Macon, GA |
The newly elected 2025-2026 state FFA president, Remiya Stephens shares her story with her involvement in agriculture and how she began. Stephens comes from the Rutland High FFA chapter.
“It means so much. It’s surreal every day, but ultimately, I know I’m just living out that dream that my eighth-grade self had,” says State FFA President, Remiya Stephens.
“When I remember going to that second state convention my eighth-grade year and I looked at the 2022 state officer team, just seeing how much joy they had on that stage, that was really the moment that I was like ‘I want to be able to have that same impact that they had on me. The one-on-one conversations and just being able to instill great confidence in others.’ I knew I wanted to be able to do that,” explained Stephens.
And now, Remiya will get that opportunity, despite joining the organization six years ago with very limited agricultural experience. It’s just the latest example of how FFA is now appealing to a much broader base.
“You don’t have to start in agriculture from the moment you’re in diapers to be someone and be an advocate for agriculture. Get involved. Learn about FFA. Find your place. There’s so many different aspects in FFA that you can be involved in to learn more about agriculture,” says Stephens. “So, don’t think that your roots have to start in agriculture to be someone and something involved in FFA and agriculture.”
While Remiya’s passion for agriculture has grown over the years, it was one particular segment of it that really drew her attention from an early age.
“Ultimately, just my love for plants. I started in sixth grade. My first plant was a rosemary plant and this year I kind of was able to have a full circle moment being able to plant rosemary again. But ultimately, I’ve been able to have different experiences,” says Stephens. “Through my supervised agricultural experience, I was able to go down the road to a local florist. And she helped me learn so many things about the horticulture industry– the marketing side, the money side and then honestly, just how she’s able to grow her business.”
Creating a sense of community is an aspect of FFA that has left a lasting impression on the new state president, as her ever growing network of friends and followers showcase what the organization is all about.
“Honestly, I think FFA means support and family. Being able to know that family is outside of blood,” says Stephens. “I feel like I spend twenty-four hours here at my school whether it’s eating snacks, hanging with my teammates, or we’re just in the hotel, just being able to be friends and family, just being able to have that support. I know that ultimately, that if I didn’t have my FFA family, I would not be here today where I am,” Stephens explained.
Along with that support, it did take plenty of hard work and determination to realize her dream. However, it’s a sacrifice Remiya has zero regrets about.
“From the process, from area office to state office, it was a lot of work, a lot of dedicated time, a lot of time to train my focus only on state office and having to sometimes say no to other things to completely focus on this,” says Stephens. “But ultimately, I knew it was going to be worth it in the end. And it one hundred percent was.”
By: Damon Jones