Williamsburg graduate elected as state FFA officer
Parks achieves goal with upcoming stint as state reporter
Samuel Parks holds the Williamsburg team plaque at the 96th Pennsylvania FFA State Convention held at Penn State. Parks will serve a one-year state officer term as state reporter. Courtesy photo
Williamsburg graduate Samuel Parks accepts his nomination as a member of the Pennsylvania FFA State Officer Team from the outgoing state officer. Courtesy photo
Samuel Parks holds the Williamsburg team plaque at the 96th Pennsylvania FFA State Convention held at Penn State. Parks will serve a one-year state officer term as state reporter. Courtesy photo
Williamsburg graduate Samuel Parks accepts his nomination as a member of the Pennsylvania FFA State Officer Team from the outgoing state officer. Courtesy photo
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WILLIAMSBURG -- A member of the Williamsburg FFA Chapter has been elected to serve as a 2025-26 Pennsylvania FFA state officer.
Samuel Parks, a 2025 Williamsburg Community High School graduate, was elected as state reporter at the 96th Pennsylvania FFA State Convention held recently at Penn State.
In this role, he will represent more than 15,000 FFA members across Pennsylvania, traveling thousands of miles to visit local FFA chapters, lead leadership conferences, advocate for agricultural education, and build relationships with industry leaders and stakeholders.
"It is an absolute honor to be elected as the state reporter. I am so excited to serve the over 16,000 FFA members and spread agricultural news across the state," Parks said. "I have also been blessed with the best team I could have ever asked for."
Robyn Bechtel, Williamsburg high school agriculture teacher and FFA advisor, said Parks set a goal to serve as a state officer when he first started in the program.
"We are so proud of Sam and excited to see him serve the Pennsylvania FFA Association for the next year," she said. "He has worked hard to make it happen. He has a passion for the FFA Association and its members and will do well in this role for the next year."
High School Principal Jennifer Frederick called it an incredible honor, one that Parks earned through thoughtful reflection and determination.
"He carefully considered how this opportunity aligns with his long-term career goals, and I couldn't be more proud of him -- for having the confidence to pursue this ambition, and even more so for achieving it," Frederick said.
The Pennsylvania FFA State Officer Team consists of seven student leaders selected annually through a highly competitive process involving extensive interviews, leadership demonstrations, speeches and knowledge assessments. Candidates are evaluated on their agricultural knowledge, communication skills, leadership abilities and passion for service to others.
Parks said he was surprised to be elected.
"There were 32 amazing candidates and I knew any team would've been phenomenal. My name was called and I heard the first two letters of my name and the rest I can't remember," Parks said.
The new officer team is announced during the end of the third session at the state convention.
"It is very suspenseful and our entire chapter was waiting to see if Sam's name would be called. There were over thirty students who interviewed for the seven spots on the officer team. Sam was the second student called for the 2025-26 team," Bechtel said. "After the initial cheers and screams, many of the Williamsburg group started crying because they were so happy for Sam. I didn't even realize which office he received at first because the moment was still sinking in."
Frederick was not surprised that Parks was chosen for the position.
"If you haven't had the chance to meet him yet, you'll quickly notice his unwavering enthusiasm and genuine commitment to serving others. He consistently steps up to support the greater good, even when his efforts go unrecognized," Frederick said.
Parks said a couple of years ago, Maddy Musser, a past state officer, told him that he would be a great state officer and should consider running.
"After that I basically practiced and practiced until my interviews. It was more of an interview process instead of actually 'running' for it," he said. "I had always looked up to the state officers as a younger FFA member and being told that I could be one of them was the most exhilarating feeling in the world."
State officers serve a one-year term and often take a gap year between high school and college or in the early stages of their college career, to fully dedicate themselves to serving the Pennsylvania FFA Association and advancing agricultural education statewide.
Parks plans to attend Penn State to study agricultural extension and education in summer 2026.
Mirror Staff Writer Walt Frank is at 814-946-7467.