alongside my siblings is very rewarding to me. I have had the opportunity to create a special bond with each one of them in the barn throughout our daily routine. My older sister Avery pushes us to succeed every day in the barn. Avery is the one who started many years of success in the showring for our family, and even as her time in the showring is coming to an end, she is still there to support the rest of us in everything we do. I want to thank her for helping us out every day with our livestock and her willingness to always be by our sides in the barn. I have learned so much from watching her over the years and always admired her hard work in the barn. She taught me to set goals and to never give up, but work that much harder instead. While Avery spent the last school year at Iowa State University, my younger brother Parker really stepped up in the barn and I am very proud of him for that. We spent many days doing our daily care routine together, and Avery and I are very proud of the showman he is becoming as well. Avery and Parker’s work ethic inspires me everyday to do better, along with a quote from our dad, Nic Shalla, that hangs in our barn as a daily reminder for us kids - “Outwork everyone and it will pay off.” Hard work and passion is what has gotten me where I am today, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the success I have had. One of the most rewarding and memorable successes I
have had was at the 2024 National Western Stock Show where I exhibited the Reserve Grand Champion Market Steer. This was a dream come true for me and my family, as we have been attending the National Western for many years and with the hopes of one day accomplishing that goal. That day was like something out of a dream for all of us, and for sure something we will always remember and cherish. I will never forget having the opportunity to walk my steer across the red carpet of the Brown Palace in downtown Denver. All of the people were there just to see our steers that we had worked so hard all year long on. I will never forget that special moment. We are extremely grateful for our successes across the country, but I think our family’s favorite show of the year would have to be the Iowa State Fair. The Iowa State Fair is a special time for us because it is the only show of the year where my siblings Parker, Avery, and I, show three different species within ten days. I get to exhibit my pigs, and this year I was fortunate enough to bring home the title of Fourth Overall Market Hog in the 4-H swine show. My sister, Avery, now exhibits her goats in the FFA show and she exhibited the Grand Champion FFA Market Wether along with the Third Overall FFA Breeding Doe. However, if you were to ask our dad, he would say our family’s true love lies in the 4-H Market Steer Show. To say we have been
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