The Tennessean Student of the Week recognizes Stewart County High future farmer
Mark Milliken of Stewart County High School came out on top of a crowded field that included 22 nominations this week in The Tennessean's Student of the Week poll focusing on Future Farmers of America students.
Mark had 20,648 votes, a little more than Paige Jones of Riverdale High with 19,437.
Megan Hayes of Montgomery Central had 12,532 votes and Lilyana Gillespie of Blackman High brought home 10,170.
Mark is the president of the Dover FFA chapter from the Lower Cumberland district in Middle Tennessee and his Supervised Agriculture Experience is an entrepreneurship placement in beef cattle production.
The money Mark makes from his SAE gets reinvested in buying more cattle.
Mark plans to attend college and pursue a degree in Agriculture Business while carrying on the family tradition of raising and selling beef cattle.
Last school year, there were more than 33,500 Future Farmers of America students at about 250 schools with programs across the state, according to Future Farmers of America Tennessee.
Administrators, teachers and guidance counselors nominated the best of the best FFA students by emailing us at we ask you, the reader, to vote for who you think should be named our Student of the Week at tennessean.com .
New polls are usually posted at 5 a.m. every Monday throughout the school year. But, next week, The Tennessean will be on pause for a week-long break due to our school districts having short weeks due to the Election. We've given them some extra time to get their nominations in for the next poll, which will be focused on student volunteerism.
In the meantime, learn more about all the students who were nominated for this week's poll and read what those who nominated them said about them:
Lily Amstutz, Oakland High: Lily has served as the school's chapter president last year and currently as the secretary of the Oakland FFA Alumni. Her achievements reflect her commitment and excellence; she qualified for Nationals in Agriscience Research and with her Agriculture Issues Team. Just recently, Lily made history at Oakland High, becoming our first National FFA Winner with her Agriscience Research Project in the Power, Structure, and Technical Systems Division V. She was also an integral member of the Agriculture Issues Team, which placed second in the nation with their presentation on youth labor in the agriculture industry. Lily's integrity, grit, and determination make her an outstanding role model for our FFA chapter and the entire school community.
Carter Bates, Hickman County High: A junior and FFA officer who has competed successfully in a variety of FFA Career Development Events including public speaking, electricity and agriculture sales at or above the district level. Always willing to lend a hand or lead a group.
Bailey Batzloff, Siegel High: She's known for a selfless attitude as a school FFA member who goes above and beyond to support her peers and chapter goals and putting in extra hours on events, projects, and her chapter.
Raylen Brinegar, White House Heritage: The vice-president of the school's FFA Chapter, Raylen is described as an encouraging member who was nominated for being an example of leadership and encouragement. One example is that Raylen led the effort to decorate the teacher's door with butterflies in memory of the chapter's advisor's father who died near the beginning of the school year. Raylen participates and continues to grow as a leader in our school.
Ariana Mota Carillo, Stewarts Creek High: School chapter president and Middle Tennessee FFA regional secretary. Recently represented the chapter, region, and state, in these capacities at the 97th National FFA Convention, in Indianapolis. Ari also was recognized on stage receiving the National Two Star Chapter Award for Stewarts Creek. Also, while there, Ari reported on events to the National FFA, as part of a team of students selected from across the country for the "FFA In The USA" news team.
Catherine Cook, Montgomery Central High: "Catie" has competed in numerous career development events and represented Montgomery Central on numerous occasions. She received her State FFA Degree in the spring of 2024 and has served as an FFA Chapter Officer for several years.
Parker Cowan, Watertown High: The senior has been a member of the Watertown FFA Chapter for four years. Parker lives in Watertown where he and his family raise Boer goats for show. He has competed in numerous FFA competitions both locally and nationally with great success. One of his biggest accomplishments was getting the opportunity to go to Oklahoma to compete in the National Land Judging competition where he had the opportunity to explore Oklahoma State University. Parker hopes to return to Oklahoma next fall as a freshman at OSU and major in Veterinary Sciences. Throughout his years at Watertown, Parker has grown into a tremendous speaker and continually sets the right example that Watertown FFA wants to set for every individual in the chapter.
Isabella Free, Mt. Juliet High: The junior has participated in FFA since her freshman year and has competed in multiple contests, been on multiple teams and served as a chapter officer while maintaining a 4.3 grade point average taking Advanced Placement Honors and Dual Enrollment classes. Highlights include placing fifth in the state Quizbowl, member of the Livestock Evaluation Team that advanced from the regionals to the state competition. placing first in Extemporaneous Public Speaker for her chapter, district and sectionals, and sixth in the Middle Tennessee region. Agriscience Fair state champion in Environmental and Natural Resource Systems 9-10 grade division. Over the summer, named a National Finalist for my Agriscience Fair Project, and placed fourth in the Nation. Other awards include the Chapter Star in Agriscience and Most Outstanding Plant Science Student for the 2023-24 School Year. One of four students nominated for HOBY (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Seminar) and attended last May.
Lilyana Gillespie, Blackman High School: Lilyana is a junior vice president over greenhouse supervision. Lilyana has attended FFA Leadership Camp, Tennessee Leadership Conference, National FFA Convention, Farm Bureau Legislative Dinner, and competed on the 2024 FFA Soil and Land judging team. Lilyana has a passion for plant science and will complete her BASF (Badische Anilinund Sodafabrik) Industry Certification this year, while expanding her plant science SAE (Supervised Agricultural Experience) in poultry ration improvements. By researching and growing various grasses and greens Lilyana can supplement the diet of Blackman High School's laying hen flock to make them healthier and happier.
Gabriel Harville, Smith County High: The senior has been active in FFA all four years of high school. He has served in multiple chapter offices, currently serving as Treasurer. Described as a "rock star" at leading teams for competitions. Gabriel has competed in many Career Development Events such as Agronomy, Agricultural Communications, Agriscience Fair, Horse Judging, Extemporaneous Speaking, ENR, Forestry, Livestock Judging, Quiz Bowl, and Vet Science. Gabriel plans to earn his State Degree with his Agricultural Communication Entrepreneurship SAE of his podcast "In the Wild with Gabe Harville". Gabriel is described as a phenomenal student and asset to the Smith County FFA chapter.
Megan Hayes, Montgomery Central High: Megan has competed in several career development events for the chapter throughout high school. She represented the school in the National FFA Band at National FFA Convention held in Indianapolis Oct. 23-26 and has served as a FFA Chapter officer for several years.
Paige Jones, Riverdale High: Now a sophomore, as a freshman Paige competed in and won the Tennessee FFA Creed Speaking Leadership Development Event. Paige also represented Riverdale and Tennessee at the national contest this month and received a bronze rating. Described as a well-rounded and studious student who is well liked by her peers.
Ava Jo Kilgore, Sycamore High: Ava goes above and beyond and works very hard in FFA having been a president and vice president of our chapter. Ava placed first in Extemporaneous Public Speaking at camp over the summer, an event that showcases agricultural knowledge and ability to think on their feet by giving a speech and answering questions with limited time to prepare. Ava also runs the school's Junior Officer program and wants to help grow our program with leaders.
Caleb Limpert, Rockvale High: The senior is passionate about FFA and agriculture, serving as the chapter president and regional sentinel. Whether it's showing, his officer duties, or his school work, Caleb is described as a student with extraordinary drive and hardworking in and out of the classroom.
Libbey Logan, Lincoln County High: An active member of the FFA chapter who actively participates in numerous competitions while consistently maintaining an academic standing in the top 10%. Libbey demonstrates remarkable leadership by taking the initiative in leading projects, volunteering for additional responsibilities, and fostering engagement among younger members that exemplify outstanding leadership qualities.
Sarah Marshall, Eagleville High: The Eagleville FFA President and the Middle Tennessee Regional FFA Treasurer. Has been a member of the parliamentary procedures team for four years. The team qualified for the regional contest last year. Also a member of the state runner up team for the FFA State Cooperative contest and a voting delegate for Tennessee FFA at the 97th National FFA Convention. One of two students who were accepted to serve in the capacity.Mark Milliken, Stewart County High: The president of the Dover FFA chapter from the Lower Cumberland district in Middle Tennessee. Mark's Supervised Agriculture Experience is an entrepreneurship placement in beef cattle production. Mark's farm specializes exclusively in Black Angus Beef cattle. This project has been a work in progress for three years and has profited nearly $5,000 in 2024 alone. The capital that Mark gains on his project is reinvested into his entrepreneurship for buying more livestock. Mark logs his daily activities in his SAE portfolio, which consists of feeding, watering, cutting hay, hauling cattle, raising bottle calves, and planting cover crops for grazing in his paddocks. Mark plans to attend college pursuing a degree in Agriculture Business while carrying on his family tradition of raising and selling beef cattle.
Keith O'Neal, Springfield High: Described as a hard worker at all he does, Keith's Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) is in goat production. He also plays varsity football, is a goalie in soccer and helps on the family farm.
Harrison Puente, Wilson Central High: Harrison is a senior FFA member and officer. In addition, he was a member of the National Dairy Judging team, and a member of the Wilson Central Livestock Team. Harrison is a student with a true servant attitude, always taking care of everyone around before himself. An unmatched work ethic as he is constantly working on preparing for Career Development Events, working in the barn at school with his show animals, or helping our FFA chapter out with anything that comes up. Dependable and determined to tackle any task headfirst and to the highest degree.Vincent Ruhlander, Fayetteville High: Described as an outstanding leader who goes out of his way to help those around him with a heart for service and FFA.
Danika Weaver, Spring Hill High: Danika is the school's FFA Chapter President and an outstanding student, extremely active in agricultural education courses, FFA and the Livestock Show Team. She competes in multiple FFA, CDEs/LDEs and Danika shows goats and swine on the regional, state and national levels.
Emily Wright, Green Hill High: The junior serves as Vice President of the Green Hill FFA Chapter and is a strong advocate for all areas agriculture and puts her all into community service projects and career and leadership development events. She strives to educate the public and younger students about the importance of agriculture and the impact it has to all. A strong leader and motivator for younger FFA members and always available for assistance. Emily is not afraid to take on a new area and expand her horizons to areas of agriculture that are unfamiliar to her. She is a role model for those in the chapter and strives to be successful in all areas she participates in.Reach Andy Humbles at and on X, formerly known as Twitter AndyHumbles.
