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"Tough times never last, but tough people do."

Being a part of National Junior Swine Association, I believe every member overcomes obstacles to achieve their goals. "Tough people" play a huge role in the agricultural industry, and I am honored to represent NJSA, a fantastic program dedicated to growing passion in the swine industry.

Growing up in rural Kingman, Ind., I fell in love with showing pigs when I was 10 years old. I joined the NJSA in 2006 and started traveling nationally to participate in various shows. My favorite event to attend is the World Pork Expo in Des Moines, Iowa. I won Reserve Grand Champion Purebred Barrow in 2009, and it has been my favorite show ever since.

My best memories of showing swine definitely include my family. I love that my parents, Harold and Dawn, go to every show my brother, Daniel, and I enter. My family is supportive and close-knit, and I'm thankful we have a hobby we all can participate in.

Currently, I am a sophomore at Purdue University studying agriculture economics. I plan on moving back home, when I graduate, to pursue a career that will keep me close to the family farm and the swine industry.

Thank you NJSA members for being involved in such a great organization. Never give up on your dreams and goals, because tough times never last, but tough people do.

National Junior Swine Association and its people have been part of my life for several years now. To serve on the junior board is an honor, in my eyes, because I'm doing what many of my mentors did when they were my age and finishing their "junior exhibitor" years as part of the NJSA. As a board member, I want to be a role model and mentor for the youth of the organization.

As a seven-year member of National Junior Swine Association, I have to give a big thanks to my parents, Mike and Shari, for allowing me to attend my first NJSS in 2007. Since then, I have attended at least four NJSA sanctioned shows each year. My favorite NJSA event is the World Pork Expo. Expo is a great beginning to the summer, and it always helps me look forward to the next shows. Even though WPX is my favorite show, my best NJSA memory came at the NJSS in July 2011 when I was named Champion Senior Showman. Winning showmanship at the NJSS has been a goal of mine ever since I started showing there, and I finally achieved my goal last summer. This goal never would have been achieved without watching some of my mentors compete in showmanship competitions because I learned so much from them.

I am now a sophomore attending Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill., in the ag transfer program, and I am on the livestock judging team. When I graduate from Lake Land, I plan to transfer to a university and major in animal science. After college, I plan to be active in the NJSA and the showpig industry by raising pigs and pursuing a career in the swine industry.

"Be kind...for every person you meet is fighting a battle." — Plato

I want to live by this quote as I serve as your NJSA Eastern Director for the next two years. My goal, as I aid the more than 12,000 NJSA members, is to reach out personally to every member; I want them to know I’m approachable.

An 11-year NJSA member, I have a huge appreciation for my parents, Gary and Connie Fender, and my grandparents, Jack and Kay Fender, for giving me the opportunity to get an early start in the swine industry. My favorite NJSA show is the World Pork Expo – nothing kicks off the summer better than traveling to Iowa. At WPX, I was named the Reserve Champion Senior Showman, one of my fondest recent memories because I was by far the shortest senior, standing a “mighty” five feet tall. Over the past 15 years, I have developed a fondness for showmanship competitions, since it is a two “man” team between you and your pig. I won my first showmanship contest at the tender age of 3, in my pig tails and pink boots, at the Buckeye Show Circuit’s Scarlet & Gray Market Hog Spectacular.

Even though those days are over, my passion for the swine industry is far from it. I am currently a freshman at Lake Land College, Ill., in the agriculture transfer program and on the livestock judging team. I plan on pursuing an ag communications degree in the future. After college, I intend to work in the agriculture promotions field and judge hog shows while continuing to raise showpigs on my family farm in Lynchburg, Ohio.

Hello everyone, I’d like to start by saying thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve as one of your NJSA Eastern Directors.

I am 19 years old, and from Conewango Valley, N.Y. I grew up on a small farm and showed hogs and cattle. I am currently a sophomore at Black Hawk East, Ill., and a member of their livestock judging team. I have shown hogs for eight years now and have been a member of the NJSA since 2006.

My favorite NJSA memory is working with the Junior Board, setting up and running the National Junior Summer Spectacular. The week was full of long days and hard work, but the excitement of younger members as they participated in the various contests was well worth it. The Summer Spectacular is by far my favorite NJSA event, in my opinion, no other show combines the quality of hogs with the diversity and character of the people as the NJSS.

The NJSA means so much to me and has had a huge impact on my life. I’m grateful for the chance to give back to the organization, and I look forward to getting more of our members involved at events and shows. Along with showing hogs, I consider myself to be the outdoors type. I enjoy hiking, deer and turkey hunting, and working in agriculture.