More than 40 students from 24 states — including three from Illinois — participated in the National Spanish FFA Creed Invitational at the 97th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis.
The event, now in its second year, allows FFA members to recite the FFA Creed in the language they are most comfortable.
Illinois participants included Andres Salcido, Streator FFA; Guadalupe Lechuga, River Valley FFA; and Lizbeth Sanchez, Rolling Meadows FFA. Lechuga advanced to the Top 12 semi-final round and Salcido advanced to the finals, placing sixth place in the nation.
“I never thought I would be able to do something like this, especially at the national level,” Salcido said.
Salcido’s parents immigrated from Mexico about two years before he was born. He said reciting the creed in Spanish allows him to honor the timeless tradition of the FFA and American agriculture while representing his Hispanic culture and acknowledging his parents’ journey.
The National FFA Organization reaches all 50 states, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Hispanic and Latino members are among the largest and fastest-growing demographics. Many state associations, such as Idaho, Puerto Rico and Washington, had Spanish Creed competitions before 2023, but there was no national contest for these students.
“I’m a firm believer that in FFA there’s a place for everyone,” said Apolinar Blanco, former Washington state FFA officer, and current member of the National Spanish Creed Speaking Committee. “Having this opportunity doesn’t just broaden the diversity in the FFA, but it broadens the diversity in the agriculture industry as a whole.”
When Blanco and Jenny Bautista Ramirez, invitational superintendent and committee chair, were in the FFA about 10 years ago, they didn’t know many other Hispanic FFA members. Ramirez said it was always special to attend national convention because she could connect with more FFA members who looked like her.
Now, thanks to Marc Beitia from Idaho and Charles Parker from California, former members of the National FFA Board of Directors, Ramirez got to be a part of the committee to make a National Spanish Creed Invitational come to life.
“Students get to be in this environment where everyone’s at a baseline, what’s bringing them together is they all know Spanish,” Ramirez told FarmWeek. “You learn a lot when you’re a minority in the environment, but it’s really great when they take the time to learn about you.”
The contest continues to grow but is not an officially recognized National FFA Leadership Development event. However, the competitors and their advisers see the potential for the invitational to grow in recognition in the future.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity and just have so much pride to have gotten to represent my chapter and family at this level,” Lechuga said, continually thanking her family and her FFA adviser Madison Meyer. “I worked hard and am getting to where I want to be and I hope this contest can just keep growing so other members like me can see their potential.”
