STURGIS, Ky. – From the time she started FFA in the ninth grade at Union County High School, Mallory White, of Union County in Kentucky, said she has been “reaching for the stars.”

Mallory, you hit that target.

On Oct. 30, the 94th National FFA Convention and Expo wrapped up. With more than 50,000 registered attendees waiting in anticipation and more than 730,000 FFA members potentially watching from all across the country, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the National FFA Organization announced its new officer team. White was one of six elected by National FFA delegates to serve as 2021-22 National FFA Officers. White will be the Eastern Region vice president.

“I’ve always had a lot of big goals, ambitions and dreams,” White admitted. “I knew by my freshman year in high school I wanted to be a state officer, or perhaps a national officer. I reached for the stars, though I never thought it would actually happen.”

In July 2020, White was elected to the position of Kentucky State FFA president, becoming the first state FFA president from Union County since the early 1970s. That journey started three months earlier. She first had to apply and run at the regional level. After being selected to represent the Green River FFA region she advanced to the state level. At state, Mallory went through a battery of tests, interview and video conferences with various stakeholders.

“When I ran for that state office we were in the middle of COVID-19 and everything was virtual,” White said. “With the interviewing being virtual there was a lot of uncertainty.”

If running for a state office was hard, White says the effort to obtain a national position was much more stringent. Through it all, though, White has remained humble, down to earth.

“Titles aren’t what makes a person,” White said. “I’m here to spread that message. You don’t have to have a title to be somebody, to make an impact and to be worthy of love and praise from other people.”

White admitted that her mother being a guidance counselor at Union County High School may have something to do with her consistent drive toward her goal. Her father, too, may have had an influence as he was a state FFA officer when he was young.

“My dad was an FFA state officer and grew up with FFA, so when I competed in something in FFA I would ask him what place he got in the same competition,” she said. “I would always try to one-up him. That’s why we get along so well together.

“FFA is generational for me. We’re a fourth-generation farm family. My dad, uncles and cousins are all in FFA and all have come back to the farm. I grew up hearing their stories and experiences, and that led to me joining the organization. My passion for agriculture comes from my production agriculture background, but FFA truly developed and fulfilled that passion of agriculture for me.”

White and the other five national officers were selected from 37 candidates vying for the honor. Candidates took part in an extensive interview process with the National FFA Officer Nominating Committee leading up to the selection.

“I’m excited to spread the good word about American agriculture not only to our members, but to sponsors, supporters, alumni and all of our local communities because the future of agriculture is here and we get to be a part of it.”

As Eastern Region vice president, White will join five other national officers and travel more than 100,000 miles in the next year in service to the 700,000-plus members of the National FFA Organization. She will also visit with agriculture and business leaders and government officials as she serves as an ambassador for the organization and the agriculture industry. White will take a year off from her studies at Murray State University to fulfill the duties of her office.

Her immense community support system and deep passion for agriculture has propelled her thorough the long and challenging national officer selection process and now she is anxious to give back.

“Our mission as officers is to promote the truth of agriculture, promoting and learning about it through ag education,” she said. “It definitely has evolved into a mission focusing on gaining leadership skills, experiencing personal growth and teaching members about the overall facets of the industry.”

During her upcoming year of service, White said she hopes to lead by example with genuineness and humility and show members they are valued. White is studying agronomy at Murray State. She is the daughter of Ryan and Brooke White, of Sturgis.