WEST POINT, Ala. — West Point senior Addy Guthrie just recently received her diploma and, in this interview, she talked about her time in the FFA, her involvement in her and what being a Warrior has meant to her.
“It was really good. I was in it for all four years, and my senior year, I was the Chapter President. It went really well. I was the Livestock Judge as well. I learned that things aren’t always what they seem. even if people haven’t heard of it, it’s still a thing. I learned a lot of life lessons too, like whenever you put your mind on something, you can actually do it,” Guthrie said. “I was very involved in the community. I think one of my favorite memories was whenever we cooked out with our entire Agricultural program. That was really fun. All of our Chapter Presidents, me, and a bunch of our officers got together to do a Christmas party, and that was really fun,” Addy said. “What made West Point a special place to go is the community, and how everybody gets involved. Everybody knows everybody. We’re all really tight and really close. It was an interesting senior class. Our class was very interesting. It’s definitely something that I’ll never forget. We’re a tight group, especially with the loss of a classmate. Us and the upcoming seniors, that pulled us even closer together whenever we experienced that loss. Whenever we experienced that loss, we quickly realized that it could’ve been any one of us. Whenever we all graduated, I think it was kind of a surreal moment, realizing that it could’ve been one of us. We may not be sitting here if it was one of us.”
The loss of Brayden Hand had an impact on Addy and the rest of her classmates and there is a lot she will remember and miss about being at West Point.
“He was an interesting soul. He was always living in the now. He was very outgoing. He was a cheerleader, and he was a fun person to be around. I was friends with him for a while before he started Fast Track. Brayden was a really fun person to be around, always outgoing, and kind,” Guthrie said. “I will remember the people. They really left an impact on me. I have a lot of teachers that really changed who I am. I will definitely miss my FFA chapter and my agricultural teacher. I loved my agricultural teacher. I will miss that routine of going to school and being there.”
She was also in the Beta Club, the National Honor Society, and the SGA, and she had a lot of fun participating in those clubs as well.
“I was in the Beta Club and the National Honor Society for three years and the SGA for two years. We were very community-surrounded. With Beta Club, we did a lot of blood drives, and we were very hands-on with the community. We did a few things in the National Honor Society, and in the SGA, we were very deep in community. We were always doing something, whether it was a conference or some kind of fundraiser, something along those lines, especially during Teacher Appreciation Week. We did everything. A lot of the stuff that you see at West Point is normally associated with the SGA.”
Addy earned a couple of scholarships from Wallace State, and she felt honored and blessed to receive them. She shared some advice with those students that will be starting high school in August, and she talked about how important it is to get involved in the community.
“I felt very honored to get those scholarships,” she said. “It flies by really fast. Enjoy every moment, because you might not get that opportunity again. It’s okay to not have a lot of friends when you first start, and it’s okay to not have a lot of friends when you end it. People are going to change throughout high school, and that’s okay. Growth is something that you need, and I really think that you need to get involved with your community as well. It’s very important to get involved in the community, because you’re meeting new people, you’re learning new things, and you’re growing. I think being involved in the community is something that everybody needs to do.”
God has played a huge role in Addy’s life too, and she shared her favorite Bible verse.
“God has played a very big role in my life. I’ve had a lot of personal things happen since I graduated, and He has been there for me every step of the way. Things are changing for me, and I’m hitting a brick wall that everybody hits whenever they graduate high school, and He’s helping me learn how to handle it better,” she said. “My favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 17:9: ‘Any relationship that lasts needs forgiveness. We are all imperfect human beings, and eventually, we will run into misunderstandings even with those we love. We will hurt others, and others will hurt us, but if you can forgive a fault, love can be restored’. That verse means a lot to me. It actually helped me get through my senior year. You’re going to hurt a lot of people, and people are going to hurt you. You have to learn how to forgive, because we’re all imperfect.”
Addy wants to be a role model for younger kids. She wants to help people find God, and she gave advice to those people who might be struggling when it comes to have a relationship with God.
“I definitely want to try and be a good role model for the younger kids,” she said. “I learned to make connections with as many people as possible. You’re going to need those connections one day. I feel it’s very important. I want to try my best to be a light for other people, because the Lord has done a lot for me throughout my life. I hope that I can be a blessing to other people. My advice to them is to find somebody that you know you can trust and go to that already has a relationship, or you can come to me. I go to Desperation Church, and I absolutely love it there. I would be more than happy if somebody was sitting next to me on a Sunday morning.”
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