When Kelley Parks arrived at Forreston eight years ago, she brought with her a lifetime steeped in agriculture. Raised in Elizabeth, Illinois, she grew up on a beef cattle farm, showed Charolais cattle through FFA, and earned both her state and American FFA degrees. After community college at Black Hawk East and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Illinois, she settled into a career in ag education—a path she almost didn’t take.

“In high school, I thought I wanted to be a vet,” she recalls. “Someone told me I wasn’t smart enough. That pushed me to prove myself. Eventually I realized what I really loved was ag education.” Today, that passion animates her classroom, where she teaches courses ranging from Intro to Ag for freshmen to advanced classes in horticulture, animal science, and ag business.

For Parks, teaching is about more than preparing future farmers. It’s about helping every student understand agriculture’s reach. “I see two types of kids,” she explains. “Some grew up with chores on a farm since they were six years old. Others may live in town or even in a farmhouse but don’t really know what’s happening in the fields around them. My job is to help both groups see the bigger picture. Every one of them will be consumers of agricultural products—food, fiber, fuel. They all need to know where those things come from.”

Her own family still farms near Milledgeville, where she and her husband raise both Charolais and Angus cattle, selling locally and to FFA members for show projects. “I like selling meat to people because I believe I’m raising a good, healthy product,” she says. “If I’m feeding it to my family, I believe you should feed it to yours.”

Inside Forreston’s classrooms and barns, Parks finds her greatest joy when students connect the dots. “I get excited when a kid suddenly says, ‘Oh, I get that now,’” she says. “Watching them realize how agriculture ties into their daily lives—it’s why I do this.” And while only about 20 percent of her job is technically FFA advising, she admits it’s her favorite part. “FFA pushes kids to be the best version of themselves. It’s broader than most people think—covering everything from crop science to food science to communications. Less than one percent of people are farmers today, but nearly 60 percent work in ag-related fields.”

That breadth shows in the chapter’s success. When she first arrived, few students pursued FFA state or American degrees. Now, Forreston produces four or five state degrees every year and is on track for its first two American degrees. “That doesn’t happen overnight,” Parks notes. “It takes four years of record keeping and dedication. But it’s become part of who we are as a program.” Students like Justin Meyers, recently named one of only four national finalists for Star Farmer, embody the results of that persistence.

Parks credits the district’s culture with making Forreston feel like home, even though she isn’t a native. “Administration sets the tone. They make it feel like a family,” she says. “I didn’t grow up here, but I feel just as valued as someone who did. We take care of each other, and that trickles down to the students.”

She also points to the future with ambition. Alongside continuing to push students toward national FFA recognition, Parks is now focusing on the National Chapter Award, which tracks an entire program’s impact through service, advocacy, and community projects. “It’s the next step,” she says with characteristic determination.

In the end, Kelley Parks sees her work in simple but profound terms. “I’m not just teaching ag,” she says. “I’m preparing kids to understand the world they live in—and the role agriculture plays in it.” Something that feels entirely at home in the Forreston region.