WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — They bleed blue and gold. They gleam with pride for the FFA Organization. They believe in the future of agriculture with a faith born not of words, but of deeds. They are the newest seven members of the Indiana FFA state officer team.

“This is my dream. So it’s exciting to be living out my dream,” said Briley Fichter, of Castle FFA in Newburgh, Ind. and now the newest Southern Region Vice President for Indiana FFA. “But more than that, I’m excited about impacting my fellow FFA members and making a true difference in the lives of others. We have a great year ahead.”

Fichter will realize her dream and share the Indiana FFA Leadership Center’s state officer quarters for the next 12 months with newly elected President Cameron Mann of Cloverdale FFA; Secretary Katherine Spencer of South Putnam FFA; Northern Region Vice President Marshall Perkins of Prairie Heights FFA; Treasurer Mallarie Stookey of Warsaw FFA; Reporter Shelby Riley of Hamilton Southeastern FFA and Brandan Bergdall of Bellmont FFA.

“We are already a huge family and found an instant chemistry together,” she added, though she understands that it may be a challenge to balance the work-friend-family officer dynamic in the house. “But I can already tell you we have a great team, we work great together and have a great year planned ahead.”

The clearly excited, new state officers were inducted by Indiana FFA state delegates during the final session of the 83rd annual Indiana FFA State Convention June 20 on the campus of Purdue University in West, Lafayette, Ind.

In one word, Fichter describes the state officer application and interview process as intense. “The entire process was pretty intense, and they really want to push you to your breaking point,” she said.

The two-day process included several group and individual projects, numerous interviews and multiple speech presentation including an impromptu speech where applicants were only given five minutes to write and prepare a presentation.

But it was well worth the hard work and anxiety, if asking a current member of the Indiana FFA state officer team.

“Before I even opened the (state officer slate) letter I was already crying because this is something I wanted and worked hard for a long time. So when I saw my name (on the officer slate) I was overwhelmed with joy and happiness. It made me feel like I had accomplished my dream ... Just complete and utter happiness,” she gushed.

Interestingly, Fichter said she knew quite early on in her FFA career, that she wanted to be a state officer.

“When I tried on my FFA jacket for the first time, I knew instantly this was an program I wanted to be a part of. I felt a real sense of belonging,” Fichter said.

Fichter went on to describe her first experience at state FFA convention in West Lafayette and how it opened her eyes to the breadth and depth of the FFA Organization. “Then when I met the state officer team, it was the icing the cake. They were so cool and impressive,” she said. “They got down at my level as a freshmen and made me feel special and awesome. I knew I wanted to make a similar impact.”

Fichter, who like her fellow teammates, was an active member of FFA in high school, serving as Castle FFA’s vice president her junior year, president her senior year and also vice president for District 10 and Section 4 director for the southern quarter of Indiana. Additionally, she was a member of the Lady Knights girls’ basketball team, track team and was a member of the Castle Archery team.

In her path to her dream of serving as a state FFA officer, Fichter took equine placement as her Supervised Agricultural Education project, where she and her brother cared for and exercised horses at a nearby stable in Booneville. In turn, she was able to exhibit horses in 4-H, locally. Fichter is the first FFA member from Castle FFA to serve as a state officer and one of the select few from the southeast region of the state.

Moving forward, Fichter and her fellow teammates, whom she now refers to as her ‘family’ will travel to Springfield, Ill. for a week long training and leadership development camp exclusively for state officers. According to Fichter, other state officer teams joining Indiana at the camp will be Illinois, Wisconsin and Kentucky, among others.

Following state officer training, the newly-minted Indiana team will travel home to the Indiana FFA Leadership Center in Trafalgar, Ind. for a week long service camp for 80-plus kids called Summer Challenge. “After Summer Challenge we will begin working on preparation for State Fair and then be at the State Fairgrounds for a month putting on activities in the FFA Building,” she said. 

To follow the state officers on their new journey or for more information, visit www.indianaffa.org