ASHLEY TERRY
Two Azle High School seniors — Rylie Auvenshine and Jace Jones — were named the Optimist Club of Azle’s Young Texans for the month of October during its monthly meeting Oct. 16.
RYLIE AUVENSHINE
Rylie Auvenshine, the daughter of Jeff and Jennifer Auvenshine, has been involved in many organizations during her time at AHS — powerlifting, soccer, student council, PALs and HOSA-Future Health Professionals, to name a few — but her passion for rodeo goes back even further than high school.
Auvenshine — who serves as secretary of the Azle Rodeo Team — has been barrel racing competitively for 12 years.
While her many extracurriculars are enough to keep her constantly busy, she has also worked hard to earn four health care certifications — phlebotomy, EKG, patient care technician and certified nursing assistant — and is in the top 10% of her graduating class.
In fact, “hardworking” is one of the adjectives she would use to describe herself, along with “friendly” and “respectful.”
“I always try my very best with anything I do,” she said. “I try to always have a smile on my face because you never know what someone may be going through and just giving them a smile or saying ‘Hi’ can make their day better. I have always been taught to respect others and to treat others the way you want to be treated.”
Auvenshine said she credits her second-grade teacher, Mrs. Bagwell, for being the most influential to her growing up.
“She always was the sweetest teacher and was so patient when I struggled with math,” she said. “She encouraged all her students that they could do whatever they set their minds to. I always enjoyed coming into her class every day.”
Outside school, Auvenshine has worked at Apex Land Surveying, helped care for her great-grandmother for about four years and volunteered to run the concession stands during football and baseball season.
Although Auvenshine hasn’t decided on a college just yet, she knows she wants to pursue a career in the medical field, specifically as a nurse or nurse practitioner.
JACE JONES
Jace Jones, the son of Chad and Aimee Jones, has spent three years on AHS’ varsity football and track teams, while also participating in PALS, Academy 4 and the school’s leadership council. He was also named homecoming prince during his junior year and is once again a member of the homecoming court as a senior.
Being a “two-sport varsity athlete” is something Jones said he’s particularly proud of — especially since he’s managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA and rank in the top 10% of his graduating class despite his busy schedule.
While Jones is proud of his academic accomplishments, it wasn’t always an easy feat. In fact, he said ever since pre-K, school has been a challenge he’s had to push himself through.
“I have always disliked school and no material I learned has ever come easy to me. Assignments took me longer than most people, I had to study longer than most and test-taking was not my best attribute,” he said. “Most of these obstacles would make most people dislike school even more than they already do, but this just drove me to work harder because I know it will pay off in the end.”
That determination is one of the qualities Jones prides himself on, describing himself as “resilient,” “competitive” and “empathetic.”
“I always strive to be my best whether I'm competing with my peers or competing against myself,” he said. “I don't let bumps in life put me on pause — I keep going despite the challenge.”
Jones’ can-do attitude is most influenced, he said, by his father, Chad Jones, who has not only been there as a father but also as a football and track coach — teaching him lessons that have gone past simply sports.
“Through his guidance within my home and school and sports, he has pushed me to become a better student-athlete, a better person and a better man,” Jones said. “He set the standard as a role model and inspires me to work hard to reach my goals. He is one of the most influential people in my life and my hero.”
Outside school, Jones works 12 hours a week as a salesman for Royal Exterior Cleaning and has volunteered for several of Servolution Network’s Good Neighbor Blitzes.
Although Jones isn’t sure what college he wants to attend following graduation, he said he wants to pursue a career that maintains a healthy work-life balance while also making a meaningful contribution to society.
“I want to focus on careers that involve problem-solving, possibly hands-on, and could be a challenge for me but also can allow for financial stability and growth,” he said. “Some careers in my mind are in the realm of things like business, engineering, computer science or even physical therapy.”
