NEWPORT — Dawsyn Smith found her place in high school, and it led her to the highest office in the state.
Smith, a 2018 graduate of Newport High School, was elected president of the Arkansas FFA Association during its state convention in April at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
Smith said she participated in various activities in high school, but FFA was her “niche.”
“I played sports, and it wasn’t my thing, so I joined FFA because both of my siblings did,” she said. “I was friends with a lot of the upperclassmen. I joined it, not planning on getting involved in FFA. I just kind of did it.
“As a high-schooler, you are looking for your place. I didn’t really find my place in sports or any other outside activities. But FFA — there is no other way I can describe it but that it is so accepting to everybody.”
When she said that, she means that not all students involved in FFA have an agricultural background, including Smith.
“They welcomed me with open arms, so I found my place,” Smith said. “People always ask me what my favorite thing is, and that’s it. Now that I’m state president, I get to welcome new members with open arms. I get to let them know that you don’t have to be a farmer; you don’t have to come from an ag background just to be in FFA.”
Longtime Newport High School agriculture teacher and FFA sponsor Steve Davis said he is proud of Smith’s ascent up the ladder in FFA.
“Without a doubt, she is the most dedicated student I’ve had in 32 years, as far as FFA,” Davis said. “She is the true definition of a servant-leader. She really wants to help others, to build others up, and she never looks for the spotlight. She was always wanting to help others.
“To see her be rewarded for several years of being an outstanding role model and FFA member and to be elected to this position is just thrilling for me.”
When she got started in FFA as a freshman, Smith said, Davis challenged her to do creed speaking.
“You stand before judges and recite the five paragraphs of the FFA creed,” Smith said. “Then you answer questions. It went OK, but not as good as I hoped, being a freshman. I ended up winning our subarea contest, but I got sick and couldn’t compete in district.”
The next three years, Smith participated in the parliamentary-procedure contest.
Smith was elected secretary for the Newport FFA as a sophomore and was elected president for her junior and senior years.
“My sophomore year, I decided that I really wanted to run for state office,” she said. “It’s a lengthy process, and you have to start preparing in advance. My senior year, Mr. Davis sat me down and told me to start preparing.
“My entire senior year was dedicated to making myself the best leader I could be, trying to get those public-speaking skills just right, making sure that running for state office was really what I wanted to do because it’s not for everybody.”
During the state convention, Smith went through the nomination process; then she gave a speech April 24 to the delegates. That was the day she was elected president.
“It was really nerve-racking,” she said. “I knew at the same time that if God really wanted it, it was going to happen. I was more peaceful that I thought I was going to be. I have the best ag teacher and the best parents ever. They helped a lot.”
The fun really started for Smith and the rest of the state officers following graduation, when they moved in together at Camp Couchdale in Hot Springs for summer activities.
“We work together all summer long,” Smith said. “We live together. We put on leadership conferences.”
That lasted until the beginning of August.
Smith, who was an honor graduate at Newport, is now a freshman at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia.
“Throughout the school year, we’ll do chapter visits around the state,” she said. “We’ll facilitate workshops. Really, we’ll just hang out with members and get to know them and help ag teachers around the state.”
Smith said she chose SAU because it has “a very homelike environment.”
“I knew that if I did get a state office, I wanted to go to college somewhere where the professors would understand if I needed to miss for FFA,” she said. “I have family in Camden, so they are close.”
Smith plans to major in agriculture business.
“I hope to be a marketing and communications specialist for an ag co-op one day,” she said.
Staff writer Mark Buffalo can be reached at (501) 399-3676 or mbuffalo@arkansasonline.com.