Senior Elisa Morgali stands there, heels dug into the powdery dirt, gripping her cow’s halter. Morgali’s mind is full of determination and focus, as the voices of the judges echo throughout the large arena while they evaluate the steer’s balance and build. 

A member of Bowie’s Future Farmers of America program (FFA), an organization focused on agricultural education, Morgali has elected to take care of five cows this year. Morgali was first introduced to FFA in middle school, joining the organization out of interest after growing up with a life revolving around agriculture, continuing her part in the program for the next five years.

“My family is very agriculture heavy,” Morgali said. “I took an agriculture class in middle school, and I found out that livestock showing was a thing. I started showing in middle school, and then stuck with it into high school.”

Animals require Morgali’s daily attention for being walked and fed. With the addition of her participation in competitions to her daily chores, Morgali has been able to grow and learn from her experiences.

“It teaches a lot of responsibility and dedication, because an animal’s life is dependent on you going out and feeding it,” Morgali said. “FFA is a lot of hard work and also respect, especially in more professional, business settings when I’m having to meet people from different parts of Texas, like at rodeos.”

Throughout her years in the program, Morgali was able to gradually take on more responsibility through larger animals, now raising cattle. Despite having a full schedule from her cows, Morgali is able to manage her time, finding ways to fit in school work and other extracurriculars.

“Five heads of cattle is a huge responsibility and commitment,” Bowie FFA member Mattie Barry said. “I honestly don’t know how Elisa manages that with school and all of her other commitments, but she gets it all done well.”

The beginning of the spring semester brings with it an event-heavy season for Morgali. With the addition of constant traveling added to her plate, balancing school work can prove to be a challenge.

“It’s definitely difficult,” Morgali said. “Right now it’s fine, but when we get to the major season, which is January through March, it’s when all the rodeos are happening. I’m going to Austin, San Angelo, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, and Mercedes. I’m basically gone for three months. It’s hard to keep up with school work when you’re not there.”

The state of Texas has livestock shows hosted in various towns and cities. Morgali’s traveling has resulted in her forming friendships with students from other schools she met while competing.

“My favorite part is meeting people,” Morgali said. “I’ve become friends with a lot of people that I wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for FFA and for showing. Some of my best friends are all over Texas, because we travel a lot for shows, and we meet a lot of people all over the place.”

Students competing in an FFA competition can choose to work alone, or with a show team. While members of a show team still compete with their own animals, they work together to raise them.

“I’m on a show team, so I get to show with my friends in FFA, and they’re really awesome,” Morgali said. “They’re like a second family, and hanging out with them is always really awesome.”

Morgali’s steers have unique names, such as Diva and Honk, and are housed on Bowie’s farm, where they are walked, fed, washed, and trained for livestock shows. Being a part of a show team gives Morgali a line of support when she needs help.

“We are always helping each other,” Morgali said. “If one of us is running behind, I’ll take over and wash someone’s steer, or someone else’s steer or heifer needs to be exercised. We jump in and help each other.”

Consistent with her twice daily visitations to tend to her cattle, Morgali shows her devotion to her animals, proving to be a role model to others in FFA.

“Taking care of five cows this year shows how dedicated and passionate she is about what she does,” FFA member Grace Cajuste said. “Managing that many animals takes real effort, so it’s something to be proud of and she really inspires me to get more show animals.”

Years of involvement in raising and taking care of various animals, such as goats, pigs, and lambs,  has left Morgali with lots of experience. This training has enabled her to work better with her growing amount of cows.

“Elisa is very capable,” FFA advisor and Bowie teacher Paige Gomes-Green said. “She has been showing for a number of years, and has learned to take good care of her cattle.”

Every moment since she took her first agriculture class has led up to this year. Learning and growing from the time spent tending to each animal, Morgali has worked her way up to where she is today, tending to her five cows.

“Elisa is very hardworking and on top of everything,” Barry said. “She’s really devoted to showing and her animals, which are traits you definitely need if you’re raising this many, and she just knows what needs to be done and how to do it.”