Santa Maria FFA (Future Famers of America) members won major awards at the recent Santa Barbara Sectional FFA Public Speaking Competition at Arroyo Grande High School.

More than 30 students from the Santa Maria FFA chapter competed in five public-speaking areas at the sectional level. Four of these students will be moving on to regionals contest in King City on March 24.

Mariana De Leon, a senior, came out as high individual for prepared speech titled "Keep The Gas In." She was also the first place individual in prepared public speaking for the section.

Edgar Hernandez came in third with his speech titled “The Beef With Conventional Farming.”

Other Santa Maria FFA students moving on to regionals due to outstanding work include: Ariadna Romero and Ivan Carranza. Romero came in third place and will be competing in the extemporaneous category in March. Carranza placed sixth and will compete in the FFA Creed contest.

“I am super excited to have won first place in prepared contest," said De Leon. "I have been competing in public speaking since sophomore year and never made it to regionals, so having achieved that this year is an extremely immense accomplishment for me.

"It is also my last year in high school, so everything has taken a nostalgic tone and I want to go out on a blazing trail of glory. Also, I have been working hard in FFA and improving my speaking and communication, so having won this really testifies to that hard work,” she said.

Santa Maria High School has more than 950 students- enrolled in the FFA Organization.

—  Kenny Klein for Santa Maria Joint Union High School District.