It’s not every day a student becomes a national officer.

Each year, six individuals are selected to serve as a national officer for the National FFA Organization, and this year one of those individuals is a student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State.

Abrah Meyer, sophomore in agricultural business, was chosen to be the central region vice president at this year’s National FFA Convention in Louisville, Ky.

When asked how she prepared for the interview process Meyers said her entire FFA career had helped her prepare and get ready for this role.

She became inspired to become a national officer when she was a district FFA officer in northeastern Iowa when she had the opportunity to hang out with a national officer.

“[The national officer] had such a big heart that she used to connect with people and inspire them to become more,” Meyer said.

Meyer never thought becoming a national officer would become a reality, but she said she has been preparing for it her entire life.

“I have the foundation of support from everyone, including my parents who taught me to achieve but stay grounded as a person, so that I can serve FFA members all across the nation with a full heart,” she said.

To become a national officer, the application and interview process is long and tedious. It starts with an application with basic information, past FFA involvement and two essays.

The next step includes seven rounds of interviews at the National FFA Convention.

Throughout the interview process, applicants were quizzed about agricultural issues, leadership education and personal questions.

Meyer summed up the interview process with two questions — “Who is Abrah Meyer?” and “Why should she serve as a national officer?”

“People really invested in me and now I get to invest into other people,” Meyer said.

She wants to serve as an officer to carry out FFA’s mission, which is to make a positive difference in the lives of students.

“I want to help members find their purpose,” Meyer said. “There are so many positive people in my life, it’s my time to be that positive person in someone else’s life.”

Meyer had the opportunity to hear former Olympian Scott Hamilton speak at a previous National FFA Convention. Meyer said one of her many favorite leadership quotes came from his speech.

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude,” Hamilton said during the event.

Meyers said everyone is capable of serving and making someone better off in life than they were before. She also said everyone should take on the challenge.