To have the skill to speak out your ideas and voice your opinions is a privilege, but most importantly it's a skill. In FFA, speaking competitions aim to build that skill to ensure that the future leaders of America have a voice. Although it is a nerve-wracking experience, students who participate in it get an amazing opportunity and award: public speaking.

            Gustine FFA has always had very skilled members regarding speaking, and to put those skills to the test gives the community a sense of pride. Six Gustine FFA members competed in the regional speaking competition that was held on March 7th. To get here, they had to pass the local contest, where all participants competed for spots to move onto the sectional level where they competed against every high school in the Merced-Mariposa section, and then they qualified for the regional contest to compete against every section in the Central Region.

            The Spanish Creed was a contest newly added. It is the traditional Creed, 5 paragraphs written by E.M Tiffany, but it allows those who speak Spanish a chance to explain their love for the FFA. Carlos Rangel placed 1st at the sectional level and went into regionals. Congratulations to him for furthering his communication skills.

            Impromptu is a contest purely based on the ability to think fast. This creates a strong-minded individual who can answer and explain questions and keywords on the spot. Congratulations to Juliana Martinez and Carson Bell for competing. At the sectional level, Juliana Martinez placed 3rd and Carson Bell placed 2nd overall. They competed in regionals which was an amazing opportunity to advance their skills.

            Prepared speaking is held to allow students to choose an agriculture-related topic and grow knowledge on that topic. They draft up a speech, submit it, memorize it, and once their presentation is done, the judges have an opportunity to test that knowledge by asking questions related to the student’s speech. Oscar Vergara placed 3rd at the sectional contest and Isabella Cortez placed 2nd. Congratulations to them for making it to the regional level.

            The job interview contest is a mock interview that allows members to see what the future will look like when applying for a job. It helps build communication, work ethic, and analytical skills. Baylor Bloom won 1st in the Merced-Mariposa Section. When moving on to regionals, he passed the final round and then he placed 3rd overall and is moving on to the State level! This is an amazing accomplishment and he will be representing Gustine FFA on April 1.