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Polk High chosen for FFA official visit

COLUMBUS—Polk County High School was chosen as one of only three schools in the state to have a visit from Southern Region FFA Vice President Yomar Roman this week. 

Roman, 19, visited the high school Tuesday, where he spoke to FFA students about what the FFA means to him and visited Polk County High School’s farm. 

This week is National FFA Week and Polk County High School has been participating in spirit days all week, including America Day, t-shirt day, hats and boots day, camo day and farmer/farm animal day. 

Roman is from Puerto Rico and has a pig farm there with more than 400 pigs. 

He told students he wants to go to college to study Animal Science. Roman said he was a troublemaker before joining the FFA and his agriculture advisor was like a mother to him. He said to him, “FFA means family.” 

“Do what you love,” Roman told Polk County students. “Belief in yourself is a gift, and with help from others it is a blessing.” 

Roman told the students they could do anything in life, but told them they should do what they are passionate about and love. 

“Dirty hands is clean money,” Roman told the students is a popular saying in Puerto Rico. “So work hard and do what you are passionate about.” 

Roman visited Polk County as well as Andy Voncanon, the Western Region Ag Coordinator for North Carolina and Josh Bledsoe, the state leader for Agriculture Education and State FFA advisor. 

Polk County High School Agriculture teachers Chauncey Barber and Ashley Scoggins Gilbert coordinated the visit and gave the FFA leaders a tour of Polk County’s farm animals, barn and green house on Tuesday. 

Gilbert said after the tour that it was hard to find the words to describe how amazing the visit was by Roman and other national and state FFA staff. 

“It was definitely an experience like no other,” Gilbert said. “Yomar has an amazing way with students to engage them and uplift them.”

North Carolina currently ranks 7th in the United States for FFA membership. The FFA has 6 officers currently visiting 12 states for National FFA Week.