ourcommitted story and I'm like
our committee is, I got to haveyou come to Dallas.
I want you to tell that storyand that's another life moment
that I'll never forget.
And I remember asking you howwas your flight?
(15:31):
And you said it was really goodand you go.
That's the first time I everflown on a plane and I just
thought how proud I was to knowthis man, that I got a front row
seat to his journey.
And now, as you've heard, hisjourney has taken him through
the ranks of college academicsto now he's an associate
professor of animal sciencethere in the University of
(15:53):
Wisconsin at River Falls.
And now you get to pour intothe minds of young people and
hopefully become a Tracy Cortez,maybe at a different level.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
That's right.
Yes, sir, I'd like to be amentor like Mr Cortez.
Tracy has been man pivotal inmy life, right, and it's just I
kind of find him as a secondparent, to the point like he was
in my wedding.
So he was part of my wedding.
I felt like I needed a personthat I felt like family and a
(16:27):
friend that I could call on, andso I said, hey, I'm going to
call him.
I wonder if he's willing to bein my wedding.
And he decided to do it, sothat was.
I was so thankful for theopportunity.
But, you know, as a student andas a person in life, you need to
find those mentors that stretchyou.
Student and as a person in life, you need to find those mentors
(16:48):
that stretch you right, thosementors that that push you
through the failures, thosementors that assist you getting
out of those failures and helpyou shape who you are, those
mentors that put you inleadership positions and those
people that help you become aleader and help you become a
better communicator through theindustry or to the individuals.
And so just find them.
(17:10):
They're out there and my goalis to be one of them.
Tracy was for me and I want tobe for somebody else, and I hope
that someday, like youmentioned before, someday we
have a person going through apodcast and saying our comedians
did this for me, and so I wishsomebody could say that for me
at some point in life and thatwill be the dream right they
(17:33):
will.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
They will.
Yes, sir, you know.
One of the other things thatyou and I have in common is that
FFA jacket, Right?
Yes, sir, you know I tellpeople that that jacket was a
game changer, Because when I putmy jacket on and I zipped it up
, you know you didn't know thatI came from a broken home.
You didn't know that we weregetting our dinner out of a
(17:55):
garbage can or that I had a 14on my ACT or $25 in my checking
account.
I look just like everybody else.
That meant that I had the sameopportunities as everybody else
and I took advantage of thoseopportunities and ended up at
Texas Tech University on fivescholarships and my education
(18:16):
was paid for all because of thatblue and gold jacket.
I believe that jacket levelsthe playing field.
You know, I like to tell people.
The jacket says come here, letme just give you a hug and
here's an opportunity, and sothe jacket.
It does.
It gives us a hug and it sayshere's an opportunity.
Now you know, one of the things, archimedes, that we got to
tell young people is adults, ourjob is to create opportunities.
(18:40):
Young people, your job is todetermine the outcome.
That's correct.
Archimedes wasn't entitled toanything, but he took advantage
of the opportunities that he had.
And look at what he'saccomplished.
But, archimedes, go back intime and tell me because I think
there's a very interestingstory around how you earned your
(19:02):
FFA jacket.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yeah, I guess you know it's been a while.
I guess my biggest takeawayfrom that jacket is that the
Alumni Association of our localFFA chapter.
They used to do a scholarshipand you had to work, you had to
do little things here, there andthen eventually you apply and
(19:25):
you were able to gain enoughpoints.
And I remember getting myjacket and I don't know if mr
cortez or was the alumni thatpaid for it, I can't remember
exactly, but I remember wearingthe jacket home and my dad
thought I had stole it and, um,he told me to return it it and I
was just mind-blowing and Icouldn't remember at the time
(19:50):
what did I tell him?
But I just was like this ismine, he has my name on it, it's
embroidered, it's me, I promisethey gave it to me and he
couldn't believe me.
He said we don't take anything,give it back.
And I did it and I wore it with.
Eventually he understood thatthat was me and I think I wore
that jacket the full semesterand I never took it off.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Maybe it should have been washed Now, archibald if I
recall, if I recall because ofthat moment in time with your
family, that you actually usedthat to bring them to an FFA
meeting.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I did yes because they wanted me to return it.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Yes, that's right, and they got to see that you
earned it and what you were apart of.
That's right.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Yes, sir, yeah, they got to see me.
I remember I was, we went tothe meeting, we got to sit
around and they were like whatare you guys doing?
And so you know they were lostright, they didn't understand it
.
It was a little bit of alanguage barrier, so that was a
little translating here andthere.
And then through that processof then seeing us speak in front
(20:54):
of the group and kind of leadthe group into the meeting and
just have discussion boards andfigure it out, plan ahead, what
we were going to do for the next, between the next meeting, my
dad realized that and my momrealized that that the
organization was actually makingme a better person.
And then they stopped pesteringme about it and they supported
me ever since, because afterthat they were like do you want
(21:16):
to get chickens?
Speaker 1 (21:17):
We'll help you with the chickens, and so I got
chickens so I could show uppoultry in a fair.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
It didn't go very well, but we tried.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Well, that's why you're working with beef now.
That's right.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Yes, that's why you're working with beef now.
That's right.
Yes, that's right.
That's why I switched.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Yeah, there's a lot of stories archimedes.
I've been very fortunate tohear a lot of incredible stories
and, uh, I just want you toknow that I think yours is one
of my top three oh, thank you,it means a lot, it's, it's a lot
.
It's inspiring and I think thething that I appreciate about
(21:53):
your story is that nowhere alongthe way in your story have I
ever sensed anything other thangratitude.
From the very beginning, fromthe very first time I've met you
, I've just never sensedanything other than gratitude.
You were grateful for anopportunity, you were grateful
for a chance to connect withpeople.
(22:14):
You were grateful for a chanceto excel academically, to excel
with hard work, with work ethic.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
I mean, I just appreciate so much that, like I
said, your journey is justcheckered with gratefulness and
it shows I like to tell peoplethat my journey is full of doors
and the doors are there for meto learn how to turn that knob
and open them up and toexperience to see what's on the
(22:46):
other side of the room.
And if I don't feel like Idon't, I'm not going to make a
change, then there's anotherdoor where I can make a change
and hopefully somebody's goingto benefit from that change.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Let's talk about doors.
Yes, sir, I gotta believe thatmaybe when you were at colorado
state you might have run intosome lady out there.
She's got.
She's known for talking aboutdoors too, dr Temple Grandin.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Well, I could talk to you a little bit about that and
I think that you're going tofind that story a little
interesting.
Thanks to Dr Grandin, I wasable to meet my wife.
So Dr Grandin gave my wife anopportunity to pursue her
master's at Colorado StateUniversity and her office, or
(23:34):
the office for her students, wasa little full and she took an
extra student and she probablywould have, just because of the
time and commitment that hetakes to mentor a grad student
and she said, hey, I'm going toput them in your office.
So she I remember that shebrought my wife, sat her next to
me and that was her office,with her little cubicle space
(23:56):
right next to me, and then wekind of didn't get along for a
minute and then eventually werealized that we needed to help
each other out because we wereall in the same struggle and one
thing led to the other and weended up becoming, uh, you know,
a couple and now we're married,have a beautiful two and a half
month old daughter.
So we're pretty excited aboutthat.
(24:16):
And dr grandin has definitelybeen a friend of ours, um,
through the years.
I know that we can call heranytime and, uh, she'll talk to
us, mentor us and guide us andthings, and so she talks about
opportunities that every timeI've heard her speak I've heard.
The first time I heard herspeak was at Texas A&M.
She came in and I went to visither with her and I went to
(24:40):
shake her hand and be like,thanks for the great speech and
it was so nice to meet you.
You know, finally meet you.
You hear all those things, youwatch the movie, but so nice to
meet you, you know, finally meetyou.
You hear all those things, youwatch the movie, but so finally
nice to shake your hand.
And she's a human just like youand I.
So if you ever see her inperson, go shake her hand, tell
her thank you.
She opens up to you and she'sjust an awesome person and we
(25:00):
talked for a few minutes andthen she's like hey, thanks for
coming up, thanks for reachingout.
It's hey, thanks for coming up,thanks for reaching out, it's
been great you have a you have akeen eye for animals, she said,
and one day you're going to besuccessful.
I took that very, very wow.
It was just kind of like yeah,I know who are you, how can you
(25:22):
tell that I'm going to be thisperson?
But I was like you know what,maybe it's just her encouraging
me to be a better person, and sothat encouragement led me to
pursuing this career, and sowhen I met her again when I
started my PhD, I told her aboutthat and she's like yep, I
remember you were wearing acorkadette's uniform and I said
yes, I was.
How do you remember this?
(25:43):
But then I learned that sheremembers everything.
Oh, yeah she.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Lord we uh.
And then you know we had her onthe podcast.
Yeah, she's been on the podcastand a good friend of mine is
also a good friend of hers, drKevin Pond uh WT and I can tell
you what.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
You mentioned one person there, kevin Pond.
He's been uh, he's been afriend of mine probably since I
started Colorado StateUniversity and you can ask him
about me.
I remember this.
It was during the time that hisparents were I just passed, I
think his mom passed and thenhis dad passed a few days right
after, so it was pretty close.
And he had a little farm inFort Collins, colorado, that
(26:26):
needed some help picking up hayand doing other things.
And we were at a reciprocal meatconference and somebody said,
hey, dr Paul needs help, who'swilling?
And I said I'll leave early,I'll go help and I'll take care
of the animals.
We picked up the hay and Inoticed the farm needed some
upkeep, some maintenance.
And I went up to him when hecame back from, you know, doing
(26:50):
his family trips because of hisparents, and I said, hey, your
farm needs help, I want to takecare of it.
Would you trade me housing forwork?
And he says I can do that.
I have a small apartment in thebarn, we can set it up.
And I moved in and I was.
I took care of his, I fed hiscattle, took care of the yard,
(27:13):
ended up with my.
With the help of my dad, weremodeled some bathrooms in his
house, just because I was tryingto help my dad, you know, get
jobs here or there when he cameand visit.
And so so we are.
We have been really goodfriends ever since.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
What a a small world, isn't it?
Yeah, he and janice are friendsof ours, his son, anson um,
who's now working with uhpilgrims.
They're now one of our newcorporate sponsors and I don't
know if you recall or not, butwhen we did the first million
dollar gift with ford Company,ford made a television
(27:48):
commercial that had two FFA kidsin it and that one of those FFA
kids was Anson Pond.
I did not know that.
Yeah, it's amazing how, but youknow, when you were talking
about doors, you know Dr Grandinand I had this conversation,
and you know Dr Pond and I'vehad this conversation.
(28:09):
And another good friend of oursis Gordon Davis, as you probably
know, gw, and anyway, you know,when my oldest son was in fifth
grade, fourth grade, fifthgrade, somewhere in there, it
was bring your dad to school day.
You know what does your dad do?
And I'm thinking how am I goingto explain to fourth graders
and fifth graders what adevelopment officer is?
(28:31):
You know, how do I explain tothem that I'm a professional
beggar, that you know I go askfor money and support, and you
know all this stuff.
And so what I did was I wentinto the classroom and I went up
to the whiteboard and on thewhiteboard I drew a little bitty
door and I asked the kids.
I said how many of you couldget through that door?
(28:51):
And they said no, sir.
And then I drew a really bigdoor and I said now how many of
y'all could get through thatdoor?
And they said yes, sir.
I said that's what I do I makedoors bigger.
That's awesome.
I want more kids to haveopportunities, I want more
teachers to have opportunitiesand so, archimedes, when I hear
your story, you understand nowwhy it makes me so proud.
(29:14):
It makes me proud to see astudent of ffa, through the
support of a teacher and mentors, accomplish so much in life, to
be grateful for the opportunityand then to capitalize on the
opportunity and have theseincredible outcomes.
And I just want you to knowyour stories and, like I said,
(29:37):
it's probably one of my moreinspiring stories that I like to
share with people.
And I've told your story aboutthe plane ride many times.
I've told the story about thatFFA jacket many times, and so
just know that there's alwayssomebody watching and there's a
lot of people that are verygrateful for the success that
(30:00):
you've had.
I know Tracy and his wife are,I guarantee you and so many
others.
So let's try to pour some ofthat into everybody else.
So I like to ask the kids Idon't know about Wisconsin, I'll
just tell you about Texas.
I asked the kids.
I said, how many high schoolsare in Texas?
They'll say a lot.
I say, yeah, there's a lot.
(30:21):
There's over 3,000 high schoolsin the state of Texas.
I said now, think about that3,000 high schools.
How many of those 3,000 aregoing to have a graduating class
this year?
Every one of them.
Think about that.
They're all going to be gettingout, all your college kids, by
the way.
Guess what.
Every university, every collegethat has a graduating class.
Guess what.
(30:41):
Everybody's going to be outlooking for a job, a scholarship
or an opportunity, everybody.
So the question then becomeswhat's your competitive edge?
What separates you fromeverybody else?
Because if you're all going tobe competing for attention, an
opportunity, a scholarship,what's your competitive edge?
(31:02):
And so, archimedes, when I lookat your success, I would ask
you this question If you couldtell a high school kid here are
three tips to be successful,what would you tell them?
Speaker 3 (31:17):
You need to be adaptable.
First and foremost, you need tobe able to communicate what
your needs are and how you thinkyou're going to achieve those
needs.
You need to have integrity.
To me, those are the three topthings to have.
Agriculture industry ischanging so fast.
Technology is making thingsmove at the speed of life.
We need to be sustainablebecause we're losing ground to
(31:41):
urbanization.
Global trade right is one of theeconomical how do I put this?
But global trade is basicallydetermining how much money we're
going to make in ourcommodities, and so we need to
be able to adapt.
We need to be able to haveconfidence in our skills and our
professionalism to besuccessful, and if we have those
(32:04):
keys, key points, we're goingto be able to stand out and have
an edge, and so it's importantfor us to be able to do that
right.
Not just the technicalknowledge, but also the
communication, the problemsolving and the leadership
skills all those are criticalcomponents to be successful.
And you know, I think as ateacher, I play a vital role in
(32:27):
opening those doors.
Again, I play a vital role inmaking those students adaptable,
have communication skills, havethe ability to lead, Because in
my job I set them up forcompetitive judging teams, I
make them go to competitions, Imake them lead a group.
Not just that, but I make themlead projects where they have to
(32:47):
do speeches, they have tocommunicate, and my goal is to
help them find their voice andtheir values.
Mr Cortez helped me do that andI want to help that to my
students, and if I can help themfind their voice and their
values, I think that thosestudents are going to be
successful.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Yeah, if you remember , go back to your days in the
ambassador room.
There were two quotes that wehad all around the walls.
One the essence of leadershipis to plant trees under whose
shade you may never sit.
That's right.
And number two when your valuesare clear, your choices are
easy.
Yes sir, listen to your story,your value system.
(33:27):
Because of your value system,the choices that you've made in
life have been very easy Takingcare of your family, trying to
help others, stand up andadvocate for the work, for the
industry.
Um yeah, and when you talkedabout changes in agriculture,
you know I've got a presentationthat I give called ai cubed,
(33:51):
and the reason I did it wasbecause, you know, depending on
who you talk to, if you comefrom our world and we say ai, we
think of artificialinsemination.
If you come outside of ourworld, you say AI, you think of
artificial intelligence.
But I guarantee you there's onething that we all have in
common and that's that we needmore agricultural information.
That is true.
(34:14):
Because you know it's peoplethat don't understand the scope
of our food supply.
They don't understand theinternational trade components.
They don't understand just eventhe regulations here in our own
country.
They don't understand theeconomics of thin margins that
farmers and ranchers live by.
You know, I tell people farmersand ranchers are some of the
(34:35):
smartest people I know, becauseno one knows how to stretch
their margins and gain marginsbetter than people that are
actually there farming andproduction agriculture.
So there's a lot of real wisdomin what you just said and,
should it be another podcast, wecould probably have a whole
discussion just on that topicalone.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Every time I talk about how I met you and the
stories that I have learnedgoing through the years.
I'll always talk about theflight that you purchased for me
, that I flew to Dallas and Italked about that.
And there's only so much we cando as educators.
There's only so manyopportunities we can offer.
And to me, I look at, youtalked about you being a
professional beggar right just alittle while ago.
(35:17):
You talked about you being aprofessional beggar right just a
little while ago, and that mademe think of something that
because of people like you, wehave sponsors.
Because of people like you, wehave people that donate to the
growth and success of the youth.
There are people that doscholarships, individuals that
open up those doors or that makethe doors bigger or assist you
(35:38):
to make those doors bigger, andwithout their support, this
wouldn't be possible, and so weneed their support for us to be
able to have more opportunities.
We need to have.
We need to provide betterresources, travel, exposure to
different things so our studentsunderstand what the industry is
all about and so they can meetand interact with industry
(35:59):
leaders.
When you meet and interact withindustry leaders, it gives you
the sense of saying I one daywant to be like that person wow
and so and so, to me that's,that's super, super important,
and so if donors are going to behearing this, uh, this podcast,
I hope that they they can.
They understand that theirdollars were well spent, at
least in my part, and I hopethat a lot of other students
(36:22):
that have been able to getsupport through those also using
them very well, and hopefullythat this helps.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Thank you so much for saying that, because let me
tell you something, let me justcapitalize on what Archimedes
just said.
You know, I tell people all thetime that at the end of every
dollar, think about what I justsaid.
At the end of every dollar,think about what I just said.
At the end of every dollar,there is an opportunity for a
kid or an opportunity for ateacher.
You and I are recording this inMay 2025.
(36:54):
And in May 2025, texas FFAmembers, texas agricultural
science teachers, have access tomore scholarships, more
leadership development and moreprofessional networks than ever
in our history.
We're almost 100 years old andwe have more today than we've
(37:15):
ever had.
And the most important thing iswhat our committee has just
expressed, and that is gratitude.
We're not entitled to any ofthose dollars those sponsors
could give to so many incrediblecauses.
I'm just so thankful that I'min a position where I get to
share with them stories likeArchimedes.
I get to say this is whathappens when you support our
(37:39):
kids and, as a result,archimedes, you and I are making
that door bigger for the peoplethat are going to follow.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
That's always a goal.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
And they're going to say that one day.
They're going to say Archimedes, I heard his story and if he
can do it, I can do it.
That's right.
Yes, sir, all right.
Well, let's wrap this up.
You get one fun question,perfect.
So okay I want to know what'sthe best concert you've ever
been to what's the best concertwe've ever been to?
Speaker 3 (38:11):
oh man, that's a good one.
It's probably gonna be uh, uh.
So right now, probably codyjohnson c Johnson.
I went to one of his concerts.
Yeah, cody Johnson, yeah, youknow, I guess I'm going to say
something back to that and justadd it on to it.
Every time he has a concert, hestops in the middle of the
(38:32):
concert and says I want to givethanks to our veterans, I want
to give thanks to our firstresponders, and he goes through
this whole spiel and he buildsso much pride around that and so
when he does that.
I'm a local volunteerfirefighter because I want to
give back to the community,right, I got I took from that
(38:54):
community.
I want to give back to thecommunity as much as I can and I
want to do a tenfold.
And so when he says thosethings, he brings the community
together.
And when you speak at events, Ifeel like you're like the Cody
Johnson.
You bring the communitytogether, right.
And so to me that's a goodconcept.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Well, that's good, that was really good.
I'm trying to get him on thispodcast.
So if I ever get him on here, Iwant to tell him he's got to
watch this podcast.
There you go, because that waspowerful, and I agree with you.
By the way, I appreciate thefact that he expresses that
gratitude Again.
That's why we start thispodcast off with you know what
(39:31):
are you grateful for today?
Because, like you said, Ibelieve it becomes something
that you can rally around, thatyou can build on.
So thank you so much forsharing that.
Ladies and gentlemen, I mean Icould just keep talking to
Archimedes all day long.
Again, I got to see him as ahigh school kid.
(39:51):
I watched him go through TexasA&M University and put on that
Corps Cadet uniform.
I watched him pursue hismaster's and his doctoral.
I get to see through socialmedia that's the reason why I
like social media.
I get to see him start hisbeautiful family.
I get to see these doors ofopportunity that are opening up
(40:12):
for him.
But, more importantly, I get tohear somebody who's very
passionate about giving it back.
And we stand on the shouldersevery one of us, we stand on the
shoulders of the people thatwent before us, and go back to
what we said the essence ofleadership is to plant trees
under whose shade you may neversit.
(40:34):
Our argument is there's noquestion, none whatsoever, that
you are going to inspire,encourage, equip somebody in
your classroom, that you willnever know that they're going to
pass that on to somebody else,and it could be that person that
changes the world.
It could be that person thatbecomes your daughter's mentor
(40:55):
or president, or doctor orlawyer or elected official
president or doctor or lawyer orelected official.
That is the beauty of having agrateful heart, of trying to
encourage, equip and empowerothers, and I'm just thankful
that for you and I, it wasbecause we found FFA we were
(41:17):
able to get into that jacket.
That's right.
We were able to determine anoutcome of an opportunity that
we were given and we're not doneso somebody asked me the other
day of course I've been at thisa long time, 25 years and
they're like well, aaron, areyou about done?
Are you going to retire?
And I said no, I'm not going toease up, let up, shut up or
(41:40):
give up until I'm taken up.
I said I'm just kind of gettingwarmed up.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
There you go.
Yes, sir.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
Just keep going.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
That's all you got to do right.
Take opportunities.
Take the opportunities, Neversay no and move forward and do
what's right, even when it'shard, because it matters.
Speaker 2 (42:02):
That's how we're going to close today's show
right there.
That was it, ladies andgentlemen, listen.
Thank you for stopping by.
You know, when we look at life,it's only one thing we can do
with our time, and that is spendit.
So we appreciate you spending alittle of your time with us
today.
So we appreciate you spending alittle of your time with us
(42:24):
today.
We appreciate the opportunityto bring the Growing Our Future
podcast to listeners worldwide,but I'm really appreciative when
we bring guests on.
Like Archimedes, again, god gaveme a gift and that gift is a
front row seat to this man'slife, and I'm so grateful for
(42:46):
what the organization has done,for what the teachers have done,
for what mentors have done, andI'm also grateful that you were
willing to come on and share.
So thank you so much forjoining us today.
Everybody else, here's whatwe're going to do.
I want you to go out and dosomething great for somebody,
encourage them, equip them,empower them.
You're going to feel good aboutit and guess what?
Just like Archimedes said,because you do, you're going to
(43:09):
make this world a better placeto live, work and raise our
families.
Speaker 1 (43:12):
So until we meet again, everybody.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
go out, plant great seeds and grow an incredible
future.
Thank you, Grow an incrediblefuture.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
Thank you.
We hope you've enjoyed thisepisode of the Growing Our
Future podcast.
This show is sponsored by theTexas FFA Foundation, whose
mission is to strengthenagricultural science education
so students can develop theirpotential for personal growth,
career success and leadership ina global marketplace.
(43:41):
Learn more at mytexasffaorg.
Potential for personal growth,career success and leadership in
a global marketplace Learn moreat mytexasffaorg.
Welcome to the Growing Our Future podcast.
In this show, the Texas FFAFoundation will take on a
journey of exploration intoagricultural science, education,
leadership development andinsights from subject matter
experts and sponsors who providethe fuel to make dreams come
true.
Here's your host, AaronAlejandro.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Here is your host, aaron Alejandro.
Well, good morning, goodafternoon, good evening, or
whenever you may be tuning intothe Growing Our Future podcast.
You know, we just appreciate somuch that technology has
allowed us to have a platformlike this where we can bring
guests on and they can sharetheir insights, their
experiences, their expertise,and then we get to put it on
(00:53):
this incredible platform so itcan be listened to around the
world.
And you know, it all reallycomes back to this point.
You know, I like to always sayif agriculture has taught me
anything, it's taught me.
If you want to know what thefuture is, grow it.
Well, how do you grow thefuture?
You got to plant the rightseeds, and that's what we do
(01:14):
with our guests, and so it is anhonor.
I've been excited about bringingthis man back.
He's been part of ourleadership series before, but
we're now bringing him backofficially on the podcast and I
am honored.
I've had a front row seat tothis man's career.
It has been an honor to watchhim grow personally,
(01:35):
professionally, and I'm excitedfor y'all to get to meet him
today.
Ladies and gentlemen, this isMarkimidis Reyes.
Is it Dr Reyes?
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Dr Reyes, good work, dr.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Reyes, he earned it.
Thank you for joining us.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Well, like I said, we're going to dig in deeper and
we're going to talk about youknow kind of where and how you
ended up where you're at, and Iknew that he was a doctor.
I just wanted to make sure thatI had it correct because let me
tell you something, I suspectthey didn't just hand it to him.
Something tells me that heearned it and I know his
family's proud of him, I'm proudof him, and so I wanted to make
(02:12):
sure that I got that titleexactly right.
So, archimedes, I'm going tocall you Archimedes through the
day, but just know there's nodisrespect to your being Dr S.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Oh no, I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Here we go, so every guest gets the same question,
the same first question, andthat is what are you grateful
for today?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
I think that's a good question and there's a lot of
things to be grateful for, buttoday I'm grateful for my family
.
To me, they're my foundationand they're my constant source
of support.
Okay, when I need it the most,they're always there for me.
I'm also grateful to God forthe blessings and guidances that
have strengthened me, that haveshaped me to make me who I am,
(02:58):
basically lead me through thisjourney.
I'm also thankful for theopportunities to teach the
students and to mentor thefuture generation of agriculture
.
That's something that fills mybucket, and I guess I'm also
grateful for organizations likethe Future Farmers of America,
who instilled a purpose, apassion for agriculture in my
(03:20):
life, and I think it's doingthat for others.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
And we've got to do a whole podcast, and I could just
stop right there.
I couldn't agree with you more.
I don't think there's anythinggreater than family.
I don't think anybody you know.
I had a kid the other day askedme this.
I thought this was pretty good.
I was down in Area 3, houstonarea and I had a kid ask me how
(03:44):
important is faith to leadership.
That's a good question.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
It's a good question.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
I just told him this you know, I said name the most
famous people you could name inathletes and movie stars and in
business and entertainment.
And they named all these famouspeople and I said now name me
just one of them, just one thatmakes their own heartbeat every
day.
And I said, if you don't have alittle faith, you really might
(04:12):
not find your purpose, but alittle faith, family friends, a
purpose, passion for what we doand a recognition that we stand
on the shoulders of somebodythat went before us.
That's true, yes, sir, and youjust you outlined all of that in
a very simple introduction, sothank you for sharing that.
(04:32):
Thank you, I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yes, sir, it means a lot.
You know just to say thatfamily, god and friends right
and your foundation for growthand success and you have to be
able to utilize them.
Speaker 2 (04:44):
I agree.
I agree, I wouldn't have madeit, I wouldn't have been where I
was at right now if it hadn'tbeen for all those things.
So let's dive in here, allright.
I remember this young man whenhe was a much younger man and he
was a volunteer in ourfoundation ambassador program.
(05:05):
That's right.
And I got to know him and then,the more I learned about his
story, the more inspired I wasby his grit, his resiliency, his
focus on the future, hisadaptability.
There's just so many thingsthat come to mind when I think
of Archimedes' story, but Idon't want to tell it.
(05:26):
I want y'all to hear it.
So, archimedes, I want you totake us back and we're going to
get to where you're at today.
Today, you're a professor,you're an associate professor of
animal science at theUniversity of Wisconsin in River
Falls.
That's a long way.
That's just north Texas.
I mean, that's just on thenorth part of Texas.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
No, it's the north part of Texas, that's right.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Several states away and you're doing great things
there, but I think that yourstory is one, in my opinion, of
the most inspiring stories I'vebeen privy to in my time in the
FFA and in working with students, and so take us back and tell
us.
You know how did you end up?
I think you were Lake Travis,is that correct?
(06:09):
High?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
school or Lanier?
No, no, lanier High School.
At the time it changes names.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You were Lanier there in Austin.
But take us back to how youcame to Lanier, kind of how you
found your way into FFA andagricultural science and kind of
what happened next.
Speaker 3 (06:30):
Yeah, I guess you know my life started.
My journey started in a smallcountry in El Salvador at the
time and still probably now it'sconsidered a third world
country where agriculture was away of life.
So I grew up in a small dairyand beef farm, working alongside
my grandparents, but growing up, that was the job of life.
So I grew up in a small dairyand beef farm working alongside
my grandparents, but growing up,that was the job of the poor.
I didn't want to do farming.
(06:50):
When I came to the UnitedStates that's something that I
was like hey, I want to be abusinessman, I want to wear a
suit, I want to go to aboardroom, I want to be
successful in life and have somemoney in my pocket.
And to me at the time I thoughtthat that was going to fill my,
my bucket and and it was hardto to picture myself going back
(07:11):
to farming because I knew howhard it was.
But once I came to the UnitedStates, I had different
opportunities to be able to workalongside my dad, who was a
construction worker, and then Irealized that I needed to go to
school rather than just keepworking, because that was also a
hard work, respectful work, butit was pretty tough and I said
(07:32):
to myself maybe there'ssomething else there for me, and
so I decided to.
We got enrolled in high schooland I had the opportunity to
meet an incredible ag teacher,mr Tracy Cortez.
He has been a foundation, arock in my life and my success,
and I get a little tearysometimes when I talk about him
(07:53):
because he means a lot to me.
And so he saw in me what Ididn't see in myself at the time
and he encouraged me to just domore.
He encouraged me to lead.
He encouraged me to just domore.
He encouraged me to lead.
He encouraged me to becompetitive and, more
importantly, he helped me findmy voice and my values.
And so I got to Texas, toCentral Texas, when I was 11
(08:17):
years old 10, 11 years old and Ihad the opportunity to learn
alongside Mr Tracy Cortez.
As I started and I joined FFA,still didn't want to do
agriculture okay so I startedwanting to do something else and
he encouraged me to pursue mydreams.
And as I pursued those dreams,I ended up finding myself back
(08:42):
into animal science.
It's where I felt the comfortof home, it's where I felt like
I belong and I was able to seethrough the FFA that there was
future in agriculture.
It was more than just a poorman's job.
You're feeding the world andyou're doing it as ethically as
possible and as responsible aspossible, utilizing all the
resources that God has providedus.
(09:03):
And it's just a story that'sguided me through the days and
it's taken me.
Every day.
I look back and I said, hey,here's where I came from, I
can't forget it and I need to goback to it.
And so it's hard right, butthrough the opportunity of
joining our local FFA chapter, Iwas able to develop a deep
respect for raising animals.
(09:24):
I raised pigs and I raisedgoats, and so that helped me
understand more of how cattleand how animals and how
livestock and how things werebeing raised in this country and
the importance of feeding theworld and feeding everybody
around you.
And all of that led me topursue an animal science career
(09:48):
and eventually I was able topursue a master's in animal
science with an emphasis in meatscience, and a PhD at Colorado
State University with meatscience and ruminant nutrition
focus.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
And so it's just a little bit of everything, I
guess.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
I don't know if I cover most of most of the
questions, but my life is.
My journey has been long, fromgoing to Lanier FFA and being
part of the local chapter tojoining the Corps of Cadets at
Texas A&M and becoming theleader I was able to, to grow in
there, and I think I went toone of your.
One of our meetings was when Iwas already in the corps of
(10:27):
cadets.
Uh, when I, uh you, bought memy first plane ticket.
I remember that and I flew fromamarillo.
I was there doing some dairyscience education and I flew
from amarillo to dallas and thatwas a, that was an experience.
My first flight, um, we went tomeet with one of the donors, la
quinta, one of the sponsors.
Remember that very, veryvividly.
(10:49):
And so from there, you know, youlearn to lead, you learn to
grow, you learn to succeed, andand then you rely on those
friends that you have that openthe doors for you and for
guidance.
And so I always called my myteacher.
I always called those friendswhen I have questions of life am
I doing this right?
What would you do in my case?
And so guidance.
And so I always called my, myact, teacher.
I always called those friendswhen I have questions of life.
Am I doing this right?
What would you do in my case?
And so that's a little bitabout my life.
Speaker 2 (11:13):
Well, it's an incredible story and I don't
know, can I, can I throw someother details in there, because
I really admire you know,everybody's got a story, by the
way Archimedes everybody and noteverybody shares their story.
And what they don't understandis that God gives us our story
(11:35):
because God knows there's goingto be somebody just like us that
needs to hear that story and wenever know when that's going to
happen.
But I understand that when youfirst came here, that as you
started in elementary and middleschool, that you struggled with
the dialect of English andmaybe didn't get the full
(11:59):
attention of teachers that maybeyou could have used, but you
didn't slow down, you justpersevered right through that.
And because you perseveredthrough it they ultimately the
teacher said hey, y'all reallyneed to take note of this young
man.
And even at that moment theycouldn't quite fully grasp just
(12:20):
how talented you were, not onlyacademically but how driven you
were to succeed.
And I understand that there wasa very pivotal point when you
entered high school where youcould have very easily chosen to
drop out of school.
Speaker 3 (12:41):
But it was that.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
It was one of those moments I remember.
You know, like I mentionedbefore, I come still consider
myself, you know, middle-class,right?
So I grew up in a very poorfamily and work.
We needed to work to make endsmeet, and so I was part of the
working force in my householdand I remember working and
realizing hey, I'm making money.
If I quit school and I work anextra eight hours a day, I'm
(13:05):
going to make this much moremoney.
My mom doesn't have to have asecond job.
Maybe if I work an extra eighthours a week, my dad doesn't
have to have a second job.
And so it's always a thoughtand question in my head Can I do
more so my parents do less,Because they're getting old?
It's my time to provide.
And it came to that moment whereI thought about dropping out.
And it came to that momentwhere I thought about dropping
(13:26):
out.
And again, Mr Cortez was sopivotal in that moment where he
basically promised me a littlebit of income if I were to stay
for six weeks.
And I remember that veryvividly and that led me to
racing my first goat, going tothe county fair and making a
little bit of money.
And then my life changed, andif it wasn't for that, I
(13:47):
probably would still be workingat the same job that I was
working in high school, becausethat's all I knew what to do and
so.
But no, it was definitely anexperience.
Speaker 2 (14:04):
So I come into this story and I find this young man
and he becomes a foundationambassador and, as you've
already heard, he's a workhorseand he got in there and he
worked with our sponsors and hedid an incredible job.
And then the thing that I'llnever forget, archimedes, I'll
never forget it is I remember Iwas at the Bob Bullock History
Museum down by the state capitoland they were doing the Rodeo
(14:26):
Austin Scholarship Awards andI'm sitting over here and I'm
watching all this because we hada bunch of FFA kids getting
scholarships and all of a suddenthey put the microphone up to
the sky and the words I'll neverforget.
I never forgot it, archimedes.
He said my name is ArchimedesReyes.
(14:47):
I'm graduating valedictorian ofmy class, I'm going to go to
Texas A&M, I'll be in the CorpsCadet and I'm going to become an
ag teacher and keep kids inschool, just like me just like
my ag teacher did and I neverforgot that I was so inspired.
And then, when we were workingwith La Quinta, which is one of
(15:09):
our major corporate sponsors, wewere having a host committee
meeting in Dallas and I knew ourcommitted story and I'm like
our committee is, I got to haveyou come to Dallas.
I want you to tell that storyand that's another life moment
that I'll never forget.
And I remember asking you howwas your flight?
(15:31):
And you said it was really goodand you go.
That's the first time I everflown on a plane and I just
thought how proud I was to knowthis man, that I got a front row
seat to his journey.
And now, as you've heard, hisjourney has taken him through
the ranks of college academicsto now he's an associate
professor of animal sciencethere in the University of
(15:53):
Wisconsin at River Falls.
And now you get to pour intothe minds of young people and
hopefully become a Tracy Cortez,maybe at a different level.
Speaker 3 (16:06):
That's right.
Yes, sir, I'd like to be amentor like Mr Cortez.
Tracy has been man pivotal inmy life, right, and it's just I
kind of find him as a secondparent, to the point like he was
in my wedding.
So he was part of my wedding.
I felt like I needed a personthat I felt like family and a
(16:27):
friend that I could call on, andso I said, hey, I'm going to
call him.
I wonder if he's willing to bein my wedding.
And he decided to do it, sothat was.
I was so thankful for theopportunity.
But, you know, as a student andas a person in life, you need to
find those mentors that stretchyou.
Student and as a person in life, you need to find those mentors
(16:48):
that stretch you right, thosementors that that push you
through the failures, thosementors that assist you getting
out of those failures and helpyou shape who you are, those
mentors that put you inleadership positions and those
people that help you become aleader and help you become a
better communicator through theindustry or to the individuals.
And so just find them.
(17:10):
They're out there and my goalis to be one of them.
Tracy was for me and I want tobe for somebody else, and I hope
that someday, like youmentioned before, someday we
have a person going through apodcast and saying our comedians
did this for me, and so I wishsomebody could say that for me
at some point in life and thatwill be the dream right they
(17:33):
will.
Speaker 2 (17:34):
They will.
Yes, sir, you know.
One of the other things thatyou and I have in common is that
FFA jacket, Right?
Yes, sir, you know I tellpeople that that jacket was a
game changer, Because when I putmy jacket on and I zipped it up
, you know you didn't know thatI came from a broken home.
You didn't know that we weregetting our dinner out of a
(17:55):
garbage can or that I had a 14on my ACT or $25 in my checking
account.
I look just like everybody else.
That meant that I had the sameopportunities as everybody else
and I took advantage of thoseopportunities and ended up at
Texas Tech University on fivescholarships and my education
(18:16):
was paid for all because of thatblue and gold jacket.
I believe that jacket levelsthe playing field.
You know, I like to tell people.
The jacket says come here, letme just give you a hug and
here's an opportunity, and sothe jacket.
It does.
It gives us a hug and it sayshere's an opportunity.
Now you know, one of the things, archimedes, that we got to
tell young people is adults, ourjob is to create opportunities.
(18:40):
Young people, your job is todetermine the outcome.
That's correct.
Archimedes wasn't entitled toanything, but he took advantage
of the opportunities that he had.
And look at what he'saccomplished.
But, archimedes, go back intime and tell me because I think
there's a very interestingstory around how you earned your
(19:02):
FFA jacket.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yeah, I guess you know it's been a while.
I guess my biggest takeawayfrom that jacket is that the
Alumni Association of our localFFA chapter.
They used to do a scholarshipand you had to work, you had to
do little things here, there andthen eventually you apply and
(19:25):
you were able to gain enoughpoints.
And I remember getting myjacket and I don't know if mr
cortez or was the alumni thatpaid for it, I can't remember
exactly, but I remember wearingthe jacket home and my dad
thought I had stole it and, um,he told me to return it it and I
was just mind-blowing and Icouldn't remember at the time
(19:50):
what did I tell him?
But I just was like this ismine, he has my name on it, it's
embroidered, it's me, I promisethey gave it to me and he
couldn't believe me.
He said we don't take anything,give it back.
And I did it and I wore it with.
Eventually he understood thatthat was me and I think I wore
that jacket the full semesterand I never took it off.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Maybe it should have been washed Now, archibald if I
recall, if I recall because ofthat moment in time with your
family, that you actually usedthat to bring them to an FFA
meeting.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
I did yes because they wanted me to return it.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Yes, that's right, and they got to see that you
earned it and what you were apart of.
That's right.
Speaker 3 (20:31):
Yes, sir, yeah, they got to see me.
I remember I was, we went tothe meeting, we got to sit
around and they were like whatare you guys doing?
And so you know they were lostright, they didn't understand it
.
It was a little bit of alanguage barrier, so that was a
little translating here andthere.
And then through that processof then seeing us speak in front
(20:54):
of the group and kind of leadthe group into the meeting and
just have discussion boards andfigure it out, plan ahead, what
we were going to do for the next, between the next meeting, my
dad realized that and my momrealized that that the
organization was actually makingme a better person.
And then they stopped pesteringme about it and they supported
me ever since, because afterthat they were like do you want
(21:16):
to get chickens?
Speaker 1 (21:17):
We'll help you with the chickens, and so I got
chickens so I could show uppoultry in a fair.
Speaker 3 (21:22):
It didn't go very well, but we tried.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Well, that's why you're working with beef now.
That's right.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Yes, that's why you're working with beef now.
That's right.
Yes, that's right.
That's why I switched.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
Yeah, there's a lot of stories archimedes.
I've been very fortunate tohear a lot of incredible stories
and, uh, I just want you toknow that I think yours is one
of my top three oh, thank you,it means a lot, it's, it's a lot
.
It's inspiring and I think thething that I appreciate about
(21:53):
your story is that nowhere alongthe way in your story have I
ever sensed anything other thangratitude.
From the very beginning, fromthe very first time I've met you
, I've just never sensedanything other than gratitude.
You were grateful for anopportunity, you were grateful
for a chance to connect withpeople.
(22:14):
You were grateful for a chanceto excel academically, to excel
with hard work, with work ethic.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
I mean, I just appreciate so much that, like I
said, your journey is justcheckered with gratefulness and
it shows I like to tell peoplethat my journey is full of doors
and the doors are there for meto learn how to turn that knob
and open them up and toexperience to see what's on the
(22:46):
other side of the room.
And if I don't feel like Idon't, I'm not going to make a
change, then there's anotherdoor where I can make a change
and hopefully somebody's goingto benefit from that change.
Speaker 2 (22:59):
Let's talk about doors.
Yes, sir, I gotta believe thatmaybe when you were at colorado
state you might have run intosome lady out there.
She's got.
She's known for talking aboutdoors too, dr Temple Grandin.
Speaker 3 (23:13):
Well, I could talk to you a little bit about that and
I think that you're going tofind that story a little
interesting.
Thanks to Dr Grandin, I wasable to meet my wife.
So Dr Grandin gave my wife anopportunity to pursue her
master's at Colorado StateUniversity and her office, or
(23:34):
the office for her students, wasa little full and she took an
extra student and she probablywould have, just because of the
time and commitment that hetakes to mentor a grad student
and she said, hey, I'm going toput them in your office.
So she I remember that shebrought my wife, sat her next to
me and that was her office,with her little cubicle space
(23:56):
right next to me, and then wekind of didn't get along for a
minute and then eventually werealized that we needed to help
each other out because we wereall in the same struggle and one
thing led to the other and weended up becoming, uh, you know,
a couple and now we're married,have a beautiful two and a half
month old daughter.
So we're pretty excited aboutthat.
(24:16):
And dr grandin has definitelybeen a friend of ours, um,
through the years.
I know that we can call heranytime and, uh, she'll talk to
us, mentor us and guide us andthings, and so she talks about
opportunities that every timeI've heard her speak I've heard.
The first time I heard herspeak was at Texas A&M.
She came in and I went to visither with her and I went to
(24:40):
shake her hand and be like,thanks for the great speech and
it was so nice to meet you.
You know, finally meet you.
You hear all those things, youwatch the movie, but so nice to
meet you, you know, finally meetyou.
You hear all those things, youwatch the movie, but so finally
nice to shake your hand.
And she's a human just like youand I.
So if you ever see her inperson, go shake her hand, tell
her thank you.
She opens up to you and she'sjust an awesome person and we
(25:00):
talked for a few minutes andthen she's like hey, thanks for
coming up, thanks for reachingout.
It's hey, thanks for coming up,thanks for reaching out, it's
been great you have a you have akeen eye for animals, she said,
and one day you're going to besuccessful.
I took that very, very wow.
It was just kind of like yeah,I know who are you, how can you
(25:22):
tell that I'm going to be thisperson?
But I was like you know what,maybe it's just her encouraging
me to be a better person, and sothat encouragement led me to
pursuing this career, and sowhen I met her again when I
started my PhD, I told her aboutthat and she's like yep, I
remember you were wearing acorkadette's uniform and I said
yes, I was.
How do you remember this?
(25:43):
But then I learned that sheremembers everything.
Oh, yeah she.
Speaker 2 (25:47):
Lord we uh.
And then you know we had her onthe podcast.
Yeah, she's been on the podcastand a good friend of mine is
also a good friend of hers, drKevin Pond uh WT and I can tell
you what.
Speaker 3 (26:02):
You mentioned one person there, kevin Pond.
He's been uh, he's been afriend of mine probably since I
started Colorado StateUniversity and you can ask him
about me.
I remember this.
It was during the time that hisparents were I just passed, I
think his mom passed and thenhis dad passed a few days right
after, so it was pretty close.
And he had a little farm inFort Collins, colorado, that
(26:26):
needed some help picking up hayand doing other things.
And we were at a reciprocal meatconference and somebody said,
hey, dr Paul needs help, who'swilling?
And I said I'll leave early,I'll go help and I'll take care
of the animals.
We picked up the hay and Inoticed the farm needed some
upkeep, some maintenance.
And I went up to him when hecame back from, you know, doing
(26:50):
his family trips because of hisparents, and I said, hey, your
farm needs help, I want to takecare of it.
Would you trade me housing forwork?
And he says I can do that.
I have a small apartment in thebarn, we can set it up.
And I moved in and I was.
I took care of his, I fed hiscattle, took care of the yard,
(27:13):
ended up with my.
With the help of my dad, weremodeled some bathrooms in his
house, just because I was tryingto help my dad, you know, get
jobs here or there when he cameand visit.
And so so we are.
We have been really goodfriends ever since.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
What a a small world, isn't it?
Yeah, he and janice are friendsof ours, his son, anson um,
who's now working with uhpilgrims.
They're now one of our newcorporate sponsors and I don't
know if you recall or not, butwhen we did the first million
dollar gift with ford Company,ford made a television
(27:48):
commercial that had two FFA kidsin it and that one of those FFA
kids was Anson Pond.
I did not know that.
Yeah, it's amazing how, but youknow, when you were talking
about doors, you know Dr Grandinand I had this conversation,
and you know Dr Pond and I'vehad this conversation.
(28:09):
And another good friend of oursis Gordon Davis, as you probably
know, gw, and anyway, you know,when my oldest son was in fifth
grade, fourth grade, fifthgrade, somewhere in there, it
was bring your dad to school day.
You know what does your dad do?
And I'm thinking how am I goingto explain to fourth graders
and fifth graders what adevelopment officer is?
(28:31):
You know, how do I explain tothem that I'm a professional
beggar, that you know I go askfor money and support, and you
know all this stuff.
And so what I did was I wentinto the classroom and I went up
to the whiteboard and on thewhiteboard I drew a little bitty
door and I asked the kids.
I said how many of you couldget through that door?
(28:51):
And they said no, sir.
And then I drew a really bigdoor and I said now how many of
y'all could get through thatdoor?
And they said yes, sir.
I said that's what I do I makedoors bigger.
That's awesome.
I want more kids to haveopportunities, I want more
teachers to have opportunitiesand so, archimedes, when I hear
your story, you understand nowwhy it makes me so proud.
(29:14):
It makes me proud to see astudent of ffa, through the
support of a teacher and mentors, accomplish so much in life, to
be grateful for the opportunityand then to capitalize on the
opportunity and have theseincredible outcomes.
And I just want you to knowyour stories and, like I said,
(29:37):
it's probably one of my moreinspiring stories that I like to
share with people.
And I've told your story aboutthe plane ride many times.
I've told the story about thatFFA jacket many times, and so
just know that there's alwayssomebody watching and there's a
lot of people that are verygrateful for the success that
(30:00):
you've had.
I know Tracy and his wife are,I guarantee you and so many
others.
So let's try to pour some ofthat into everybody else.
So I like to ask the kids Idon't know about Wisconsin, I'll
just tell you about Texas.
I asked the kids.
I said, how many high schoolsare in Texas?
They'll say a lot.
I say, yeah, there's a lot.
(30:21):
There's over 3,000 high schoolsin the state of Texas.
I said now, think about that3,000 high schools.
How many of those 3,000 aregoing to have a graduating class
this year?
Every one of them.
Think about that.
They're all going to be gettingout, all your college kids, by
the way.
Guess what.
Every university, every collegethat has a graduating class.
Guess what.
(30:41):
Everybody's going to be outlooking for a job, a scholarship
or an opportunity, everybody.
So the question then becomeswhat's your competitive edge?
What separates you fromeverybody else?
Because if you're all going tobe competing for attention, an
opportunity, a scholarship,what's your competitive edge?
(31:02):
And so, archimedes, when I lookat your success, I would ask
you this question If you couldtell a high school kid here are
three tips to be successful,what would you tell them?
Speaker 3 (31:17):
You need to be adaptable.
First and foremost, you need tobe able to communicate what
your needs are and how you thinkyou're going to achieve those
needs.
You need to have integrity.
To me, those are the three topthings to have.
Agriculture industry ischanging so fast.
Technology is making thingsmove at the speed of life.
We need to be sustainablebecause we're losing ground to
(31:41):
urbanization.
Global trade right is one of theeconomical how do I put this?
But global trade is basicallydetermining how much money we're
going to make in ourcommodities, and so we need to
be able to adapt.
We need to be able to haveconfidence in our skills and our
professionalism to besuccessful, and if we have those
(32:04):
keys, key points, we're goingto be able to stand out and have
an edge, and so it's importantfor us to be able to do that
right.
Not just the technicalknowledge, but also the
communication, the problemsolving and the leadership
skills all those are criticalcomponents to be successful.
And you know, I think as ateacher, I play a vital role in
(32:27):
opening those doors.
Again, I play a vital role inmaking those students adaptable,
have communication skills, havethe ability to lead, Because in
my job I set them up forcompetitive judging teams, I
make them go to competitions, Imake them lead a group.
Not just that, but I make themlead projects where they have to
(32:47):
do speeches, they have tocommunicate, and my goal is to
help them find their voice andtheir values.
Mr Cortez helped me do that andI want to help that to my
students, and if I can help themfind their voice and their
values, I think that thosestudents are going to be
successful.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Yeah, if you remember , go back to your days in the
ambassador room.
There were two quotes that wehad all around the walls.
One the essence of leadershipis to plant trees under whose
shade you may never sit.
That's right.
And number two when your valuesare clear, your choices are
easy.
Yes sir, listen to your story,your value system.
(33:27):
Because of your value system,the choices that you've made in
life have been very easy Takingcare of your family, trying to
help others, stand up andadvocate for the work, for the
industry.
Um yeah, and when you talkedabout changes in agriculture,
you know I've got a presentationthat I give called ai cubed,
(33:51):
and the reason I did it wasbecause, you know, depending on
who you talk to, if you comefrom our world and we say ai, we
think of artificialinsemination.
If you come outside of ourworld, you say AI, you think of
artificial intelligence.
But I guarantee you there's onething that we all have in
common and that's that we needmore agricultural information.
That is true.
(34:14):
Because you know it's peoplethat don't understand the scope
of our food supply.
They don't understand theinternational trade components.
They don't understand just eventhe regulations here in our own
country.
They don't understand theeconomics of thin margins that
farmers and ranchers live by.
You know, I tell people farmersand ranchers are some of the
(34:35):
smartest people I know, becauseno one knows how to stretch
their margins and gain marginsbetter than people that are
actually there farming andproduction agriculture.
So there's a lot of real wisdomin what you just said and,
should it be another podcast, wecould probably have a whole
discussion just on that topicalone.
Speaker 3 (34:57):
Every time I talk about how I met you and the
stories that I have learnedgoing through the years.
I'll always talk about theflight that you purchased for me
, that I flew to Dallas and Italked about that.
And there's only so much we cando as educators.
There's only so manyopportunities we can offer.
And to me, I look at, youtalked about you being a
professional beggar right just alittle while ago.
(35:17):
You talked about you being aprofessional beggar right just a
little while ago, and that mademe think of something that
because of people like you, wehave sponsors.
Because of people like you, wehave people that donate to the
growth and success of the youth.
There are people that doscholarships, individuals that
open up those doors or that makethe doors bigger or assist you
(35:38):
to make those doors bigger, andwithout their support, this
wouldn't be possible, and so weneed their support for us to be
able to have more opportunities.
We need to have.
We need to provide betterresources, travel, exposure to
different things so our studentsunderstand what the industry is
all about and so they can meetand interact with industry
(35:59):
leaders.
When you meet and interact withindustry leaders, it gives you
the sense of saying I one daywant to be like that person wow
and so and so, to me that's,that's super, super important,
and so if donors are going to behearing this, uh, this podcast,
I hope that they they can.
They understand that theirdollars were well spent, at
least in my part, and I hopethat a lot of other students
(36:22):
that have been able to getsupport through those also using
them very well, and hopefullythat this helps.
Speaker 2 (36:29):
Thank you so much for saying that, because let me
tell you something, let me justcapitalize on what Archimedes
just said.
You know, I tell people all thetime that at the end of every
dollar, think about what I justsaid.
At the end of every dollar,think about what I just said.
At the end of every dollar,there is an opportunity for a
kid or an opportunity for ateacher.
You and I are recording this inMay 2025.
(36:54):
And in May 2025, texas FFAmembers, texas agricultural
science teachers, have access tomore scholarships, more
leadership development and moreprofessional networks than ever
in our history.
We're almost 100 years old andwe have more today than we've
(37:15):
ever had.
And the most important thing iswhat our committee has just
expressed, and that is gratitude.
We're not entitled to any ofthose dollars those sponsors
could give to so many incrediblecauses.
I'm just so thankful that I'min a position where I get to
share with them stories likeArchimedes.
I get to say this is whathappens when you support our
(37:39):
kids and, as a result,archimedes, you and I are making
that door bigger for the peoplethat are going to follow.
Speaker 3 (37:47):
That's always a goal.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
And they're going to say that one day.
They're going to say Archimedes, I heard his story and if he
can do it, I can do it.
That's right.
Yes, sir, all right.
Well, let's wrap this up.
You get one fun question,perfect.
So okay I want to know what'sthe best concert you've ever
been to what's the best concertwe've ever been to?
Speaker 3 (38:11):
oh man, that's a good one.
It's probably gonna be uh, uh.
So right now, probably codyjohnson c Johnson.
I went to one of his concerts.
Yeah, cody Johnson, yeah, youknow, I guess I'm going to say
something back to that and justadd it on to it.
Every time he has a concert, hestops in the middle of the
(38:32):
concert and says I want to givethanks to our veterans, I want
to give thanks to our firstresponders, and he goes through
this whole spiel and he buildsso much pride around that and so
when he does that.
I'm a local volunteerfirefighter because I want to
give back to the community,right, I got I took from that
(38:54):
community.
I want to give back to thecommunity as much as I can and I
want to do a tenfold.
And so when he says thosethings, he brings the community
together.
And when you speak at events, Ifeel like you're like the Cody
Johnson.
You bring the communitytogether, right.
And so to me that's a goodconcept.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Well, that's good, that was really good.
I'm trying to get him on thispodcast.
So if I ever get him on here, Iwant to tell him he's got to
watch this podcast.
There you go, because that waspowerful, and I agree with you.
By the way, I appreciate thefact that he expresses that
gratitude Again.
That's why we start thispodcast off with you know what
(39:31):
are you grateful for today?
Because, like you said, Ibelieve it becomes something
that you can rally around, thatyou can build on.
So thank you so much forsharing that.
Ladies and gentlemen, I mean Icould just keep talking to
Archimedes all day long.
Again, I got to see him as ahigh school kid.
(39:51):
I watched him go through TexasA&M University and put on that
Corps Cadet uniform.
I watched him pursue hismaster's and his doctoral.
I get to see through socialmedia that's the reason why I
like social media.
I get to see him start hisbeautiful family.
I get to see these doors ofopportunity that are opening up
(40:12):
for him.
But, more importantly, I get tohear somebody who's very
passionate about giving it back.
And we stand on the shouldersevery one of us, we stand on the
shoulders of the people thatwent before us, and go back to
what we said the essence ofleadership is to plant trees
under whose shade you may neversit.
(40:34):
Our argument is there's noquestion, none whatsoever, that
you are going to inspire,encourage, equip somebody in
your classroom, that you willnever know that they're going to
pass that on to somebody else,and it could be that person that
changes the world.
It could be that person thatbecomes your daughter's mentor
(40:55):
or president, or doctor orlawyer or elected official
president or doctor or lawyer orelected official.
That is the beauty of having agrateful heart, of trying to
encourage, equip and empowerothers, and I'm just thankful
that for you and I, it wasbecause we found FFA we were
(41:17):
able to get into that jacket.
That's right.
We were able to determine anoutcome of an opportunity that
we were given and we're not doneso somebody asked me the other
day of course I've been at thisa long time, 25 years and
they're like well, aaron, areyou about done?
Are you going to retire?
And I said no, I'm not going toease up, let up, shut up or
(41:40):
give up until I'm taken up.
I said I'm just kind of gettingwarmed up.
Speaker 3 (41:47):
There you go.
Yes, sir.
Speaker 2 (41:48):
Just keep going.
Speaker 3 (41:51):
That's all you got to do right.
Take opportunities.
Take the opportunities, Neversay no and move forward and do
what's right, even when it'shard, because it matters.
Speaker 2 (42:02):
That's how we're going to close today's show
right there.
That was it, ladies andgentlemen, listen.
Thank you for stopping by.
You know, when we look at life,it's only one thing we can do
with our time, and that is spendit.
So we appreciate you spending alittle of your time with us
today.
So we appreciate you spending alittle of your time with us
(42:24):
today.
We appreciate the opportunityto bring the Growing Our Future
podcast to listeners worldwide,but I'm really appreciative when
we bring guests on.
Like Archimedes, again, god gaveme a gift and that gift is a
front row seat to this man'slife, and I'm so grateful for
(42:46):
what the organization has done,for what the teachers have done,
for what mentors have done, andI'm also grateful that you were
willing to come on and share.
So thank you so much forjoining us today.
Everybody else, here's whatwe're going to do.
I want you to go out and dosomething great for somebody,
encourage them, equip them,empower them.
You're going to feel good aboutit and guess what?
Just like Archimedes said,because you do, you're going to
(43:09):
make this world a better placeto live, work and raise our
families.
Speaker 1 (43:12):
So until we meet again, everybody.
Speaker 2 (43:14):
go out, plant great seeds and grow an incredible
future.
Thank you, Grow an incrediblefuture.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
Thank you.
We hope you've enjoyed thisepisode of the Growing Our
Future podcast.
This show is sponsored by theTexas FFA Foundation, whose
mission is to strengthenagricultural science education
so students can develop theirpotential for personal growth,
career success and leadership ina global marketplace.
(43:41):
Learn more at mytexasffaorg.
Potential for personal growth,career success and leadership in
a global marketplace Learn moreat mytexasffaorg.
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