Even on an off day, Emma Vogel is on the go.
 
Each school year, Oskaloosa High School affords its students in strong academic, attendance and disciplinary standing a "day off pass" as a reward for consistently “doing the right thing.” As a 4.0 student and leader across the board at the school, Vogel took hers this week.
 
Did she sleep in? Nope. Spend the day on social media? Uh-huh. Or simply take the day to finally catch her breath and recharge a bit from everything she’s involved with at Oskaloosa? Didn’t happen.
 
Instead, Vogel was on the go again. One day after spending the bulk of her day at a Future Farmers of America competition, Holland was back on the road, this time headed to Tulsa, Okla., to take in a Billie Eilish concert with her best friend, Lily Nivert, a fellow senior as Oskaloosa.
 
“I’ve come to the ultimate conclusion that I’m not a person that likes free time at all,” Vogel said. “I’m always on the go.”
 
And Tuesday’s concert was one of the few occasions where her go, go, go mentality was simply for her own personal enjoyment and not spent doing something to benefit her school or community. The rest of the time, Vogel is actively involved in just about everything she can be at Oskaloosa, whether it’s competing as a three-sport athlete or serving in leadership positions in a variety of clubs and organizations.
 
If it’s happening at Oskaloosa, there’s a good chance Vogel is involved in some fashion.
 
“I like being involved in my school, whether it’s STUCO, my other clubs, sports, whatever – I just love doing things for the school,” said Vogel, this week’s CapFed® True Blue® Student of the Week. “I just love being on the go and doing that has taught me a lot and my whole personality is based off my drive and passion for my different sports and extracurriculars. And my leadership skills, too. I love being able to lead people to do what I do and have that drive and passion.
 
“My parents have really pushed that through me and I really like being able to push that through people by leading them as student body president or a senior leader on my sports teams or in my clubs.”
 

 
For as long as Vogel can remember, she’s never been one to sit still. She played multiple sports growing up as the youngest of Jeff and Marie Vogel’s three daughters, thriving in softball, basketball and running.
 
When she wasn’t being shuttled to one sports practice or another, Vogel was busy helping her father on the family’s goat-producing farm where they raise and sell meat goats, while also having other animals such as donkeys and llamas. That agricultural background has remained a huge part of her life and she plans to attend college at Kansas State with the pursuit of a veterinary medicine degree.
 
During her time spent with her father on the farm, he often talked about the experiences he had and enjoyed being a part of the FFA chapter while he was in high school at Hillsboro. While he was in high school, Kansas served as the host of the National FFA Convention and the Hillsboro chapter helped with putting the convention on.
 
“He talked about his experiences and I really wanted to do that,” Vogel said. “That was something I really wanted to be a part of.”
 
Only there was a catch. When Vogel hit high school at Oskaloosa, the school didn’t have an FFA chapter – the only high school in Jefferson County not to have one.
 
“It was weird with us being a very agricultural town to not have FFA,” Vogel said. “But a lot of the community around town really wanted it. As soon as it got brought up, it caught wind and everyone was on board.”
 
Once the chapter began its initial honorary season during Vogel’s sophomore year, she was all in.
 
“I jumped straight into it,” she said. “I knew I wanted to go into Animal Science, so I really needed to get involved.”
 
Able to compete in FFA events as an honorary chapter that year, Vogel took on as many Career Developmental Events – competitions that allow FFA members to develop and practice skills learned in their agricultural education classes that promote critical thinking, leadership and technical proficiency -- as she could, including such categories as dairy cattle, landscape, meat judging and poultry.
 
But the arrival of Emily Highfill to be Oskaloosa’s Agricultural teacher and FFA sponsor gave Vogel and three of her chapter members a whole new challenge. A judge and coach of Horse Judging during her time at Kansas State, Highfill introduced the chapter to that competition and though Vogel had no background whatsoever with horses, she accepted that challenge.
 
“She kind of roped me into it,” Vogel said of Highfill’s passion for that specific event. “My determination took over from there. I wanted to be able to do something big and go to Nationals as a team.”
 
With the chapter just getting its charter signed as a first-year member last year, the odds were somewhat stacked against Vogel and teammates Sara Leitner, Addy Burns and Harper Heston. But Highfill saw the collective determination Vogel spoke of and they hit the contest preparation hard.
 
“I judged and coached at K-State and I told them if I ever got a group of girls, I wanted them to do it for themselves,” Highfill said. “All of them were naturally good at it and so smart, and you have to be smart to do well.”
 
The team made it through districts and then finished runner-up at the state competition. When the state champion team couldn’t make competing at nationals work, Oskaloosa’s first-year team got the berth.
 
“The fact that they got to go this year, I don’t know that there was any other first-year chapter that’s made it,” Highfill said. “Qualifying for nationals the first year off the bat, is extremely, extremely unheard-of.”
 

 
The National FFA Convention wasn’t held until just two weeks ago in Indianapolis. Leitner, now a freshman at Kansas State, returned to compete with Vogel, Burns and Heston and the team not only held its own, but showed even better than might have been anticipated. They earned a Silver recognition with Vogel also earning a Silver distinction individually.
 
“(Highfill) saw how I was and saw my drive and that me with the other three girls on the team could really do something incredible for our school,” Vogel said. “We believed her and we worked our butts off watching so many different classes. I learned a lot about horses that I didn’t know before.”
 
She also learned some different things about herself. Despite holding multiple leadership positions in her other clubs and sports, Vogel said she’s never been one that’s super comfortable getting up in front of others – be it individually or in a large-group setting.
 
But a big part of the Horse Judging competition involves an aspect called Reasons, where the individual – after having taken extensive notes and judged different classes – is somewhat put on the spot, given a class or classes to present to a judge. Competitors are given a brief period to memorize a presentation before being scored on how you placed the class and presented for the judge.
 
“It’s kind of a lot,” Vogel said.
 
But Vogel broke out of her comfort zone and nailed it. She was scored 48 of 50 on one of her presentations and 47 of 50 on the other to end up with her Silver ranking.
 
“That is absolutely outstanding,” Highfill said. “She’d only been giving Reasons for about a year, so that was really, really good. It's been really, really awesome to see her confidence grow. … That was always her least favorite part about Horse Judging. She told me the other day, ‘You know, I hate Reasons, but I don’t think I’d be as good at speaking if I didn’t do it.’”
 
Vogel agreed.
 
“My speaking skills have improved so much, giving Reasons,” she said.” You have to stand in front of someone and they are completely silent and you’re doing all the talking. Even though they placed the class as well. You could be completely wrong, but you have to be completely confident while doing it.
 
“It’s just really changed my perspective of even being able to talk in front of people. It’s become a part of me. I’m not necessarily shy, but I’m also not necessarily talkative when I meet someone. Being able to do that with my other public speaking classes and being student body president and having to speak at assemblies, definitely got me out of my shell in that way.”
 
Not that Vogel had much of a shell to break out of, having always been involved in multiple activities even before she got to high school. But even during her time at Oskaloosa High School, Principal Taylor Holland has seen a transformation in Vogel.
 
“Emma was involved in everything her freshman year,” said Holland, who became an assistant principal during Vogel’s freshman season before taking over as principal this school year. “I remember seeing her in all the activities. But I would say she stepped into leadership roles significantly her junior year. You could see that shift from her being a kid who showed up consistently for her peers and her school to the last two years has shown up as a tremendous leader. She has been just outstanding this year as a good role model and leader at our school.
 
“I couldn’t tell you what the shift was, but she went from the kind involved and doing but taking the reins and running with it. You could just see it.”
 

 
Vogel was running long before she grabbed the reins of leadership. As a seventh-grader she followed older sister Katelyn, into running cross country. At the time, she was the only girl in her grade competing in the sport. Same for her eighth-grade year.
 
At co-op practices and meets with McLouth, Vogel more times than not would run her races against male competition. And more times than not, she “would be the leader of the pack,” said Oskaloosa cross country coach Stephanie Aldridge.
 
“She was always hard-working and she’ll say nothing came easy for her, but it seemed it came easy for her,” Aldridge said. “She just stood out that she was willing to fight and always do her best and willing to stand in the front.”
 
By the time Emma hit high school, interest in the program had increased enough that the Bears were able to field a full girls team for the first time in 2022. And the team hit the ground running, capturing the Northeast Kansas League title with Emma taking the individual league title as well.
 
Though she never won the individual league title again, Emma did lead the Bears to team crowns each of her four seasons, capping that run this year with a young team around her made up mostly of sophomores and freshmen.
 
“She was such a great leader for this team,” Aldridge said. “She’ll definitely be missed. She’s definitely left a mark and it will be hard to replace all the things she’s been able to accomplish.”
 
Oskaloosa didn’t qualify for state as a team this year, moving up to Class 3A after placing fourth as a team in Class 2A the past two seasons. But Vogel and freshman Annabelle Shelkey did qualify for the state meet at Rim Rock Farm just outside Lawrence.
 
The state meet fell the same weekend as Vogel was finishing up the FFA National Convention in Indianapolis, forcing her to get in her cross country training on the treadmill at the hotel. She flew back early from Indianapolis to compete at state, placing 67th.
 
“I had a surreal moment at regionals with it being my last time competing or doing anything with cross country,” she said. “I just knew I needed to finish it out. My brain would never let me not. I wanted to be able to follow through and complete that chapter of my life.”
 

 
Seeing things through is something Holland and other staff at Oskaloosa note as one of Vogel’s top qualities in being the leader she’s become.
 
“She gives her full commitment to everything she does,” Holland said. “It’s her commitment that that sets her apart. In whatever she does, she gives everything 110%. I’ve watched her run to the point of collapsing in cross country. I’ve watched her battle on the basketball court. I see it at school with FFA and STUCO and as a class officer. She gives everything she has.”
 
Vogel also competes in basketball, powerlifting and track for the Bears, earning first-team all-league honors in basketball last year and owning a school record in track as part of the Bears' 3,200 relay. She’s also a high-level softball player outside of high school, playing centerfield for the PSA Freedom, a Missouri club team, but doesn’t play for the Oskaloosa team with the season conflicting with her track and club softball schedules.

She was elated in watching the Bears captured the Class 2-1A state title last spring.
 
“It’s insane how they did that for our school and are building our program back up,” said Vogel, who plans to try out for the club softball team at Kansas State next fall. “My drive during the spring is through track and I’ve always wanted to build a running program at our school. Coming in as seventh grader, there weren’t a lot of girls running distance. I wanted to be that role model. I really like being able to focus on running and it’s hard to dual-sport a long-distance sport and softball.”
 
Also involved in clubs such as National Honors Society, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and Bears Outdoor Leadership Development (BOLD) as well as being the student body president, vice president of FFA and editor of the yearbook, Vogel’s time for those commitments can get spread thin. But she’s learned to delegate so that if she can’t serve fully in one capacity because of service in another, what needs to get done still gets done by someone else.
 
“I truly do think she is the testament that if you put your mind to it, you can do it,” Highfill said. “She is involved in so much, but she does everything so well. She does all of her officer parts, going above and beyond what is asked. She worked so hard at Horse Judging to get better and she did it and succeeded. There are people that look up to her and leaders like here. She’s so successful in cross country, so successful in FFA and is just a natural leader that it’s really impressive.”
 
“If I’m free, I’m always trying to do something,” Vogel said. “If I’m not free, I try to find people to help. If my SADD club is doing something but my responsibility as the student body president becomes involved, I will help my advisor find someone to help. I always try to find balance in my hectic life, but always keeping my leadership roles being very meticulous and doing them to the best of my ability.”
 
Case in point. On Monday, Vogel spent the bulk of the day at a FFA competition. When she got back to school, it was during an advisory hour so Vogel trotted on down to the office to see if there was something she could help out with.
 
Oskaloosa was hosting a Veteran’s Day celebration on Tuesday and with a first-year teacher involved in the organization of the event, Vogel jumped right in to lend a hand with decorating and other tasks.
 
“I knew she was overwhelmed and could use my help,” Vogel said. “So that’s where I thought I’d do my best work. I don’t think I could have just sat around on my phone. I needed to do something.”
 
“That’s the kind of kid she is,” Holland said. “She’s selfless.”
 
Vogel pointed to the time she spent last year with now-graduated friend Lili Moffett as a big part of her expanded leadership. The duo served as co-editors of the yearbook last year, staying well after the school year had ended to finish up the yearbook.
 
“We like to say we’re twins and just being able to look up to her and how she moved and worked, she was amazing,” Vogel said of Moffett. “She’s so positive and humble and kind and an overall someone to look up to. She started out kind of like me, more quiet but then stepped into that leader role and that kind of changed my perspective of how I could be. I knew her when she was younger and how she blossomed and I thought I could do the same. She really was a role model.
 
“I hope I am radiating it. I’m trying to teach them my ways and how I learned. I really love being organized and I loved being able to give people the rope and watch them become better leaders themselves and be able to coach them to become a better leader.”
 
Highfill said the influence Vogel has had on the FFA chapter will be long-lasting, benefiting the chapter long after Vogel has graduated.
 
“There’s no way our chapter could be successful without kids like her that are super-excited and driven and self-motivated to make it a good chapter,” she said. “It was really awesome when I stepped in last year to see her take on the role she did, vice president, and has done a really good job running her committees. It’s just awesome to have student like her be excited for everything we’ve done.
 
“Now they’ve gotten to see all the stuff she’s been doing through being involved with the contests she goes to and the horse judging and that’s fed into other students in that class getting excited for the possibilities that they can do through FFA. So she’s starting that precedent of ‘Hey, look at what we can do. Look at what we can succeed in and be good at.’ It’s really cool to see her show the other students that.”
 
Aldridge agreed.
 
“She’s been with me for so long I have a soft spot for her and she’s grown into a great leader,” she said. “She leads by example and definitely has always been outgoing, but as she’s continued to work through high school, she’s put herself even more out there. Being more involved in things. She’s pretty determined kid and that is what has developed as she’s gotten older. She has a goal, she knows what she wants to do next and she know how to get herself there.
 
“It’s not just one thing with her. She’s progressively grown as a student, as a kid. How she’s evolved and has continued to stay active in our school is amazing.”
 
In addition to going to Tuesday’s concert together, Vogel and Nivert have started doing Monday Advisory Announcements at the school where each week they talk about what sports are going on that week, what clubs have meetings and other assorted school news.
 
They also offer up a quote of the day to inspire their fellow students. One recently really hit home, pulled from Dr. Seuss’ “The Lorax.”
 
“A tree falls the way it leans. Be careful which way you lean.”
 
“We really liked that just because you become who you put yourself around,” Vogel said. “If you want to be a positive, happy person you need to be around positive, happy people.
 
“I’m just hoping that I’m able to leave a positive mark and be a role model for kids to look up to. To leave that mark to expand different clubs I’m in, different sports I’m in, for the better would make me feel like I accomplished what I wanted to in high school.”
 
Which, Holland said, she has.
 
“She’s a game-changer,” Holland said. “It’s so many factors being able to have kids I can send out into the community as a representative of our school and I have zero concern for how they’re going to represent our school because I know it’s going to be positive. She’s a kid that is always doing the right things. She’s always doing what staff members are asking. She’s a fantastic student. It’s things like that that just set her apart and make her stand out at this school. She leads by example, treats others with respect and contributes to a positive school culture in everything she does.”