By: Erin, Shaun, Domenick

We woke up on a gloomy Saturday morning in beautiful Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This quiet little town was once the host to the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil. The battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War, which gave the Union huge momentum going forward. So many lives lost, so much blood shed, and so much history spread along roughly 6,000 acres of land. 

We started our day in the conference room of the historic Gettysburg Hotel, where our licensed battlefield guide, Bruce Rice, introduced background information on the battle. Bruce is so knowledgeable and truly made the past come to life! Once we reviewed the subject, we hopped on our bus and headed to the battlefield. 

Our first stop on the battlefield was Oak Hill. This is where the majority of the fighting took place on the first day of the battle. The class was overwhelmed with the mystique of the historic ground we were standing on. 

One of the main theme points throughout our fellowship is the subject of crucial conversations. This program teaches skills for creating alignment and agreement by fostering open dialogue around high-stakes, emotional, or risky topics. The teaching of crucial conversations focuses on how to speak and be heard. Looking back on the Battle of Gettysburg, there are many examples of conversations gone wrong. Our class explored four major examples of conversations gone wrong with Generals in the Confederate and Union armies. 

Our profession is all agricultural based, but after today some of the fellows may want to look into acting. There were four teams of six fellows each assigned a critical conversation. Each team was to act out the conversation between Generals at the location of where the conversation was had. We visited Culps Hill, Cemetery Hill, Pickett's Charge, the Peach Orchard and the spot where Lincoln gave his legendary Gettysburg Address. Not only did this allow us to breakdown each crucial conversation and discuss the historic implications of what went wrong; we also got to visit and see the location which brought the battle to life! 

We finally ended our tour at the Angle. Located at the Angle is the California Regiment monument. It was exciting to see our home state represented on the battleground.

This is a day the fellows of class 46 will never forget. The history we learned and the skills we continue to build on having crucial conversations will have a lasting effect. The battle of Gettysburg helped salvage the nation at the time and was the beginning of creating the country we know it today. 

Sad to say goodbye to Gettysburg and our bus driver Fred, but looking forward to what Washington D.C. has in store. 

Thank you to the California Ag Leadership Foundation, donors, and everyone who makes this experience possible!