Room cleaned. Dishes put away. Homework finished. Goat fed and watered.Not the ordinary responsibilities of an average teenager.

Sophomore FFA member Derek Delacruz knows a lot about how much time and dedication  goes into making sure his goat is prepared and ready for an upcoming show. He hopes his love of animals will translate into a career.

“I joined FFA because I want to be a large animal veterinarian,” Derek said.

Derek got his goat back in July and named him Bucky. He will raise his goat until March for the major show, Star of Texas, held at the Travis County Expo Center.

So far, Derek has participated in a number of shows. He placed fifth at the Florence show, sixth at the Round Rock show held at McNeil and first place at the Lake Travis show.

“One of my main goals is to make auction at the Travis County show in January,” Delacruz said.

It takes a lot of time to raise an animal, but it also requires patience.

“Through raising my goat, I have learned time management and how to work hard,” Delacruz said.

On a daily basis, Delacruz feeds and gets fresh water for his goat. He also walks and trains for around four hours a day. He shears his goat every week before show, as well as bathes it on a weekly basis.

Raising any animal, not just a goat, takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but it allows students to learn the skills that will help them in the future.

“My plans for FFA in the future is to try and raise a southdown lamb and another goat,” Delacruz said.