When it comes to passion, Carlye Winfrey is full of it. Her parents told her if she was going to do something, she should do it fully and completely. To her, that means being excited about what you want out of life, no matter what it is. 

Winfrey feels her family has been the biggest encourager in her upbringing. 

Growing up in Seminole, Texas, Winfrey was surrounded by agriculture. Following in her brothers’ footsteps, she quickly became captivated by the FFA experience. She was involved in everything from contests to showing sheep at stock shows.  

“It didn’t matter what I was doing in FFA; they were constantly supporting me, which may sound cliché, but many families aren’t like that,” Winfrey said. 

Her parents and older siblings have provided a unique lifestyle and have helped her accomplish many lifelong dreams. 

One of her dreams was to be Texas State FFA President. This goal quickly became a reality for this West Texas girl. 

From the initial shock to changing her life plans, being elected the Texas State FFA President was a lot to process. After realizing that she would have to defer her first year of college, Winfrey was nervous.  

“My life plans got a little wrecked because normally you graduate high school and you go straight to college, but for me, I graduated high school, and then I kept going to high school,” Winfrey said. 

The nerves quickly went away as she began to travel around the state to high school FFA chapters. Winfrey spent her days leading workshops and presentations with her travel partner, Texas FFA First Vice President Calvin Morgan. She loved sharing her story and learning about how the agricultural lifestyle she had known differed in other areas. 

Now a senior at Texas Tech University, Winfrey is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications with a minor in political science. She is involved in the Student Government Association, President’s Select, Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow, Greek life and works as a student assistant.  

Even though Winfrey has a heart for the agriculture industry, she hopes to be involved in other places too. She sees problems directly within agriculture but wants to make changes outside the industry. 

“There’s so much I want to do,” Winfrey said. 

Although unsure about where life will take her, Winfrey feels very fortunate for what she has and what she has accomplished. 

“What motivates me is realizing I am pretty lucky, so I need to run with that and enjoy it,” Winfrey said.