A recent Kingfisher High School graduate is still pulling in FFA honors.

Jentry Squires was recently named the winner of the 2020 State Star in agriscience.

“It’s an honor to be named as the 2020 State Star in agriscience,” said Squires, who has won multiple local, state and national honors both inside the show pen and in Career Development Events.

“Through the agriscience fair, I have been very fortunate to learn a multitude of skills that have crossed over into various events I have participated in during high school. Without the support of my family, advisors and countless industry professionals, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve this goal of mine.”

Squires was one of several students honored statewide recently when Oklahoma FFA announced winners in a handful of categories, but her work for the award began several years ago.

When she was in eighth grade, Squires began researching how to increase milkweed production to increase the dying monarch butterfly population for her Supervised Agricultural Experience project.

“Through my research, I have learned more than just the scientific method,” Squires said. “When research doesn’t turn up how you hypothesized, that doesn’t mean it’s bad research. It’s just one more step in the right direction to answering your question.”

And winning the state award doesn’t mean she’s finished with it, either.

“I plan to continue my research during college in order to continue fighting the decline of monarchs,” she said.

She’s also still eligible to win more awards with this project. Her win at the state level makes her eligible for the national competition.

Squires, the daughter of Mark and Jona Squires, will attend Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan. She’ll be a part of the school’s livestock judging team as well as multiple academic organizations.

In high school, Squires was a part of a national championship livestock evaluation team and was also the second-high individual nationally. She also was part of a team that won a national championship in conduct of chapter meetings.

An honors graduate at KHS, Squires had the second semester of her senior year interrupted by COVID-19, but said winning this award can help put a positive spin on the end of the year.

“This spring will forever be remembered as misfortune and disappointment,” Squires said. “But thankfully this has been a glimpse of hope and motivation during this unprecedented era for the Kingfisher FFA and the rest of the community.”