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Editor’s Note: The following was originally published at polkstudents.com. It was written by a past participant in the Future Farmers of America club at Polk County High School, showcasing the skills they learned and the club’s benefits.

My name is Jessica (Pullara) Frazier, and I am the owner and founder of All Good Things Bakery in Tryon, North Carolina!

I am a native of Polk County and was fortunate enough to graduate from Polk County High School in 2012. I was an FFA officer in high school, and I competed on a state level with the Horticulture and Floriculture teams.

Being a member of the FFA taught me how working together with like-minded people can make goals more achievable and attainable while giving me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and become a leader. The events I attended and helped plan, the assignments that I struggled with, the chores that taught me a sense of responsibility, and all the other ornate skills I learned at the time are the building blocks of what led me to be what most would call a successful entrepreneur.

In 2019 I decided to take a risk and step away from my “9-5” job to pursue a career utilizing my passion and talent for baking. After graduating with a degree in Baking and Pastry Arts from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in Asheville, I was determined to start a bakery in my hometown of Tryon. My largest focus is on customer service, while using high-quality, fresh ingredients in all my products.

My business started small as a single-person operation but grew quickly. Fast forward to 2024 – All Good Things Bakery is a multiple award-winning bakery with over ten employees and big plans to continue our growth on the horizon!

One of the biggest qualities that I learned during my years in the FFA (from Chauncey Barber, specifically) was how to communicate tactfully with others that I am working with. This is a skill that I have come back to time and time again and is a contributing factor to my success as an entrepreneur and employer.

Another huge life skill that I learned in FFA is my work ethic. With all our products being made fresh in-house every day, we have a quality standard that we like to uphold. This standard, along with being the owner, often means working multiple shifts in a day, with the first shift usually starting between 1-2 a.m. six days a week. Those hours probably sound terrible to most people, and I would agree that they can be, but I know from experience now that putting in the hard work early can make for a bountiful harvest later.

I learned this skill by spending many nights after school and sports studying, weekends preparing to compete to represent Polk FFA, and summers working on Mrs. Bell’s alpaca farm. Also, spending many winters working in the greenhouse and around the farm to be rewarded with seeing our plants flourish in the spring. These experiences all gave me a sense of accomplishment and the motivation to continue my path.

Being active with the FFA immediately brings you to appreciate and commit to your community. The selflessness that Mr. Barber showed to us, and continues to show each one of his students every single day, is a quality that will stick with us for the rest of our lives. This has followed me into my business as I strive to create a space that welcomes anyone to enjoy. I try each day to create a sense of community within my business by holding a space for local groups to meet, donating baked goods to our local thermal belt outreach and providing funds for local non-profit organizations.

I cannot express enough how being in the FFA not only gave me the confidence I have today, but also showed me how hard work as a team can benefit everyone involved as well as impact a community! I am immensely thankful for the years Mr. Barber spent giving me experiences that gave me wonderful memories, my work ethic, my confidence, and the building blocks of my character. I would not be the person I am today, and nowhere near the success I have been without these gifts.