Casey Stevens is a third-generation Tarleton State Texan, following her grandparents and mother to the university. She fondly remembers childhood campus visits with her brother and university history lessons from their mother. Ahead of her graduation this Friday, Stevens’ deeply rooted connections feel even more sentimental.
“When she showed us the mural on campus, mom taught us all about John Tarleton’s journey and Oscar P,” Stevens said of her early exposure to Tarleton State’s founder and his companion. “She would point out all the little details, and I thought it was such an amazing story.”
Born and raised in Zephyr, Texas, Stevens said Tarleton State’s Stephenville campus has always felt like home away from home. The proximity to her family and their ranch kept Stevens motivated, particularly having her mother to lean on for advice and reassurance.
“She has always been there for me, supporting me through every challenge and celebrating every success,” Stevens said of her mother. “On the ranch, she taught me how life would be: You have to work for everything you want.”
Stevens developed a passion for agriculture and learned the discipline and work ethic that would shape her college experience.
She began her Tarleton State journey as an agribusiness major before realizing her passions lay elsewhere. After her first semester, she changed her major to agricultural communication, which better aligned with her professional goals.
“I chose communications because I love storytelling and advocacy,” Stevens said. “I wanted to combine my rural background with that passion to preserve and share the stories of agriculture.”
When Stevens arrived at Tarleton State, she was familiar with the campus but uncertain where she belonged. Since then, she has grown more self-confident and present, serving as a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and as secretary of Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow (ACT). While she did not plan to become an officer with ACT, Stevens embraced the role, encouraging other students and organizing professional development events with her fellow officers.
“I gravitated towards ACT and found friends and a sense of belonging,” Stevens said. “As I got more involved, I wanted to help other students find where they belong.”
At Friday’s commencement ceremony, Stevens will deliver a speech inspired by her personal path to growth and one plastic flamingo gifted by a professor. Just as flamingo feathers grow from dull grays to vibrant shades of pink, she said, students at Tarleton State become their best with time. Here, students are shaped by their journey, slowly but surely discovering their true colors.
“It’s about finding our voices and the unexpected moments that shape us,” Stevens said of her commencement address. “Tarleton State helps us become our brightest selves.”
Upon graduation, Stevens plans to pursue a Master of Arts in Heritage and Museum Sciences at Texas Tech University. She has already charted her future beyond that, with goals of obtaining a doctorate and becoming the director of her own ranching heritage museum. Ultimately, she says, her mission is to honor the agricultural communities and hardworking matriarch that shaped her.
“We don’t start out extraordinary,” Stevens said. “But we grow into who we are meant to be through our experiences and the challenges we face. Transformation takes time.”
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of more than 21,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For over 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.