An Atoll woman who is in the top 1% of the national FFA

ATHOL — Not many can call themselves one of the top 1 percent of their profession, but Haven Chase can.

The University of Idaho student recently received her American Degree at the 97th Annual Future Farmers of America Conference in Indianapolis, the highest degree that can be earned in the National FFA Organization.

According to Chase, only 1 percent of FFA members earn this degree. She is the first FFA member in Kootenay County to receive it, not to mention the first Timberlake High School graduate and member of the Timberlake FFA Chapter to receive it.

“It was really cool to get this, especially for our FFA chapter,” Chase said. “We’re a pretty young unit, so it’s great to have an American FFA Diploma in our first six years.”

Chase has been riding since she was 5 years old and was first drawn to FFA through a horsemanship class she took in high school.

“It caught my attention because I’ve been a horse person since I was a kid,” Chase said.

From that point on, Chase put everything into working for the FFA chapter, community service, and competition. Even the Supervised Agricultural Experience project she completed for her FFA chapter stood out.

Chase, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 8, set out to train her own service dog for her SAE project. The dog was by her side when she received her American diploma in Indianapolis last week.

Chase attributes his success to the opportunities that have come with being involved in FFA.

“FFA was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” Chase said.

Graduating from Timberlake High School in 2022, Chase is attending the University of Idaho in Moscow, where he is studying animal science and veterinary science.

“I’ve always loved animals and the western way of life,” Chase said.

Haven Chase and her guide dog, Sentinel, after Chase received her American Diploma at the Future Farmers of America Convention in Indianapolis last weekend.