Adams and Lincoln County well-represented at statewide FFA level following elections

Last updated Jun 05, 2019 4:0pm0

Photo courtesy of Payton Wallace/Washington FFA count

New Washington state FFA officers, from left: vice president Kendyl Wiley, from Davenport; secretary Devin Schafer, from Ritzville; reporter Mara Soto, from Chehalis; sentinel Hannah Ruth Pettyjohn, from Walla Walla; treasurer Abbie Dorhauer, from Yelm; and president Awson Wheeler, from Sprague. Three of the six new state officers hail from Adams and Lincoln County.

The Washington FFA Association elected new state officers during the final session of the state convention in Pullman on May 11, and Adams and Lincoln County are well-represented by the new officers, to say the least.

Sprague's Awson Wheeler was elected as the next president by his fellow FFA members at the convention, with nearly 3,000 members attending the convention's final session. Kendyl Wiley, of Davenport, was elected as vice president, and Ritzville's own, Devin Schafer, was elected as secretary.

Wheeler was overcome with emotion after the news was announced, as the members in attendance cheered for him. At the session, he said it would be an honor to serve as a state officer, and said he and his fellow newly elected officers would continue to work as hard as the many teams of FFA officers before them.

"Washington FFA will continue to change and grow as we continue to make an impact on our communities and our country," Wheeler said at the end of the final session. Wheeler will be attending the University of Idaho and intends to study agricultural systems management.

In an interview at the convention with Capital Press, Ritzville's Schafer said that FFA is something that has been in his family for three generations now, with both his father and grandfather having participated in FFA as well.

"I didn't put too much thought to it, I just kind of jumped into [FFA]," Schafer told Capital Press. "I hope we can grow, lead, serve. I feel it's a great opportunity for me to give back to the organization and serve others."

Schafer just graduated from LRHS on June 1, and plans on attending Idaho. He intends to major in agricultural education.

Davenport's Wiley told Capital Press that she first got interested in joining FFA when she saw other students wearing the organization's easy-to-recognize blue jacket. When her family moved, she said that she wanted "a good volleyball program and FFA" when her parents asked her what she wanted in a new school. Wiley intends to study agricultural biotechnology at Washington State University.

Other elected state officers include: treasurer Abbie Dorhauer, of Yelm; reporter Mara Soto, of Chehalis; and sentinel Hannah Ruth Pettyjohn, of Walla Walla.