To kick off the Brazos County Youth Livestock Show, a Queen is crowned to help with festivities and promote the following year’s event. Junior Kristen Provazek was named this year’s BCYLS Queen after countless hours working to sell the most tickets to the Queen’s Dance and raffle event, completing her interview and essay, and working within the community through FFA and other organizations.
“I was shocked when they called my name,” Kristen said. “I didn’t think I was going to win. I saw an action shot of the minute they called my name, and my dad and I looked so confused.”
Leading up to the BCYLS, Kristen put in a lot of effort and made connections within the community.
“I spent a lot of time selling tickets and met a lot of people through the experience,” Kristen said. “Every day after school, I would sell tickets instead of doing other things. It was a lot of campaigning.”
Aside from the Queen’s contest and all the campaigning, ag teacher Kristen Schuler says that Kristen Provazek is involved in many other FFA activities, including serving as the vice president of the school’s chapter and the Brazos Valley District.
“Serving in the BCYLS Queen position is a year-long commitment that started right after she was crowned,” Schuler said. “Kristen had to be at the county show, she will attend different events throughout the year, do media events explaining the county show, and why people should come out to support all the kids involved.”
Schuler has worked with Kristen since her freshman year and has helped her learn about agriculture and all the competitions associated with FFA.
“I’ve seen Kristen mature in various ways over the last three years,” Schuler said. “When I first met Kristen, she didn’t really know how to talk to others, and now I feel very comfortable sending her out into the community to preach about anything. She has become very well-rounded because of what she picked up in FFA.”
Kristen recognizes agriculture’s impact on her life and how the lessons extend beyond the classroom or the barn.
“When kids are involved in agriculture projects, they are able to grow their futures, and it helps them save money for college and get all kinds of scholarships,” Kristen said. “They are able to make connections and meet people in the community who can help them in years to come.”
As an agricultural educator, Schuler believes the lessons she teaches students have an impact on their future and the world around them.
“Showing, in general, is just a good thing for kids to get involved in because they learn a lot of things they usually don’t learn in a classroom setting,” Schuler said. “They learn responsibility with something that relies on them to be fed, watered, and cared for. Students also learn time management and finance skills from working with different aspects of agriculture.”
Advocacy is a large part of the agricultural industry as a large portion of society continues to move away from agricultural jobs and hobbies.
“Kristen is a good fit for the Queen position because she likes to educate others about agriculture, and she’s very passionate about it,” Schuler said. “She likes to spread her passion about agriculture to everybody, and being in the Queen position means that a lot of what she has to do is educate our community about our county show and other student activities involving agriculture.”
Kristen wants to bridge the gap from one generation to the next within the agriculture field.
“I’ve found my passion through agriculture and FFA,” Kristen said. “I want to become an ag teacher and help teach future generations what agriculture encompasses and how they can get involved.”
