Members of the Lexington-Richland School District Five FFA Chapter traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana, October 28–November 1 to compete in the 98th National FFA Convention & Expo. The students represented South Carolina in the National FFA Veterinary Science Career Development Event, earning a silver rating and placing 16th nationally.
Forty-five teams—180 competitors—from across the United States participated in the event.
Team members included Sydney Brunson (Chapin High School), Jay Caldwell (Spring Hill High School), Alex Coogler (Spring Hill High School), and Liv Dandridge (Spring Hill High School). All four students completed the Veterinary Science & Technology program at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies and are now enrolled at Piedmont Technical College, pursuing degrees in Veterinary Technology.
Individually, Liv Dandridge earned gold honors, placing within the top 15 percent of competitors. Alex Coogler, Sydney Brunson, and Jay Caldwell earned silver individual honors.
“These students dedicated countless hours outside of the school day and over the summer to prepare for this event,” said FFA Chapter Advisor Jessica Hidalgo. “Their dedication and drive resulted in a great showing for our chapter, school, district, and state on the national level. I could not be prouder of this team, and I look forward to seeing all of their future success.”
FFA Career Development Events challenge students to apply industry knowledge, develop communication and teamwork skills, and demonstrate technical expertise. The Veterinary Science event included a written exam, animal identification, hands-on practicums, and case-based scenario presentations. This year’s national scenarios focused on shelter medicine and livestock influenza.
For more information on the National FFA Organization, visit ffa.org.
