![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/290\/2026\/09\/Ranly-Story-Insert.png\")
\u201cIt is special to me that I\u2019ll be the first one,\u201d she said. \u201cThat was not necessarily what I came in thinking about, but it shows that if you get your work done and stay driven, the professors here are fully committed to helping you succeed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That drive led her to establish a forward-thinking initiative: the Tarleton Collegiate Equine Leadership Academy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Developed alongside faculty and industry partners, the program is designed to bridge a gap Kelley saw firsthand, students who are academically prepared but lack the real-world experience, professional network and confidence to step directly into the equine industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through the leadership academy students are exposed to immersive, hands-on experiences. They travel, engage with industry leaders and gain exposure to areas ranging from policy and advocacy to business and operations. The result, Kelley said, is a transformation that goes beyond the classroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe saw the biggest changes in career readiness and networking,\u201d she said. \u201cStudents were making connections, gaining confidence and securing opportunities because of what they experienced in the program.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Kelley, the work is deeply personal. As an extension program specialist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, she has spent her career focused on youth development. The leadership academy is a natural expansion of that mission, one that allows her to influence students at a critical point in their academic and professional journeys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her research evaluated the academy\u2019s effectiveness, measuring growth in leadership, industry knowledge and life\u00a0skills. Across every measured learning outcome, students reported meaningful gains, reinforcing the value of experiential learning in preparing graduates for the workforce and reflecting what it means to be Texan Made: ready to lead, adapt and make an impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n While a portion of her research examined barriers within the Texas 4-H Horse Project, including cost, access and awareness, it was the leadership academy that pointed toward solutions, offering a model for how Tarleton State prepares students to meet the evolving needs of the agriculture industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kelley\u2019s connection to Tarleton State began long before her doctoral journey. Both of her parents, Steven and Miki Ranly, attended the university, building their own academic and personal foundations in Stephenville. Growing up, she knew Tarleton State as a place where agriculture, horses and community intersected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs first-generation students, Miki and I consider our time at Tarleton State to be the foundation to our success in life and our professional careers,\u201d Steven Ranly said. \u201cWe are excited that Kelley chose to carry on the Tarleton tradition.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n They credit the university\u2019s hands-on approach as a defining part of their experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe found Tarleton\u2019s hands-on approach to be a game changer,\u201d Steven said. \u201cIt gave us the ability to learn, grow and successfully transition into the workforce with applicable skills.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n For Miki Ranly, the impact remains just as meaningful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am deeply grateful for the opportunity I had to attend Tarleton,\u201d she said. \u201cThe quality of education and the growth I experienced were a direct result of the university\u2019s commitment to its students. I am so proud to be a Tarleton Texan, and to have our daughter carry on our family legacy there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n That legacy helped shape Kelley\u2019s path, even as she initially pursued her undergraduate and master\u2019s degrees elsewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, she didn\u2019t expect to return. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An Aggie through her undergraduate and master\u2019s studies, she ultimately chose Tarleton State for its equine science focus and the opportunity to participate in a one-of-a-kind doctoral program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat flexibility to come in and pursue what I was passionate about, that was everything to me,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, Kelley is already looking ahead. She plans to continue her work in Extension while remaining closely connected to leadership development and equine programming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For Kelley, becoming the first doctoral graduate is not just a milestone. It is the beginning of what comes next, built on legacy, driven by purpose and reflecting the spirit of Tarleton State. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Doctoral Graduate Helps Students Prepare for Careers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":595,"featured_media":1268,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"functions-assets\/full-feature-post-template.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":30,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summer-2026-issue"],"acf":[],"author_meta":{"display_name":"jpartin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/author\/jpartin\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/290\/2026\/09\/Ranly-300x169.png","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Spring \/ Summer 2026 Issue<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Spring \/ Summer 2026 Issue<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 months ago","modified":"Updated 1 day ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on July 13, 2026","modified":"Updated on September 3, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on July 13, 2026 10:03 pm","modified":"Updated on September 3, 2026 10:08 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1267","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/595"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1267"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1267\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1271,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1267\/revisions\/1271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Tarleton](\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/290\/2026\/09\/Ranly-Equine-Group.png\")