Becoming a member of the National FFA officer team for 2024-25 is the goal for a young man who just finished spending a year as an Indiana FFA State Officer.

"I hope if I'm elected as a national officer, I can encourage more members to take full advantage of opportunities and really strive and build goals for their FFA journeys," says Carson Rudd of Carroll County. He is currently a student at Kansas State University studying agricultural education.

Last year, Rudd served as Reporter for the Indiana FFA officer team. He says being a full-time officer has prepared him to become a National FFA Officer.

"[Indiana] is one of about five or six states that allow their FFA state officers to take a gap year from school in order to better serve our members," according to Rudd. "I think that experience alone -- being able to say I was basically a nine-to-five employee of our state FFA -- has prepared me with those skills of engaging with members during Chapter visits, going to Chapter banquets and hosting conferences at the Indiana FFA Leadership Center. That reflects a lot onto what National FFA office will look like."

Carson says he had the chance to travel all across Indiana as an FFA state officer. He says if he's chosen as a National FFA officer, he's ready for the commitment -- and the travel that comes with the job.

"It's not uncommon that you go weeks or even a month before seeing some of your teammates as National FFA officers because you're in different states at different times and you might come together for industry visit or training for the growth and development of the team, so yeah it would be a little bit different not seeing your teammates every single day like I was able to Indiana FFA State officer," he says.

Rudd adds that he wouldn't have the leadership abilities -- nor would he have the confidence to become a National FFA Officer -- if it weren't for the skills he's learned from the organization over the past seven years.

"If you would have told me in seventh grade that I would be traveling the state giving workshops or going to chapter banquets in parts of the state that I've never been to giving a 15 minute speech, I would have called you crazy," he says. "But because of the experiences that FFA gives it students, it really helps push you to always strive for that next level of development in your journey by helping you sharpen those skills, like leadership and communication."

The new National FFA Officer Team for 2024-25 will be announced during the final session of the 97 National FFA Convention and Expo on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.