The Lexington-Richland Five FFA Chapter recently won the state championship in the South Carolina FFA Veterinary Science Career Development Event (CDE). The winning team included Sydney Brunson from Chapin High School and Jay Caldwell, Alex Coogler, and Liv Dandridge from Spring Hill High School. All four students are part of the Veterinary Science & Technology program at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies.
The competition was held on November 16 at Piedmont Technical College’s Newberry Campus. Twenty teams and 74 students from across the state competed. Sydney Brunson also earned the top individual score in the contest.
The District Five team will now move on to the national competition at the 98th National FFA Convention, which will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, in October 2025.
“I am so incredibly proud of these students and the hard work they’ve put into preparing for this competition,” said Jessica Hidalgo, Veterinary Science Instructor. “They set a goal in August to win, and they’ve worked countless hours to achieve it. They represented our district and state so well and are excited to compete nationally and encourage others to get involved in FFA.”
The Veterinary Science CDE tests students’ knowledge of animal care and veterinary skills. Contestants must complete a written test, solve critical-thinking problems, identify tools and equipment, and perform hands-on tasks with both small and large animals.
The event was sponsored by the SC Association of Veterinarians and hosted by Piedmont Technical College’s Veterinary Technology program. United Veterinary Care provided lunch for the competitors and talked to students about careers in veterinary medicine.
FFA is a student organization that helps members develop leadership skills and prepare for careers through events like this one. The South Carolina FFA Association has over 13,000 members statewide. For more information, visit www.clemson.edu/extension/scaged.
Pictured left to right Lyle Fulmer, Rachel Gentry, and Porter Hand), Tanya Niles, the Director for the Veterinary Technology Program at Piedmont Technical College, and Walter Brown, veterinary technician liaison for United Veterinary Care.
