Although her future with the Board of Regents was in question last semester, regent Lisa Ahrens says she plans to stay on the board until her term is up.

Ahrens, the only student regent and sophomore in agronomy and agricultural business, also plans to continue her work as president of the National Future Farmers of America.

It was because of her appointment to the FFA that she considered leaving the Board of Regents, the state governing body of Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.

Ahrens said her duties for the board are the same as they always have been. Her term with the board will expire in 2001.

“I try to physically attend as many meetings as I can over this year, and on those that I am unable to physically attend, I try to teleconference into the meetings,” she said.

She was appointed to the FFA in November, and she said she is enjoying her duties immensely.

“It is a chance for me to give back to an organization that has given me so much during my past seven years of membership,” she said.

Because of the extensive amount of work she has to do, both with the board and the FFA, Ahrens currently is not taking any classes at ISU.

“My life has gotten very complex due to the various different duties that I have as National FFA president but simpler due to the fact that I have to balance fewer things in my life,” she said.

Ahrens said much of her schedule is planned by the FFA.

“I don’t have to worry about school and grades,” she said.

Ahrens and her FFA team will travel to all but two state conventions within the next year, giving keynote addresses and workshops.

The team also will spend three weeks with the National FFA Foundation, meeting with business and industry leaders from across the nation.

Even though she is kept busy, Ahrens said she is thrilled with her new-found responsibilities.

“The biggest highlight for traveling, so far, just happened recently,” she said. “The whole National Officer team went to Japan for two weeks to learn about international agriculture.”

Japan isn’t the only place Ahrens has recently visited.

“I have also traveled to Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Missouri, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware and Virginia,” she said. “Also in the next few weeks, I will be traveling to the Virgin Islands, Montana and California.”

Ahrens admitted, traveling aside, her new position “has made a huge impact on my life.”

“The past few months of traveling have only reinforced in my mind the importance of the FFA to youth and to the agricultural community,” she said.