INDIANAPOLIS – Most FFA members long to wear the iconic blue jacket. Many of them have aspirations of holding a FFA chapter or state office position. For the six FFA students who were recently fortunate enough to hear their name announced as a national FFA officer, the experience can be breath-taking.

Caroline Groth, of Locust Trace FFA Chapter in Fayette County, Ky., felt an adrenaline rush when it was announced that she had been elected eastern region vice president at the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis.

“Having my name called at the National FFA Convention & Expo was an insane feeling,” said Groth, who was among a pool of 37 candidates vying for a position as a national FFA officer. “This has been a dream and a prayer.”

Groth was also one of 23 candidates who ran for Kentucky FFA president more than a year earlier. During that tenure she traveled around the state, teaching leadership workshops and inspiring FFA members to pursue their dreams.

As Kentucky FFA president, Groth served on the Kentucky State Fair Board and the Kentucky FFA Board of Trustees.

“Becoming the Kentucky FFA president was a huge honor,” she said. “Becoming a national FFA officer is just mind-boggling.”

It’s quite a feat for one who wasn’t even raised on a farm.

Groth grew up in an urban area outside Lexington. In 2015, he family moved to a small farm. That’s when Groth began showing sheep in 4-H, with no thought of FFA just yet.

“We didn’t have FFA in my middle school. I started FFA education my freshman year in high school and that led me to showing sheep,” she said. “I met my FFA adviser at our county fair, who led me to all the leadership opportunities that FFA had. Once in FFA I participated in every event possible and met people. Making connections with people helped me with my interview skills and helped me define me as a leader. FFA has been a huge part of my life. It’s been what I love.”

Every member of FFA is required to do a supervised agricultural experience (SAE), and Groth was no exception. She showed her sheep Dainty.

“My SAE, it went beyond just showing, and it’s a full-run operation,” she said. “So, everything from breeding decisions to lambing to daily care, it’s a lot of work, but I loved it. Showing has taught me so many life lessons, from responsibility and dedication to time management skills. I started when I was 9 years old, and I’ll be doing it for the rest of my life.”

Caroline’s dad, Jason, said it’s humbling to see his daughter in a national FFA position. Before Fayette County FFA was established, Jason, too, was a 4-H member.

“I joke with my friends that I’m known as Caroline’s dad now, so I’ve kind of lost my identity, but we’re super proud of her,” Jason said. “Through the whole process, I think Caroline’s been very focused, and I think part of our responsibility as parents has been to provide her opportunities to continue to help her grow in her service and her leadership.

“I always tell people that Caroline’s my mini-me. We’re so alike. We both have a lot of dreams and aspirations for what we do on the farm that’s motivating to both of us. She’s one of my strongest assets for our farm, marketing, selling and showing, and passing that on down to her siblings.”

Her father said one of the strongest things about Caroline is her passion for agriculture.

“I think if you talk to anybody that interviewed her in the process, it’s just natural for her to be passionate about something that she loves,” he said.

Caroline Groth spent this past summer gaining first-hand experience and knowledge of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s (KDA) role in the agriculture industry during an internship. During her internship, she worked in the Kentucky Office of Agricultural Policy, which supports efforts to provide grants, incentives and low-interest loans to help farmers and agribusinesses grow. Much of her job involved traveling across the state to attend county-level meetings and other events.

“Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner (Jonathan) Shell let us travel with him so much, which has been my favorite part of that job,” Groth said. “We learned about things from the urban service boundary to our current economy and how it’s affecting agriculture. I love networking, I love talking to people, and I feel like that’s something I’ve gotten to do a lot at KDA.”

And now, Groth will focus on her responsibility of working with the other FFA national team members. As with the other five national officers, Groth will interact with business and industry leaders, thousands of FFA members and teachers, corporate partners, government and education officials, state FFA leaders, the general public and more.

The six-member team will lead personal growth and leadership training conferences for FFA members throughout the country and help set policies to guide the future of FFA and the next generation of leaders.

“I have learned who Caroline was both inside this FFA jacket and outside the jacket,” she said. “I’ve learned to be myself. As a leader there’s so much pressure to come across a certain way, or speak a certain way. People won’t accept something that is not genuine, so I tell others to be yourself.

“Looking back, I joined FFA because of the people. I saw how people in FFA supported each other in their wins and their losses. I never expected anything like that. The FFA people are so good.”

Groth is a sophomore at University of Kentucky’s Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Her double major is in agriculture education and agriculture economics.

“Whether it’s a speech or a workshop or a member interaction, I want all of the goodness of our organization to go back to them, because that’s why I’m here,” Groth said. “I’m here to serve our members and be a servant leader.”