Brianna Young’s focus on agriculture and her animals, and her pursuit of excellence in her studies have driven her to academic success at PUHS. The 2021 PUHS salutatorian, who graduates with a 4.1 GPA, will attend the U of A next fall to pursue her dream of becoming a veterinarian. Brianna, the daughter of Michael and Tammy Young, has been an active member of 4-H, showing lambs and participating in the livestock skillathon competition at the national level.
She has also been active in the FFA program at PUHS, serving as chapter president. In FFA she has won seven state titles and has two national rankings. She has worked part-time for the Vera Earl Ranch in Sonoita and for Bloomquist Club Lambs.
Brianna is an avid barrel racer and plans to participate in college rodeo next year. She has eight horses and actively competes with three of them, whom she will be taking to Tucson with her.
Brianna is looking forward to moving on to college.
“I’m super excited to get out and see the world and make new connections,” she said. “My biggest challenge will be living alone, because my parents really help me with everything.”
Brianna’s favorite classes at PUHS have been history, because “Mr. Hayes and Mr. Porter are really fun and really good teachers,” she said. In addition to her parents, she credits former FFA teacher Amanda Zamudio for her success. “She got me started in 4-H nine years ago,” she said.
Zamudio, in turn, is proud of Brianna.
“Brianna is an impeccable young lady and has matured into a very responsible young adult,” she wrote. “Her desire to achieve and her perseverance to accomplish any task at hand is impressive. She is passionate about agriculture and is the first to step up to help our younger generation develop a deeper understanding. Her grit and dedication to responsibility will help her succeed in any endeavor she embarks on. She is an inspiration to me and others around her.”