Sydney Snider, of Felicity, was elected the 2014-2015 president of the Ohio FFA Association May 2 during the state convention.
Sydney Snider of Felicity is the 2014-2015 president of the Ohio FFA Association.

Snider was elected May 2 during the state convention with more than 65 fellow members and chaperons on hand to celebrate.

She ran for president to provide others with the same positive experience she had this past year as state FFA secretary.

“This past year had such an impact on me. I felt I had so much more to give the association,” Snider said. “I felt I wanted to be part of the team again and shape next year’s team so they have as successful and positive a year as I had.”

Snider also wants to encourage FFA members across the state to take advantage of all the opportunities the association has to offer.

She was elected after five interviews in April and being chosen as one of two people from the state to run for president. Each candidate had to be a state officer the previous year. Snider than gave a two to three minute speech to the delegates who then voted on behalf of their FFA chapters. Ohio has more than 310 chapters and each has two members assigned as delegates to the state convention.

Snider just finished her freshman year at the Ohio State University where she is an agricultural communications major. Her twin sister, Carley, also attends OSU and majors in food science.

The twins graduated from Felicity-Franklin High School in 2013. Sydney was valedictorian and Carley was salutatorian.

Carley served as a regional FFA president in 2012-2013. Sydney served as the 2013-2014 state FFA secretary, an office that opened the door for her to run for state president. She was the first state office holder from Felicity-Franklin in many years and the first state president.

“I’m really excited,” Carley said about her sister. “I was able to watch her grow throughout the year and see the difference she made.”

“This is an opportunity to be involved on that level and have a say in an organization that we both believe in … I’m very proud,” Carley said.

Sydney will spend the next 12 months traveling the state visiting FFA chapters and working with the 16-member FFA state officer’s team, which includes the president. She will attend state FFA camp and attend FFA events. She has decided, like most state presidents, to take a year off school and dedicate her time to the office.

“I’m excited to see all the cool things people are doing,” she said. “I want to help people take advantage of everything they can while they are in FFA.”

“I want to help them (the other officers) understand what the association does. I want to reach as many members as I can.” She wants other members to know how positive FFA can be in their lives.

Sydney started her FFA career as a freshman at Felicity-Franklin High School. Her agricultural educator teacher and FFA advisor is Holly Jennings.

“Mrs. Jennings is definitely a mentor to me,” she said. “I appreciate all the push she provided along the way. I sure would not have run for state office last year if I had not been pushed by Mrs. Jennings. She helped me believe it.”

Jennings is proud of Sydney’s accomplishment.

“It’s very exciting to see Sydney grow into a wonderful young leader over the last 5 years. She has worked extremely hard, dedicating 110 percent to the FFA. Her humble spirit makes her a great person to lead and motivate her 23,000 fellow Ohio FFA members,” said Jennings.

She said everyone from Felicity who attended the convention was “super excited. They were excited to personally know the state president, someone from a small school like Felicity.”

“This will open the door for other students who now see they can set their goals high and reach their dreams,” Jennings said.