Durant High School senior Lydia Bullard has signed with the beef show team at Redlands Community College in El Reno.
DHS Agricultural education teacher Kayla Adams said the agriculture program was blessed to have had Bullard for the last five years.
“She’s an extremely talented young lady,” Mrs. Adams said. “Academically, I can’t even list all of the things that she can do and we’re so proud today to be here to honor her and the opportunity to sign with Redlands.”
Jeremiah Adams, agricultural education teacher, said that Redlands would be getting a good one.
“Not only academically, but as a good person,” Mr. Adams said. “Lydia, and this group of seniors that we have this year, they were our first eighth grade group when we added the second teacher to the program, and we have seen nothing but good results from Lydia. She’s a shining star wherever she goes. She’s a light in every room and we just appreciate it very, very much. She has many qualities that a leader should have.”
Merideth Behrens is the beef team coach at Redlands, and she said they are super excited about Bullard, who is receiving two scholarships.
“She is also going to be one of our Ag ambassadors and our Ag ambassadors,” Behrens said. “They’re kind of a phase of our Ag department so she’ll get to travel all across Oklahoma to different livestock shows. She’ll go to state FFA convention, different schools and she’ll get to represent us and so we are super excited to have her.”
According to Behrens, Redlands shows cattle across the country.
“We’ll go to Denver, Colorado, Oklahoma City, Fort Worth, Texas,” Behrens said. “We’ll travel just about everywhere, and we will go and show the school’s cattle and represent Redlands.
Bullard said what intrigued her about Redlands was their friendly atmosphere.
“The minute I walked on campus, everybody just wanted you to be there,” Bullard said. “They were smiling and all of the students, I like to look at the students and see how they are because that’s really the true testament of what a college is, is how well the students fit in and how they’re loved and so everybody had a friend. Everybody had a buddy and there’s just something about a small community that really just intrigued me and of course, I love showing cattle and so this was my choice.”
She said showing cattle is a long process that involves buying them from the market and raising them.
“So, every morning you’re out,” Bullard said. “You’re feeding, you’re washing, you’re walking. There’s a lot of work that goes into it, but the really, really fun part is when you get to go show them and you get to go with your friends and do something that you really, really enjoy. You get to fit them and make them look all pretty and basically, you give them a haircut and go show them in the ring and so you really get to meet some really interesting people. People that have really grown to be my family.”
Redlands is a two-year college and after that, Bullard plans to attend OSU to finish her degree in either animal science or Agri business. She said she started showing livestock during her sophomore year.
“I’ve been in love with it ever since,” Bullard said.
She said she is very excited about starting college.
“I’m a little bit nervous but I think that’s to be expected,” Bullard said. “Going outside and doing something different. Something that you’re not used to, but I absolutely love the opportunity to be able to go to a place where I still feel like I’m at home.”
Lydia is the daughter of State Sen. David Bullard and Durant High School principal Amber Bullard.
