The 95th Indiana FFA State Convention is fast approaching—and the student who is finishing up her term as Indiana FFA President has a very busy summer ahead of her. Later this month, she’ll be trading in her Indiana FFA corduroy jacket for a crown and a sash.
“This year has been life-changing and absolutely breathtaking. There are so few words to describe it,” says Kelby Roberts of Rushville.
Not only has she been serving as President of Indiana FFA over the past year, but just last weekend she was crowned Miss Rush County 2024 for the upcoming Rush County 4-H Fair.
“I talked about it in my interviews when I was running for Rush County Fair Queen that I’ve always been a dreamer—I always knew I wanted to run for Indiana FFA State Officer, and I always knew that I wanted to run for Miss Rush County. Obviously I take those dreams and run with them, but I’m so blessed to be able to really live those out with some awesome people,” she says.
First up this summer is the Indiana FFA State Convention, which is June 17-20 at the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette. Kelby and the rest of the Indiana FFA State Officer team have been working together over the past several months to plan for the upcoming convention.
“Our theme this year is ‘Discover’ and we are super excited for that,” she says. “We are about to absolutely bring the hype, the energy, and the fun. We have a lot of really cool new things in store and we’re so excited to welcome our FFA members to West Lafayette.”
What is Kelby looking forward to most as she serves as President for this year’s Indiana FFA State Convention?
“I would say reconnecting with members I’ve already made those connection with and meeting new members that maybe I haven’t gotten to meet directly but they’ve followed me on social media, or they’ve reached out to me or know who I am, so I really want to get to know all of them. I’m really looking forward to our sessions that we’re sharing, and my retiring address, of course.”
Soon after the convention, Kelby will serve as Fair Queen during the Rush County 4-H Fair June 29-July 6.
“Being a ten-year 4-H member and have really been involved in the livestock side of things—that’s where my roots at the Rush County 4-H Fair really run deep, so I’m super excited to see the successful 4-H members and see their faces light up,” she says. “Also, going on the Midway and getting to interact with our community. Maybe I’ll get over my fear of heights a little more and ride some of the rides?”
Then, once the Rush County 4-H Fair is over, Kelby says she plans to finish out her busy summer by serving as an intern with the City of Rushville.
This fall, Kelby will be a freshman at Purdue University with a double major in both Political Science and Agricultural Economics with a Pre-Law and Policy concentration.
“I definitely want to work in the policy sector of American agriculture. Hopefully, at one point I’ll be living and working in Washington, D.C. I’m really excited to explore those opportunities at Purdue to see exactly what that’s going to look like,” she says.
Click below to hear Hoosier Ag Today’s full interview with Kelby Roberts, as shares more about serving as Indiana FFA President—as well as Miss Rush County 2024.
