Ambar Rodriguez Del Angel joined FFA expecting a speaking event. Within a year, she was representing Oregon at the National FFA Convention in Tennessee.
The 14-year-old Riverside sophomore competed in the Spanish-language Creed Speaking Invitational, placing eighth nationally after winning first place at state last spring. She was the only Riverside member to compete at Nationals this year. She traveled with the Heppner FFA team and together they joined more than 70,000 members, educators, alumni, and guests at the 99th National FFA Convention & Expo October 21 through the 24.
In Creed Speaking, competitors recite the FFA Creed and then answer questions from judges. Her early preparation was modest: about 30 minutes after school in her classroom with her teacher. She recited the creed, wrote it out word for word on the board to commit it to memory, and practiced answering judges’ questions.
Once she qualified for Nationals, the practice stepped up. Her trip was sponsored by the local advisory board, and local rancher and FFA supporter Cameron Krebs spearheaded her judging practices before she left. The first was an hour-long virtual session with judges on a computer screen. The second was in person, with judges in front of her and an audience to speak to. She also practiced at home- working on memorizing both the Creed and potential answers. Ambar appreciated that the practices built in difficulty. “It wasn’t just all of a sudden you’re on stage at Nationals,” she said, adding that she was grateful for the local support.
Overall, Ambar felt confident in her responses to the judges. She believes that one question in the second round cost her points because her answer differed from what the judges expected. When she watched the first-place finisher afterward, she noticed that the contestant gave similar answers in different words. The difference, she believes, was delivery. “When I said the creed, I put emotion in it, but I tried to keep it at a regular level,” Ambar said. “He put a lot more emotion in it.”
Still, she is happy with the result, especially as a newcomer to the organization, even if she wishes she had done better in round two. What matters most to her is having represented her chapter and state. Though she was far from her classmates, she said she felt their presence. “Even though I was not with my chapter, I could feel all of them,” she said. After she competed, classmates messaged to say how proud they were. “You have people that support you, and they’re always gonna be there to lift you up if you don’t get what you want.”
Ambar’s favorite line of the creed, about leadership from ourselves and respect from others, reflects what she took from the experience. “I think it’s the two most important things an FFA member, or just a person in general, should possess,” she said. “If we can manage them, we can work together as a community and have a better future.”