SILER CITY — At the 94th N.C. FFA State Convention in Raleigh in June, Reyna Nava Catalan made history as the first-place winner in the FFA Spanish Creed competition.
Nava Catalan competed in two preliminary rounds, placing in the top four to proceed to the finals. She is the first student to ever win the top prize in the competition.
“I am so proud of her success and I thank all the J-M staff that helped with fulfilling her dream and mine,” Marguerite Fields, Jordan-Matthews agriculture teacher and FFA advisor said. “[Reyna] represented the J-M FFA chapter and Jordan-Matthews High School well with [her] awesome performance.”
Nava Catalan is a rising sophomore at Jordan-Matthews and is a member of the school’s AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program. “It is an honor to have one the first ever Spanish FFA Creed competition, as well as competing among other amazing Hispanic students who changed history. I had the best teachers and parents who supported me through every step of the way. Having this opportunity to represent my school, home, and the Hispanic community was a great experience and an opportunity that will move me forward in the next steps of my journey.”
Those next steps may involve a trip to Indiana.
Catalan qualified and has been invited to compete at the historic first FFA National Spanish Creed competition that will be held at the 96th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, in November.