(Photo provided by Parker Burris) Parker Burris poses for a professional photo Aug. 25, 2025.

WHIPPLE – Parker Burris has aspirations to promote diplomacy and manage conflicts at a global scale.

“I’ve always been interested in politics and political science,” the 17-year-old Whipple resident said. “I remember I read an article one day about a foreign service officer and how they had helped create a plan between two countries that were in conflict. … I remember thinking that was so cool to me.”

Before he steps into his dream career stationed somewhere far from home, Burris is completing his senior year at Fort Frye High School. He’s been a student at the district throughout his entire school career.

Burris is involved in many activities and programs both through his school and community organizations.

“My main extracurricular club is FFA,” he said. “I’ve been an officer for two years, so I’m in charge of events and I help recruit members and put on events.”

(Photo provided by Parker Burris) Parker Burris eats dinner at the National FFA Washington Leadership Conference alongside the Cardington FFA Chapter on May 2, 2025. From left, Ava Davis, Chris Kinsey, Burris, Kallie Boley and Hannah Weiker.

FFA is geared toward preparing youth for career and leadership success.

“I’ve been involved since eighth grade,” said Burris. “It’s more of a personal growth and leadership club.”

Burris was born and raised on a farm in Whipple and has helped raise cows for as long as he can remember. He said his family were members of FFA so he was obliged to join, but he ended up really enjoying being a member.

FFA participates in competitions and leadership-related events throughout the year. Burris said his favorite part about being a member is having the opportunity to meet new people and travel.

“My favorite part was last summer when I went to Washington, D.C., for the Washington Leadership Conference that’s a national FFA event,” said Burris.

(Photo provided by Parker Burris) Parker Burris poses for a photo with his mom Malisa Whiteley after earning his Ohio FFA State Degree at the 2025 Ohio FFA State Convention May 2, 2025.

He said the event is about five weeks long and he attended during week three. At the conference, Burris met people from all around the world, which he said made him realize how impactful FFA was for his community and at a national level.

“I had the chance to go to Ireland. It wasn’t technically an FFA trip, but it was with my adviser and the other FFA members,” he said. “We went to Ireland for a week through a travel company and did a bunch of farm tours and explored the cities.”

Burris said the summer 2025 trip was really engaging, allowing him to see another culture and how other countries handle agriculture.

Another club Burris is heavily involved with is Building Bridges 2 Careers, which he joined in August. The organization focuses on connecting students with real-life experiences.

“I have two favorite events. … During Valentine’s Day we have a senior citizens prom and we’ll invite senior citizens in our community and host a prom for them. … We also do letters from Santa for the local elementary students,” said Burris.

(Photo provided by Parker Burris) Reagan Witten, left, and Parker Burris pose for a photo after placing top four in their respective proficiency areas at the 2025 Ohio FFA State Convention May 2, 2025. Burris was awarded in the Agricultural Communications area.

Burris said being a member of BB2C is a rewarding experience and allows him to give back to his community.

Burris was an Ohio Farm Bureau State Fair ambassador in July and August.

“The Ohio State Fair hosts the Little Farmers Exhibit that is targeted for children to increase ag-literacy in Columbus,” he said. “I was chosen to be an ambassador … and to educate those who weren’t aware of … why agriculture is important.”

He said he loved having the opportunity to talk to people and learn about their upbringings and experiences.

“It was also a good opportunity to network with a farm representative,” he said.

(Photo provided by Parker Burris) Parker Burris, left, and Olivia Hawk work at the Little Farmers Exhibit June 17, 2025, at the Ohio State Fair.

Burris also interned at the WMOA/WJAW radio station in Marietta from February to June 2025. He said it all began his sophomore year when he did radio reports for the station which turned into an internship.

Burris said he enjoyed his time there but had to leave once he started working more hours at the Lock 4 Coffee House in Beverly.

“I love it there,” he said. “Lock 4 is very supportive if you’re in high school and you have other things to do.”

Burris said he works there three days a week and usually gets there around 5 a.m. for a shift. He said it’s a great schedule because he can get in a few hours of work, be ready for class at 8:30 a.m. and complete everything by 3 p.m.

“It’s a lot but I do feel good, like ‘Wow, it’s only 8 o’clock in the morning and I already worked three hours, I’m on top of it,'” he said.

(Photo provided by Parkers Burris) From left, Kallie Boley, Harrison Miller, Reiley Miller, Hannah Weiker and Parker Burris at the Cliffs of Moher on June 13, 2025.

Burris also has been enrolled at Washington State College of Ohio since 2022 and will complete his associate’s degree in liberal arts in May. He takes classes online as well as at Fort Frye.

“While my classes have been mostly math and English, I’ve taken some government classes and a lot of my online classes have been psychology-focused,” he said.

Burris said he is planning on attending college but he isn’t sure where yet. He’s looking at schools in New York and Indiana.

“It’s a lot, I’m not going to lie, it can be very stressful sometimes,” he said when describing all of the organizations, work and classes with which he’s involved.

At 17 years old, Burris has a resume that spans years of hard work and dedication to various organizations, clubs, volunteering, and collaborations.

Burris has been a member of the student council since 2022, Spanish Honor Society since 2024, WMOA Washington County student reporter since 2024, a Washington County Carteens 4-H Club volunteer since 2024 and a member on the Ohio Department of Health Teen Wellness team from 2023-24 and member of the Ohio Department of Education Student Voice Work Group Team from 2024-2025.

Burris said there was a point in time when he was involved in a lot of things but he started to spread himself too thin.

“I picked two to three main things I knew I wanted to do and stick with, because I work and I also have to go home and do chores,” he said.

When Burris isn’t working, studying or volunteering, he enjoys watching reality TV.

As his high school career comes to a close, he said he’s grateful for the experiences he’s had but he’s also excited to move on.

“I’m not a high-school hater – I did enjoy high school but I also will go to college and hopefully thrive there,” he said.

Burris is excited for many upcoming things like the FFA banquet, the Ohio FFA State Convention, his family cruise to Mexico and a senior trip with his friends to Canada.