Saturday, November 29, 2008

LLHS grad is heading National FFA group

Brent Ruffner News-Bulletin Staff Writer; bruffner@news-bulletin.com

Paul Moya has always dreamt big.

Now Moya will embark on an industry that could shape the country and the world for years to come.

Moya, 21, was named the 2008-09 president of the National Future Farmers of America Organization.

The youth organization, formerly known as Future Farmers of America, is comprised of more than 500,000 members, and its programs are designed to help students broaden their skills and abilities in different agricultural fields.

Moya was chosen as president from a field of 38 people and is among six individuals who were selected to national office at last month's 81st National FFA Convention in Indianapolis.

"This is a dream come true for me," said Moya, who graduated from Los Lunas High School in 2006. "I want to show students that they can do anything if they put their mind to it. You can believe in the impossible."

In January, Moya will travel across the nation to meet with members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Education. He will also travel overseas to Japan for a 12-day conference on international agriculture.

Moya will also meet with business leaders of companies that include Toyota and John Deere.

The Notre Dame sophomore will take a leave of absence from college for a year. He will travel a total of 120,000 miles over the course of 300 days. He will return to the school in January 2010. He plans on being at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

He was in Valencia County this week to spend Thanksgiving with his family. He is the son of Joseph Moya of Belen and Sylvia Jaramillo of Los Lunas.

"I love it," Moya said. "Agriculture is the backbone of our country. We need leaders in this industry to keep it moving forward."

Moya said agriculture can lead to innovations in renewable energy and biofuels. He said the agriculture industry should be a front-runner in keeping jobs in the U.S. instead of outsourcing them to other countries.

"It's very exciting to know we can produce energy like this right here in America," Moya said.

He started out raising steers and pigs on the family farm.

Moya's father, Joseph, taught his son about agriculture while showing animals at county and state fairs.

"I've been around it my whole life," Moya said. "I guess you could say it's in my blood."

Moya said he wants to use his passion to make a positive connection with students. He said students can use things they learn in agriculture and apply them to everyday life.

"We're preparing students for careers in so many industries," Moya said.

For instance, he said, students learning about photosynthesis can take that knowledge to a greenhouse.

"That knowledge comes to life," he said.

But his position lets him teach life lessons to students.

"I want to inspire these students to believe in themselves."

E-mail this story Printer-friendly version