Marc Cabeliza is the first Asian American to be California FFA president.
As a child in the Philippines capital of Manila, Marc Cabeliza, pictured above on the right, often visited his grandparents’ farm. He knew they grew wheat and rice, but he didn’t realize how much work went into operating a farm.
Cabeliza moved to Santa Maria, Calif., in 2011, and later he joined the Pioneer Valley FFA Chapter as a freshman. The experience provided an unexpected connection to his grandparents and his Asian heritage.
“FFA helped me connect to my background,” says Cabeliza. “It’s interesting to talk to my grandparents now because I have a more broadened perspective on agriculture.”
Cabeliza graduated from Pioneer Valley High School in 2021. He was accepted to California Polytechnic State University to study mechanical engineering but decided to take a gap year to serve as California FFA president — the first Asian American to hold this office. His goal: Create an environment where everyone feels like they belong.
“A lot of students don’t want to pursue involvement in FFA because they don’t see people who look like them [in the chapter],” he says. “As a state officer, I want to show these students that the color of your skin or your background doesn’t matter — you can do this as well.”
Cabeliza has expanded the perspective of what it means to be in FFA, according to Pioneer Valley FFA advisor and agricultural education teacher Gabriel Ponce.
“He’s very diverse in his experience and connects to a lot of students, and that makes people look up to him,” he says.
Being part of a strong, diverse community that shares an appreciation for agriculture made joining FFA valuable for Cabeliza.
“One of the coolest things is how agriculture is for everybody,” he says. “Our differences are what make this organization the best in the world.”
