Posthumous FFA award for ‘gem of a student’

favorite.

“She felt a more special bond with her hog,” she said. “She enjoyed working hard with animals and she enjoyed growing attached to them."

Miller won the award after FFA adviser Bonnie Magill submitted her application on her behalf. Miller is one of 315 students in Northern California to receive the award, Magill said.

"She was just a gem of a student,” Magill said. “She was a good student and she was a very big part of our chapter. It was a huge loss for our chapter."

An FFA degree is the highest award a member can obtain, Magill said. Miller met the requirements before the start of the school year because of her high level of involvement within the chapter.

“She was a community service guru,” Magill said. “She had tons of community service hours. I would say her forte was working with the homeless.”

The final service project Miller participated in was the design and construction of the FFA float for the Marysville Christmas Parade, Magill said.

“It was a shock when we found out because it was after lunch in my class and the whole class kind of fell apart,” she said.

MHS Principal Gary Cena said the junior class is healing and growing from the memory Miller.

“From all accounts, Tommi is a highly respected and highly valued student and friend,” Cena said. “She would treat the animal better than she would herself."

Mena said to remember her daughter and her achievements she is redecorating Miller’s room to feature all her FFA awards, even placing Miller’s FFA jacket on display.

“She was only 4-foot-9, but anything a boy could do she could do,” Mena said. “"She was amazing. I couldn’t wait to see the places she would go.”

The family started giv- of ing out plastic wristbands in memory of Miller, Mena said. It’s become known as “Tommi-bombing,” when a person commits a random act of kindness in Miller’s memory.

Mena said the bands feature either angel wings or animals and she has given out more than 500 since her daughters death.

“She was just unstoppable,” Mena said. “She didn’t see any limits.”

Mena said she is not surprised her daughter won the FFA degree because of how hard she worked in life.

“We were so proud. We just feel like she is continuing to do her hard work,” she said.

Courtesy photo Boyfriend Jesse Gardner Jr. holds a photo of Tommi Miller at Mena’s home before heading to Chico State University to receive FFA degree on behalf of Miller.