Newswise — History was made at the 2003 National FFA Convention. Saturday, November 1, Javier Moreno became the first Puerto Rican—and the first individual with a native language other than English—elected as national FFA president.
The Culebra, Puerto Rico, resident is one of six individuals elected to hold national office. Moreno, 20, is a member of the S.U. Antonia Serrano FFA Chapter and a sophomore at Penn State University. He is the son of Israel Moreno and Gloria Sanchez, and his advisors are David Cordero and Marivetter Valentin.
In his role as president, Moreno is charged with guiding this year's national FFA officer team and serving as a spokesperson for the organization. In addition, he and his team will serve with the National FFA Board of Directors.
Fulfilling his position will require traveling more than 100,000 miles; meeting top leaders in business, government and education; visiting approximately 40 states and participating in an international experience tour to Japan. His responsibilities will include providing personal growth and leadership training for students, setting policies that shape the future of the organization and promoting agricultural literacy.
The national FFA officer selection process is intense and represents an assessment of years of academic and extracurricular accomplishments made by each student running for office. Nominees must first qualify at the state level to represent their particular state FFA associations. They then submit an in-depth application, detailing their accomplishments and contributions to the community, along with an essay detailing why they desire to be elected to the position. Once at the convention, candidates participate in six rounds of interviews, take an in-depth written test on the organization and agricultural education topics, and complete a writing exercise. A panel of nine state FFA officers comprises the nominating committee that proposes the slate of six national officers for approval by the convention delegates. As an FFA member, Moreno participated in a vegetable and fruit production supervised agricultural experience (SAE). He received the National FFA H.O. Sargent Award, and he was recognized for chapter scholarship, public speaking and parliamentary procedure activities. At school, Moreno is involved in the Alliance Christian Fellowship, Ag Advocates, MANNRS and Earth House. His goal during his year of service is to make a genuine difference in the lives of members and friends of the FFA.
FFA is a national organization of 464,267 members preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture with 7,194 local chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. FFA strives to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
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