The skies the limit, especially for Sydney Marich, a junior at Don Antonio Lugo High school, who continues to work toward her ultimate goal of becoming an FFA state officer. Sydney joined FFA her freshman year and had no idea that she would set out to become the Chapter President, and Orange Section Vice President. She was once a shy girl who hated presenting in front of the class, but after joining the FFA and participating in numerous public speaking competitions, Sydney has blossomed into a natural leader who enjoys speaking in crowds of all sizes.

In the three years that Sydney has been in high school she has yet to see anybody from Don Lugo run for section, region, or state officer, she wanted to be the one to change that. Sydney leads by example continuously striving to inspire her underclassmen peers by showing them that nothing is impossible.  She refused to let the pandemic stop her from achieving her goals and so she pushed herself to do what many think is impossible, she ran for section Vice President, and won. 

“I wanted to show the freshmen that it is accomplish able, that has been my motivation to lead by example, and get Don Lugo’s name out there,” said Sydney Marich.

Sydney did not let battling technology problems throughout virtual competitions while having to make first impressions through a screen faze her. She continued to think positively despite the limitations she was presented with. What might be a setback for somebody else, is an opportunity to learn and grow for Sydney.

As Section Vice President, Sydney has led workshops, leadership events, and games, she also attends meetings and is constantly thinking of ways to help make an impact on the underclassmen she interacts with. “Absolutely nothing compares to the ending when you have members mention how much fun they had, how much they learned, how thankful they are, and even ask to take a picture with you,” said Sydney. The ability to make a difference in somebody else’s life and inspire them is what makes Sydney happy about being Section Vice President.

Sydney has her heart set on attending UC Davis and hopes to become a State Officer to not only make an impact, but to get another level of experience in the agriculture industry and explore different levels of interests that will benefit her in her life after high school. “If I don’t get state office, I have still learned a ton of public speaking skills, a ton of leadership skills, and how to be a better person in general, and for that I am grateful, and for that I know that I will make it far, regardless of if I reach that goal or not,” said Sydney.  

With so much on her plate, there are times that Sydney gets overwhelmed with the amount of tasks she needs to complete in a day. She stressed the importance of mental health, and taking care of your well being, especially when in a position where it is important to always be positive and have a smile on your face.

When presented with situations that cause Sydney to be overwhelmed and stressed she escapes in a world of her own, just her and her horse.“It’s a very good stress reliever for me and sometimes that’s just what you need, because if you’re overwhelmed and stressed, it’s going to take you two hours to do something that would have taken you 15 minutes,” said Sydney.

Sydney has come a long way since her freshman year and she only continues to move forward accomplishing her goals. With state office just within her grasp, Sydney is sure to leave her mark.