Blake Molle’s love of horses, rodeo and going fast were inspired by her chuckwagon-driving father. She also recalls spending her childhood getting into her mother’s makeup and learning to love the “girlier” things in life. When it came time to choose a post-secondary path, she found a way to balance them both at Lakeland College.

Molle lives in Vermilion where she boards her four horses and practices with the Rustlers rodeo team. She is a barrel racer and pole bender, competing in both the Canadian Collegiate Rodeo Association and the Canadian Pro Rodeo Association circuits, as well as volunteering for the rest of the team’s practices, working chutes or whatever else they need. When she’s not at home or riding, she’s travelling to Lakeland’s Lloydminster campus 45 minutes away because she’s a student in the hairstyling program. On campus, she’s learning in the student-led salon, working with real clients.

It's a tough balancing act, but according to Molle, it lets her experience the best of both worlds. It can be hard on her body to go from standing in the salon all day to riding for hours after class, but she likes the variety

“It’s nice to have separation, where you don’t get to see everyone all the time but when you do, you appreciate it 10 times more,” she says. “I get to study and get a good education in Lloydminster and then come home to Vermilion where I have really good friends who understand my life and what I’m doing and why I’m doing it.”

She explains, “It’s a lot of work. Classes are at 8:30 a.m. so I wake up at 6 a.m., feed my horses, and if I can, squeeze in a ride or two. Then I head to school for seven hours and come back and ride the rest.”

When she was looking for a post-secondary school that would allow her to continue her rodeo career while also studying hairstyling, she found Lakeland. Not only did it give her the opportunity to follow her two passions, it is also close to home. Molle is from Chauvin, Alta., a little over 100 km from Lakeland’s Vermilion campus. The best part? She could bring her horses with her and board them there.

“Horses are my ‘me time’. It’s where I go to clear my head and do something I love,” says Molle, adding her decision to enrol in Lakeland’s hairstyling program was an easy one “I’ve been into hair and makeup since I was a little kid. I would say I’m more of a glam cowgirl with a pretty good girly side to me.”

She’s enjoying her time in the hairstyling program and plans to someday open her own salon.

As for balancing both her rodeo career and her hairstyling studies, the hard work is worth it.

Her rodeo career has continued to flourish while she studies, adding College Rodeo Champion to her other accolades, which include being a 2023 Canadian Finals Qualifier and Go Round winner, and finishing the 2023 season in the top four. She is a 2024 Calgary Stampede Qualifier, a two-time CBHI 1D Open Champion, and the 2024 CBHI Derby Superstakes Champion.

“You just have to do it,” she says. “If you want something badly enough, you do the hard work and get what you’re striving for eventually.”