Cato-Meridian High School senior Megan Kyle has been selected as the 2026-2027 New York State FFA secretary, becoming the first member in Cato-Meridian FFA history to earn a state officer position.

Kyle, who currently serves as president of the Cato-Meridian FFA chapter, was chosen after completing an intensive interview process that evaluated her leadership experience, communication skills and involvement in FFA.

“The interview process involved a lot of questions, talking about myself and my experience in FFA,” Kyle said. “In order to get to the place I am, I worked through practice questions with Ms. Bornt. My experience in leadership conferences throughout my years with FFA helped as well.”

As a state officer, Kyle will serve from May 2026 to May 2027. Her responsibilities will include facilitating leadership conferences, visiting FFA chapters across New York and supporting members in developing their own leadership and agricultural experiences.

Kyle said she is eager for the opportunities the role will bring. 

“I’m most looking forward to meeting the other members and seeing the different agriculture throughout New York State, because it’s so expansive and diverse,” she said. “It’ll be awesome.”

Amber Bornt, agriculture educator and Cato-Meridian FFA advisor, reflected on Kyle’s growth and impact on the program.

“When I began my career as an agriculture teacher here six years ago, Megan was in my first group of seventh graders I taught, so seeing her become a New York State FFA officer in her senior year makes it that much more special,” Bornt said. “Her hard work, dedication and leadership have helped our program become the powerhouse that it is today, and she is part of the reason our program has been so successful. I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes this year, and I am so incredibly proud of her.”

Cato-Meridian senior and FFA Vice President Everett Cox highlighted the significance of Kyle’s accomplishment, noting the selectivity of the process.

“This past weekend was state officer selection for FFA,” Cox said. “There’s 16,000 FFA members in New York. Twenty of them go to selection. Two of those people were from our school, and one of them was selected for New York State FFA office.”

Kyle expressed appreciation for the support she received throughout the process.

“Thank you to everyone that has supported me in the last few weeks,” she said. “I know it has been a lot.”