GRANTS, N.M. - At the National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, IN, on October 29-November 1, the Grants FFA Chapter returned home with numerous recognitions.
Monika Ruiz, the current chapter treasurer, competed in the National Spanish Creed Speaking Invitational (Convocatoria Nacional del Credo en Español). Monika memorized and recited the FFA Creed, presented it to a panel of judges, and answered questions about its meaning – all in Spanish. Monika initially placed 2nd in the inaugural New Mexico FFA Spanish Creed Speaking Contest in February and received an official invitation to compete. After progressing to the semi-finals and final rounds, Monika finished 6th nationally among 38 competitors from 22 states. She received recognition from the event’s committee and outgoing National FFA President, Thaddeus Bergschneider, for her achievement.
Sophia Larry, the current chapter vice president, received an invitation from the National FFA Foundation to recite a portion of the FFA Creed during their annual breakfast celebration alongside four other FFA members from around the country. This presentation involved the presenters presenting different paragraphs of the Creed in various languages, with Sophia presenting the 2nd paragraph in Navajo. She received praise for her presentation from many people during breakfast, and she also presented the Creed in a custom ribbon skirt featuring the FFA colors of National Blue and Corn Gold.
At the end of the trip, both Monika and Sophia had the opportunity to walk across the main stage of the convention to receive recognition for Grants FFA’s 3-Star National Chapter Award. The National Chapter Award is given to the top 10% of FFA chapters nationwide and is based on the quality of activities conducted throughout the year, as categorized by the National FFA’s Quality Program Standards: Growing Leaders, Building Communities, and Strengthening Agriculture. Grants FFA was named the New Mexico FFA State Superior Chapter for 2024-2025, qualifying them for the distinction from the National FFA Organization.
Next on Grants FFA’s agenda is the District I Leadership Development Events, where students compete in various public speaking and leadershipbased events to qualify for the state competition. The event will be hosted at Grants High School this year.
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