Kristen Sublette

Many of us women dream of the day we will become mothers. For Kristen Sublette that day came much too soon. At the young age of 22 Kristen found herself pregnant, unemployed, and almost completely alone.

Fast forward two years, Kristen is working for a company she loves called Mountain Man Welding. She is thriving in her career and is in her element, she is starting to look towards a future she never imagined for herself and her son. Once again, disaster strikes, and she is fired.

Back to square one, Kristen decides it’s time to go to college. She spent a year at community college and then applied to Colorado State University (CSU). At CSU Kristen has found opportunities she has only dreamed of, working with the rodeo team, volunteering at National Western Stock Show, and interning for Mountain States Circuit Finals. She never dreamed that a college education could unlock so many doors.

The opportunities she has found, have been incredible. As a woman working to break into agriculture without the background in it, Kristen says, “It is extremely difficult. I have applied to hundreds, and I repeat hundreds, of jobs and internships to get more hands-on experience in the field of agriculture and been rejected by most of them for not having experience.”

This can be extremely discouraging, especially for woman that have fought to overcome so much. “I want to encourage all of the woman, the single woman, the mama’s, the girls with a big dream, to chase it down. Even at the expense of failure and rejection. Many people in the western industry will reject you, but as long as you believe in yourself, you too can do it,” Kristen said. Work hard, believe in yourself, and pursue your dreams, and you too can make it against incredible odds.