Chizm Kuykendall of Carnegie, Oklahoma, is the 2025 recipient of the J.O. Cravens Memorial Scholarship. Kuykendall recently graduated first in his class at Carnegie High School while also taking concurrent classes at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Oklahoma.
Excelling in both the rodeo arena and the classroom, Kuykendall earned the National High School Rodeo Association’s Tie-Down Roping Championship in 2024. He also earned a National Junior High Rodeo championship in ribbon roping.
He received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence and earned Phi Beta Kappa honors at Redlands. Besides rodeo, he played baseball in high school and still found time to volunteer at the food pantry, Special Olympics and Oklahoma Junior High Rodeo.
A fifth-generation rancher, Kuykendall also excelled in FFA. He plans to attend Weatherford College in Texas where he will be part of the rodeo team and major in Ag Business. He plans to return to the family ranch and build his own stocker cattle business.
The inaugural scholarship winner in 2019 was Jesse Keysar from Tennessee. Gracie Gambino of Texas was the 2020 recipient. In 2021 Lakyn Cunningham of Kansas won a scholarship for students attending a four-year college and Brad Moreno of Arizona won a scholarship for students attending a two-year college or trade school. In 2022 scholarships were awarded to two students attending four-year colleges or universities – Shayde Harris of Arkansas and Seth Gaikowski of South Dakota. The 2023 winner was Take Talkington of Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Last year’s winner was Colton Matlock of Valliant, Oklahoma.
The J.O. Cravens Memorial Scholarship fund also periodically awards the J.O. & Mary Cravens Legacy Scholarship to an applicant for the main scholarship who embodies the rodeo legacy of J.O. & Mary Cravens. This scholarship was awarded in 2020 to Trevor Lattin, Autry Cowley in 2021, Odessa Smith in 2022, Kassidy Rambat in 2023 and Eden Bruesch in 2024.
Applications are due in early May each year and are open to any high school graduate who is involved in rodeo and plans to attend a college, university or trade school. College rodeo participation is not required. Selection is based on rodeo involvement, scholastic and leadership, financial need and a written essay.
J.O. Cravens was a life-long rodeo cowboy who specialized in bareback riding and bull riding, founding member of the International Rodeo Association ( later IPRA) and longtime rodeo judge as well as a high school history teacher. He was president and executive director of the IPRA when the International Finals Youth Rodeo was created. His wife Mary was a two-time IRA world champion barrel racer, founding member of the association, rodeo timer and secretary and association bookkeeper. She also competed in multiple events in women’s rodeo including bull riding. They both competed at the first International Finals Rodeo and remained involved in the IPRA for the rest of their lives.
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