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One Cumberland County High senior will compete for a title at the state convention for Future Farmers of America (FFA). Celeste Mitchell won that right by beating students from other schools at the Southeast Virginia Rally.

Mitchell competed in both Extemporaneous Public Speaking and Prepared Public Speaking. She finished first in Extemporaneous and second in the Prepared category.

The Cumberland High senior plans to attend Mountain Gateway Community College in the fall, where she will major in forestry management. Mitchell is the current Cumberland County High FFA Vice President and says she’s always enjoyed competing in public speaking contests. Last year, she finished second in the Virginia Young Farmers Discussion Meet, held at the Virginia FFA State Convention. Now she’ll be competing again, looking to claim first place this time in the Extemporaneous Public Speaking category.

Mitchell said she has plans of running for VA FFA State Officer. If elected to a state officer position, she would be the first FFA state officer from Cumberland since 1949.

During the rally, Cumberland County FFA also competed in Junior Ag Mechanics and Vet Science Career and Leadership Development events, placing fourth in both Junior Ag Mechanics and Vet Science. For Cumberland, Madilyn Adkins also placed fifth in the individual vet science competition. The Cumberland County FFA students faced some really well established strong agriculture programs from across the Southeast Area and proved that they can compete with the best.