Yuma High School student Ashley Vega Rosales won an official Future Farmers of America (FFA) jacket from the Arizona Association’s “2022 Jacket Essay Contest.”

The contest was open to every FFA member in the state of Arizona, which in 2022 included close to 10,000 individuals. Vega Rosales was one of four winners across the state.

“I was ecstatic when I heard that our very own Ashley Vega Rosales had won one of the FFA Jackets from the Arizona Association’s Jacket Essay Contest,” Yuma High School FFA Advisor McKenna Good said. “She worked tirelessly this year in everything she was involved in. She lights up any room she walks in and is always giving 110 percent in everything she does. I am excited to see what she achieves this upcoming year as a chapter officer and to see what she accomplishes in her FFA jacket.”

Vega Rosales’ essay was centered on what FFA has done for her and how receiving an official jacket would encourage her to continue with her FFA journey.

For Good, who is a Yuma native and is entering her second year at the Yuma High agriculture teacher, FFA played a role in shaping her life’s journey.

“I truly don't think I would be the person I am today if it wasn't for my involvement in FFA,” Good said. “It has shaped me in multiple ways and is the reason I chose the career path I did.”