Seven young people hailing literally from all over Indiana took the reins of leadership of the state’s largest vocational education-based youth organization after election by delegates at the 90th Indiana FFA State Convention. The convention was held on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette, Ind.

For the first time in a decade, a male student will serve as president of Indiana FFA. The new president is Dillon Muhlenkamp from Jay County FFA in Portland. Jay County has one of the largest FFA memberships in the state. The last young man to serve as president was Travis Martin of Carroll County, who led Indiana FFA in 2009-10.

Serving as secretary is Caitlyn Lewis, Frontier FFA. Frontier High School is near Chalmers in White County, and includes students from Chalmers, Brookston and surrounding areas. The southern region vice president is Nathan Fairchild of South Decatur FFA, Westport. His counterpart, the northern region vice president, is Morgan Hinz of South Central FFA. South Central is near Union Mills in LaPorte County.

Other new officers on the 2019-20 team include Noah Berning, treasurer, from Heritage High School in Allen County; and Taylor Roy, reporter, from Franklin FFA in Johnson County. The sentinel is Eion Stephens, hailing from Tecumseh High School in Warrick County, east of Evansville.

Roy called her election a dream come true. The Franklin Community High School graduate said she knew from ninth grade that she wanted to become a state officer. “It was a goal, and I worked as hard as I could to be ready to serve,” she says.

These seven young people will spend a year delaying college and serving Indiana FFA full time. Indiana is one of a very few states where FFA state officers make a full-time commitment. And it’s one of fewer still where the state officers live together in a facility operated by the FFA. The new team will take up residence at the Indiana FFA Center near Trafalgar, Ind., soon.