Queen Ashlyn Marie Leal is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ricky and Natalie Leal of Harlingen.

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Ashlyn attends the University of Texas at Austin, where she is pursuing a degree in Biochemistry. She is the Grow Coordinator at Texas Wesley and a member of the American Medical Student Association and Austin STEM Buddies. Ashlyn graduated fourth in her class from Harlingen High School South, where she was an AP Scholar with Distinction, an Academic All-State honoree, a varsity basketball player, and the treasurer of the National Honor Society.

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Ashlyn was honored as Little Princess in 2011, and her parents served as Algodon Club Presidents in 2014. Her mother, Natalie, was Queen of Cotton in 1998. Her grandparents, Leonard and Mary Beth Simmons, and her great-grandparents, L.P. and Dodie Simmons, were each honored as Don and Dona. Leonard and Mary Beth served as Algodon Presidents. Her aunts, Courtney Nash and Audrey Hooks, were both crowned Queen of Cotton and served as Club Presidents alongside their husbands.

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Ashlyn's great-great-great grandfather first farmed in the Rangerville area in 1919, and every generation since has carried on that proud tradition. Her grandparents, mother, and aunts continue to farm today and remain active on several local agricultural boards and committees, ensuring that the family's century-long commitment to the Rio Grande Valley's cotton country endures.