Agricultural education major Leila Noufal was awarded the national FFA American Degree, the highest honor awarded to FFA student members, for her leadership, service and commitment to agriculture.
As a child, Leila Noufal liked animals but didn’t raise them. She loved agriculture but didn’t live on a farm. Her closest encounter with farming came while in middle school, on the couch, watching a documentary film about sustainable agriculture.
This self-described “city kid” from Raleigh, now a sophomore in the agricultural education program in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, recently received one of the highest achievements in student agriculture: the American FFA Degree. Fewer than 1% of FFA members win this prestigious award, which requires a years-long commitment to leadership, service and agriculture.
“Getting to these moments in life that I’ve been working really hard for, and getting recognition for that effort, feels really, really good,” said Noufal, who’s majoring in agricultural education with a concentration in plant and soil science. “This award says that agriculture is my passion and … that my commitment has been consistent over the years.”
The American FFA Degree is a daunting task that requires many years of hard work. In addition to being an FFA member and taking agricultural education courses, degree recipients must engage in community service and participate in thousands of hours of a supervised agricultural experience. Degree recipients become eligible 12 months after they graduate from high school and must apply to be considered.
Noufal’s journey to the American FFA Degree began in middle school, where she joined FFA and took her first agriculture classes after watching the farming documentary “Fresh.”
At Millbrook Magnet High School, which she chose for its strong agriculture program, Noufal earned her blue FFA jacket as a freshman, served as FFA vice president for two years and led a donation drive to collect clothes and supplies for migrant farm workers and their families.
Noufal said FFA helped her fit into high school. It taught her about agriculture, helped her develop career skills and allowed her to travel all over the state. Her FFA experience also took to Indianapolis in October for the 95th National FFA Convention & Expo, where she received her American FFA Degree certificate and gold key.
“Everywhere I go, there’s a community of people involved in agriculture,” Noufal said. “That’s a good place to be.”
Noufal chose A&T after attending the annual CAES Agricultural Literacy Fest. Noufal liked the campus environment, the N.C. A&T University Farm and CAES Dean Mohamed Ahmedna, Ph.D. Noufal said he is the only other person of Middle Eastern heritage she has encountered in agriculture.
At A&T, Noufal serves as secretary of its Collegiate Farm Bureau chapter and as Miss Poultry Science Club and has taken part in Young Farmers & Ranchers competitions. CAES also provided her enough work-related opportunities in agriculture that helped her earn her American FFA Degree.
Noufal is now in her second year as a lab technician for Guochen Yang, Ph.D., a professor of natural resources and environmental design. In Yang’s plant and biotechnology lab, Noufal has cleaned and sterilized more than her share of glassware. But she also has done micropropagation — taking tiny plant cuttings and placing them in non-soil media to grow.
A chance encounter at the University Farm landed her a job with Mike and Suzanne Jones. (Mike Jones was the 2021 N.C. Small Farmer of the Year.) Over winter break, Noufal sold meat, dairy, eggs and cheese at their store at the State Farmers Market in Raleigh.
Last summer, Noufal held a 10-week internship with Cooperative Extension at A&T. That job had her working side-by-side with an Extension agent as he visited farms and met with farmers throughout Franklin County. As an intern, Noufal was responsible for putting together a presentation on ginger, which she knew about through her work in Yang’s lab.
Shannon Wiley, Ph.D., the interim regional Extension director (East), said she was impressed with Noufal’s event fliers and PowerPoint presentation. But she said Noufal went above and beyond for her presentation by brewing a pot of ginger tea for participants.
“Her passion to help others and introduce others to agriculture is amazing,” Wiley said. “She went a step above. That will make her a great educator.”
After she earns her bachelor’s degree in 2025, Noufal plans to get her master’s in agribusiness, then teach agriculture to middle school students — students like her who are fascinated by plants and animals, who want a place to fit in, who are curious about the natural world around them.
“Middle school was such an impactful time for me,” Noufal said. “It’s a good time to have a good teacher in your life. If I can be that for other students and introduce them to agriculture early on, I’d love to do that.”
