American FFA Degree Recipient

Wa-Hi grad Cristina McHie awarded the American FFA Degree during the 2021 National FFA Convention
Each year, the National FFA honors FFA members who show the utmost dedication to the organization through their desire to develop their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The American FFA Degree is awarded to less than one percent of FFA members, making it one of the organization’s highest honors.

To be eligible to receive the American FFA Degree from the National FFA Organization, members must be an active student member and meet the following requirements:
1. Received the State FFA Degree
2. Have satisfactorily completed 540 hours of systematic instruction in an agricultural education program
3. Have graduated from high school at least 12 months prior to the national convention
4. Have in operation and have maintained records to substantiate an outstanding supervised agricultural experience program, through which the member has exhibited comprehensive planning and managerial and financial expertise.
5. A student after entering agricultural education must have earned at least $10,000 and productively invested $7,500
6. Recipients must also complete 50 hours of community service and demonstrate outstanding leadership abilities and civic involvement through completion of a long list of FFA and community activities.

Cristina started her FFA journey in 2017. Having grown up on a small farm raising cattle, she had an immediate connection to the animal science and veterinary assistance classes that are part of the agricultural education program at Walla Walla High School. Her beef production supervised agriculture experience project earned her a silver award at the 2020 Washington State FFA convention and was the basis for her American FFA Degree in 2021. Her success in the beef showing is the result of many hours of hard work and paying attention to the details. One of her proudest accomplishments is the champion market steers she showed at the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days in 2017, 2019 and 2021 were all bred and raised on her small farm in Walla Walla.

Cristina is currently a sophomore at Walla Walla Community College studying animal science and playing softball for the Warriors.