LEWISTOWN — Most FFA members spend their high school years learning the fundamentals of leadership, service and agricultural education. Very few, however, are ever asked to help choose the next leaders of the entire Pennsylvania FFA Association. This spring, Big Valley FFA member Abbie Fitzgerald joined that select group.

Fitzgerald, a junior in The Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology’s Agricultural Sciences program, has been appointed to the Pennsylvania FFA State Officer Nominating Committee, one of the most prestigious and influential student leadership roles in the organization.

Only eight FFA members statewide are selected each year, giving the committee a responsibility that reaches far beyond their own chapters and counties.

For Fitzgerald, the appointment marks the highest leadership position she has held in FFA, capping a rapid rise that began when she first walked into the program as a sophomore.

Fitzgerald currently serves as vice president of the Big Valley FFA chapter and is the 2025 Mifflin County Youth Fair Queen. She has already built a strong record of service, including organizing an area-wide community service project last fall that brought together FFA chapters from Mifflin, Juniata and Huntingdon counties to pack hygiene kits for Mifflin County Children and Youth Services.

“When I first joined FFA I didn’t fully understand what leadership really meant, but becoming a chapter officer made me realize that it is all about serving our members and doing what is best for them,” Fitzgerald said.

Her newest role will place her at the center of one of the most consequential processes in Pennsylvania FFA. The nominating committee is responsible for interviewing, evaluating and recommending the seven students who will serve as PA FFA State Officers for the 2026-27 year. Those officers represent more than 16,000 members, lead statewide initiatives, visit schools across the Commonwealth and serve as the public face of agricultural education in Pennsylvania.

Because of the weight of that responsibility, the selection process for the committee is intentionally rigorous. Pennsylvania FFA is divided into four regions — western, eastern, south central and northern — and only two members from each region are chosen annually.

Fitzgerald’s appointment means she will represent the entire South Central Region, which stretches from Mifflin County to the Maryland border and from Blair to York County.

Her journey began about a month ago when she submitted her application. Soon after, she learned she had advanced into the top five candidates in the region. Last Tuesday, she completed an in-depth interview designed to assess her understanding of fairness, leadership, professionalism and her ability to identify the most authentic and capable candidates for state office.

Later that evening, she received the news she had hoped for: she had been selected as one of the two South Central Region representatives on the 2026 PA FFA Nominating Committee.

“The FFA organization is very important to me and has been very impactful to my growth as a leader. I am excited to serve on the nominating committee and have the opportunity to represent the over 16,000 members in Pennsylvania,” Fitzgerald said.

Her selection also reflects the strength of the Big Valley FFA chapter and the agricultural education programs that support students across Mifflin County. For Fitzgerald, the appointment is both an honor and a responsibility she has worked toward since joining the organization.

“I have been presented with so many opportunities to grow and develop into the best version of myself and I have taken every one,” she said. “I have worked hard to reach all of the goals I set for myself and want to encourage other members to do the same while they have the time to do so.”

With her appointment, Fitzgerald joins a small group of students entrusted with guiding the future of Pennsylvania FFA — a role that underscores both her leadership and the pride of the community she represents.