MORAN — Sophia Heim is squeezing every last drop of her high school experience she can in her remaining days at Marmaton Valley High School.
In fact, it might be shorter just to list the groups she’s not been involved with in her 3¾ years.
She’s active with the schools Kansas Association of Youth (KAY) Club, Wildcats United, which volunteers with Special Olympics; scholars bowl, the school play all four years, the MV Art Club, math relays, National Honor Society, pep club, Letterman’s club and she’s the senior class president. On top of that, she’s run cross country and track, played basketball and been on the cheer squad.
On top of all that, she’s maintained a sterling 4.0 grade-point average.
So when does she sleep?
“Maybe on Wednesdays and Fridays,” she joked. “It’s a lot, but I mean, it’s worth it in the end.”
Her dedication to those programs is impressive, but it pales in comparison to her work with the Marmaton Valley FFA chapter, where she serves as president and as the club sentinel at the district level.
In many ways, Heim says her FFA experiences — she signed up as a freshman — have helped pave the way for her to thrive in other areas.
“FFA has really taught me how to grow as a leader,” she said. “My freshman year, I probably would have been too scared to even think about running for any kind of office.”
Truth be told, she wasn’t sure what kind of fit she’d have with FFA at all.
While her older sisters were active FFA participants, Heim entered high school with a minimal background in farming, aside from the chickens she’d raised since she was a second-grader.
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect,” she said. “I was a very timid and shy kid, not really sure of myself. You feel like a little fish in a big pond when you come to high school.”
But the first moment she stepped into the ag building her freshman year, Heim sensed something special.
“It was almost like I entered a new world,” she said, crediting instructor Jacque Gabbard for her ability to get all students involved.
Perhaps most importantly, Heim realized she wouldn’t necessarily be stuck in the shadow of her two older sisters, Allison and Mallory.
“There are just so many opportunities for you to blaze your own trail and find your own path,” she said.
