Being involved in the community can involve many things. From teaching to farming and attending church to even being a volunteer firefighter. Jessica Nemnich works her hardest to give back to her town and participate in a multitude of activities.
Wishing to pursue agriculture for most of her life, Nemnich is passionate about the importance of teaching the next generations about agriculture. In her younger years the presence of farming wasn’t always there but one teacher was able to help shape and change her path with agriculture. With that in mind Nemnich continues to carry on the effect of farming in her classroom and shares the significance of students working hard to shape their future.
“This is year 20 being an FFA advisor, and I love what I do. It’s inspired pretty much everything in my whole life because it ties together all of those things. Here at Arlington High School, I have students who do vet science. Public speaking is kind of a thing that I really love, so we had people do speaking,” Nemnich said.
Giving back is how Nemnich enjoys spending her time, so her days are always filled. After experiencing two losses Nemnich took up yet another way she could help others. Joining the Fire Department as a volunteer, her husband and her dedicated time to try and make a difference in others lives.
“I gained a lot of new skills. I gained friendships in my community. There’s definitely always a benefit to serving a community. Certainly when you know that you’re giving back to a place that you live and doing something that other people can’t do, that really boosts you and boosts communities,” Nemnich said.
From farming to giving back to her community Nemnich stays busy but a way she incorporates it all is through helping in a women’s shelter and on a ranch in Mexico. Through this she gets to share her farming experience while being able to help change the trajectory of women’s lives.
“My husband and I have been going down to San Vicente, which is about four hours into Mexico, and serving a place called Casa del Pastor. And we help. It’s a battered women’s shelter. They specifically serve moms that don’t have a place to go. And so they go to that place and kind of find a second chance at life. And so there’s a ranch that supports that organization, and we go down every year and spend about a week serving the ranch,” Nemnich said.
