Jaclyn Ferrel Receives WRCA Foundation Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project Scholarship

Jaclyn Ferrel, Childress, Texas, is the kind of youngster we all aspire to be or raise.

Not only is she an excellent student and a respectful and hard-working young adult, but she has also faced adversity with a brave, unyielding faith in God. As such, she is the recipient of the 2022 WRCA Foundation/ Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project $7,500 scholarship.

The daughter of Tyrone and Audrey Ferrel, “Jackie” spent her early childhood moving every two to three years because her dad was in the Marine Corps, often gone on extended deployments. She says when she was in kindergarten, she truly learned what it means to make a difference when the Ferrel family adopted a boy from Ethiopa.

Then when Jackie was 11, Tyrone retired after 21 years in the service, and the Ferrel family—consisting of Jackie, her mom and dad, sister Anna and brother Micah— returned to the land Tyrone had been raised on in Hall County, Texas, near Childress. He joined his father in the cattle operation there, making Jackie part of the sixth generation to ranch on that family land.

Tyrone says although he felt his military service was important, it was also important to him to raise his three children as part of a working ranch family, just like he was. Jackie thrived in that environment, enjoying working cattle horseback alongside her dad and grandfather.

Then at just 14 years old, Jackie was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure. Her entire freshman year of high school she was on dialysis, then received a kidney transplant her sophomore year. Although it was incredibly difficult, Jaclyn remained positive.

Her pastor at the First Baptist Church of Quitaque, Chris Tucker, says, “She has faced adversity with grace, strength and the faith of someone five times her age. I never heard her complain when she, in the eyes of most, had the right to. She had to make sacrifices teenagers should not have to make, but she then grew from circumstances that were beyond anyone’s control.”

Jackie says humbly, “I am thankful for my story because I feel God has given me a unique perspective on life through it, one that I can hopefully use to encourage others.”

Despite her illness, Jaclyn graduated from Valley High School with a 4.0 GPA. She participated in FFA, student council, yearbook and pep squad, while also playing varsity basketball and tennis and running varsity track and cross country.

Her leadership roles are many and include being freshman, junior and senior class president, ALA girls state member, and vice president of Valley FFA. Her faith is present in her activities as well as she was active in the First Baptist Church of Quitaque on the praise team and volunteered at the Crossview Christian Camp.

Her accomplishments are FFA Lone Star Degree recipient, Valley High School Homecoming Queen and Most Academic Girl, Spanish Scholastic Award, Academic All-District Basketball, UIL Regional Qualifier, Track and Field Regional Qualifier and National Honor Society Member.

She also volunteered at Tri County Meals, where she delivered meals to homebound senior citizens as well as worked on special projects as needed.

The executive director of that program, Kay Calvert, says, “Jackie approached me to ask if there was anything she could help with as a volunteer for our program. She has been a hard worker and has a heart for giving to those less fortunate.”

She did all this while still working a parttime job at The Coffee Mill and Mercantile in Quitaque.

Jackie’s situation is unique and because of her dad’s military service, she is the perfect candidate for her scholarship to be funded through The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Foundation.

The mission of The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project is “to help identify, support and implement the various needs of the men and women of America’s armed forces returning from service. We owe them an unpayable debt of gratitude. Our goal is to identify the best of the best, to not only be good stewards of donated dollars but to seek the best assistance available for our veterans. It is a critical mission that needs every American that enjoys the freedoms we share to participate.”

Jackie is currently a freshman at West Texas A&M University, majoring in agricultural communications. She says she is very thankful for this scholarship. Although her family has insurance, they still incur many prescription costs because of her kidney transplant. She has set a considerable goal of completing her degree without incurring any debt.

“It’s huge,” she says of winning this scholarship. “It means that I can focus on school and not have to worry about the financial aspect so much and take every opportunity that I can. Having less financial stress to manage will give me more freedom to push myself to the highest standard academically and afford me more time for leadership experience as I strive to grow as an individual in a way that will positively impact others.”

Jackie says she looks forward to a career where she can advocate for agriculture and the working ranch community.

“Many people in the United States today do not understand agriculture or its important role in our world,” Jackie says. “I want to have the ability to connect those people with the agricultural community.”