Dayton Allen

Many students at Allen Community College are very successful, hardworking, and achieve great things. This includes Dayton Allen, an Allen student on the Burlingame Campus who originally went to Mission Valley High School in Eskridge. He is in FFA and has received many awards, including Master Ritual Sentinel, East Central District Environmental Science, and Wildlife Production Proficiency Winner.

Allen decided to join FFA his freshman year of high school because of the agriculture course opportunities such as animal science and environmental sciences. He says that it gave him the opportunity to compete in many different competitions. Allen has competed in the district level all the way to the national level, giving him many opportunities for scholarships. Since then, he has attended regular meetings, been involved in opening and closing ceremonies, competed in many different competitions from livestock judging to food sciences, and served as a mentor for younger students who are considering joining FFA.

When asked what his favorite part of FFA was, Dayton replied, “My favorite aspect of the FFA would be the opportunities it gives students to better themselves and prepare them for life outside of high school. It can have a huge impact on your leadership skills, especially if you put in the time and commit to being a Chapter officer if selected. Another great aspect is the opportunity it gives you to teach and help younger students so that they can also have the opportunity to better themselves through the FFA when the time comes.”

As a sophomore at Allen, Dayton recently earned a national award through FFA, and with this award he will get to travel to Costa Rica this summer. He was awarded this for being one of the four finalists in Wildlife Production and Management by planting food plots and trapping animals for his Supervised Agriculture Experience. After being interviewed by a panel of judges and answering specific questions, he was selected by the judges as the winner of the trip.

In Costa Rica, he will have the opportunity to tour agriculture plantations in Costa Rica such as the Dole Banana plantations. His group also will tour landmarks such as hanging bridges and the beaches.

After completing his work at the Burlingame Campus, Allen hopes to transfer to Kansas State University to receive a degree in Park Management and Conservation. He would like to work for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks or another conservation agency in Kansas.