Long before the red blazers, speaking contests and leadership titles, a young lady stepped into the ring with a black heifer named Jewel and unknowingly began a path that would shape her future. That path, paved with mentors, late-night contest prep and a deep love for the Angus breed led her to Tulsa, Okla., for the 2025 National Junior Angus Show (NJAS). 

During one of the final stops on the road trip down Route 66, Lauren Wolter of Aviston, Ill., was named the recipient of 2025 Jim Baldridge Outstanding Leadership Award, an honor that recognized not just where she’s been, but the purpose that drives where she’s going next.

From her early days as a 4-H and FFA member to mentorship through the Illinois Junior Angus Association (IJAA) and participation in National Junior Angus Assocation (NJAA) events, and now in her collegiate years at Kansas State University, each step helped shape Wolter into the leader she is today. 

“My time within the Angus Association has been really impactful for me as a leader,” Wolter says.

Her passion for the Angus breed runs deep, and it all started with her family. When she was just 6 months old, they purchased their first Angus heifer and became first-generation Angus breeders.

“What was supposed to be just a youth project for me has exploded into a 500-head seedstock and direct-to-consumer beef operation known as Windy Hill Meadows,” Wolter explains.

Learning to lead

At 8 years old, she showed her first Angus heifer, Jewel, at the county fair. Just three years later, she entered the ring at NJAS for the first time, marking the beginning of a journey that would shape her not only as an exhibitor, but as a leader. Her first experience with leadership came through her local 4-H club.

“It was the first organization I ever held offices in, and was where I really learned how to public speak and lead my peers,” she explains. “4-H gave me the confidence to run for positions within my state Angus association and eventually, my FFA chapter.”

Through each contest, committee and connection built within the NJAA, Wolter steadily built a foundation of leadership, developing the skills she first learned as a young junior member.

But she didn’t do it alone. 

Wolter credits much of her early involvement to the people who opened doors and made her feel welcome in the breed.

“I always credit Alex Cozzitorto, the first person who exposed me to Angus contests and gave me a clue of what to expect at my first Angus junior nationals,” Wolter says. “Her mentor, Katelyn Corsentino, also had a lot of influence on me. She took me under her wing and invited me to visit her college for a weekend when I was still in middle school.”

Wolter also mentioned Paige Van Dyke, now on the staff of the Association’s events and education team, as a lifelong role model and close friend.

“She was someone I grew up showing with and always looked up to,” she says. “My parents have been great and super supportive, and I’ve been really fortunate to have quite a few people within the breed who were awesome mentors for me.”

In 2024 Wolter’s leadership was on display in a new way — not with a gavel in hand, but in a red blazer and a sash with ruby red stones. That year she served as Miss American Angus, representing the breed and advocating for the industry on a national stage.

The personal development skills she first honed through 4-H and mentorship only deepened in her new role. As Miss American Angus, she connected with juniors, producers and industry professionals, serving as both a mentor for youth and a voice for Angus.

Mentorship in action

Wolter’s favorite part of being Miss American Angus was serving as a role model for girls in the Angus industry.

“I really enjoyed working with the girls that were trying to figure out what college they were going to go to,” she says. “I was a freshman in college, and I just lived that experience, so it was really fun for me to be like an older sister to those girls.”

Beyond mentorship, she found meaning in sharing her story with a broader audience, bridging her experiences in the Angus world with conversations shaping the industry.

“I love being able to talk about experiences I had in conversations with producers and people in the industry,” Wolter says. “It’s rewarding being able to showcase how I’ve taken my experiences within the Angus Association and been able to make impacts in conversations with people outside of that [world] as well.”

Although her time as Miss American Angus was a highlight, Wolter’s leadership can’t be defined by a single title. Through contests, conferences, officer positions and mentorship roles, each experience helped prepare her for what came next: Kansas State University (K-State). She is currently pursuing a degree in animal sciences and industry with a concentration in meat science and plans to earn a master’s degree in either meat science or agriculture policy.

When she’s not in the classroom, she’s leading in other ways across campus.

“I feel my leadership skills have truly blossomed [at K-State],” Wolter explains.

At K-State she is an ambassador for the College of Agriculture, an animal sciences and industry mentor, and serves as the government relations director within the student body president’s cabinet.

“Serving in this role has allowed me to represent student perspectives in a way that makes an impact as well as share my passion for agriculture with students who are not familiar [with the industry],” Wolter says.

Next Stop

Her vision for the future is clear and rooted in the same values that shaped her in the NJAA. She hopes to blend her knowledge of science with her love of communication to better serve the agricultural industry.

“I want to be someone that’s intelligent enough to understand things from research and a science perspective but is a strong enough communicator to make it valuable to the industry and beyond,” Wolter explains.

With a foundation built on opportunities and leadership and a future focused on advocacy, she embodies the spirit of the Jim Baldridge Outstanding Leadership Award, recognizing juniors for their involvement and supporting their continued contributions to agriculture. This award is considered one of the most prestigious recognitions in the NJAA, presented each year to a junior who demonstrates exceptional leadership within the Angus breed. 

Wolter set her sights on the award early in her junior career, but she also understood it would require time, growth and the right moment.

“It’s not the easiest thing in the world to win,” Wolter says. “So, I really kind of waited until the time was right and it felt like I would have the right material and the right type of things to be able to put on my application to feel really confident when I sent it in.”   

Editor’s note: The Outstanding Leadership Award award honors the late Jim Baldridge and his dedication to supporting Angus youth through the NJAA. In 2013, Bill and Betty Werner of Werner Angus in Cordova, Ill., contributed $50,000 to the Angus Foundation to a permanent endowment, which provides a $5,000 scholarship each year to the award recipient.