WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – As the recently elected Indiana FFA state president, Kaitlyn Maruszewski said her main goal in the role is to plant seeds of ambition in Indiana FFA members.

“I hope that by sharing my FFA journey and learning about others we are able to create an amazing community of FFA members who are all rooting for each other,” she explained. “I hope to have many meaningful conversations with members and inspire them to take every opportunity and create it when it doesn’t come to them. I really believe that this organization has a place for absolutely everyone and sometimes it just takes a good conversation to inspire someone.”

The seven-member officer team for 2025-2026 was elected June 19 during the 96th state convention in West Lafayette.

Maruszewski graduated in May from Tri-Central High School in Tipton County as valedictorian. While in the Tri-Central FFA chapter in high school, she served as president twice, secretary and reporter. She was also District V officer for two years as vice president and treasurer, and Section II director representing districts IV, V and VI.

She said she can’t imagine where her year as president will lead her.

“I believe that the skills and experiences I will have in this next year will be beneficial for life,” Maruszewski said. “I am so excited to learn new perspectives, create connections, grow as a person and leader, inspire FFA members, and this list could go on forever. This experience is just starting, and it has already been life changing.”

When she decided to run for state office, Maruszewski said being elected president was not something she expected. Her main goal going into the state office rounds was to do her best. She said she would have been content whatever the outcome of the election was, as long as she showed them who she was.

“I am looking forward to meeting Indiana FFA members from across the state and being able to learn their unique FFA stories. I know that this year has so much in store but that is one of the aspects of this role that I am most excited for.”

Maruszewski said her family is deeply rooted in agriculture though she doesn’t have a direct farm background. Her grandfather and uncles farm in southern Indiana. Her mother works for FMC Corp., an agricultural sciences company, as a field sales representative.

Her mother was in FFA and served as the Indiana FFA state secretary in the mid-1990s. Her uncles and grandfather were also in FFA. Maruszewski said her two younger sisters, Audrey and Emily, have started their journeys in the organization.

“My passion for agriculture started with my mom and extended family but flourished when I was in my first agriculture class my freshman year of high school,” she noted. When she entered that first class, she said she “immediately knew I wanted to join FFA because agriculture was something that I was very passionate about and I loved what I was learning in class.

“I hoped to grow as a leader, inspire others, and learn more about agriculture. I am so happy to say that I have achieved all of those goals in some capacity and continue to do so each day I spend in the organization.”

In 2020, for her FFA supervised agricultural experience, or SAE, Maruszewski started bykaitlyndesigns. She sells house plants she propagates using asexual propagation methods, home décor and macrame crafts. She offers instructional classes on macrame and plant techniques. She has a permanent vendor space in The Plum House, My Makers’ Market in Pendleton, Ind., and sells products at craft shows and farmers markets.

She said she started her business because her agriculture courses opened her up to the horticulture industry, which became something she was very passionate about.

“I fell in love with house plants and started collecting them,” Maruszewski recalled. “I have also always been very interested in science. I used bykaitlyndesigns to combine those passions by propagating my house plants and sharing them with others. (My) business model is to leave every customer more educated on house plants after they buy from bykaitlyndesigns that they were before.

“I love sharing what I have learned with others and watching their plant journeys. Being a young entrepreneur has taught me many lessons. Most importantly, this venture has taught me the importance of communication, responsibility, advocacy and determination. Through owning a business, I have learned that you only get out of it what you put into it.”

During Maruszewski’s freshman year, the Tri-Central FFA chapter was reinstated after being dormant 30 years.

“I have had so many experiences during my time in the blue jacket,” she said. “One of the experiences that has been most special to me was being part of the Tri-Central FFA as we grew and developed the chapter. The members of my home chapter have become like a second family to me. I am so thankful for all the experiences I was able to share with them throughout the last four years.”

Maruszewski plans to continue bykaitlyndesigns during college as a small side job. After she completes her role as state president, she will attend Purdue University to study horticulture with a concentration in plant science. She said she aspires to obtain a doctorate and to eventually work in the research field.