This year’s $2000 scholarship was awarded to Carlen Smith, who is studying wildlife sustainability and ecosystems science at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas. Carlen hails from Boyd, Texas, where she excelled in track and field as a pole vaulter. She joined Future Farmers of America (FFA) in eighth grade, maintaining her membership throughout high school, and then winning the FFA State Lonestar Degree. Carlen’s Career Development Event team qualified for state by identifying various plants and answering biological questions about different wildlife species.