Beckie Irvin was raised in Hico, Texas and graduated from Hico High School in 2013. Growing up in an agrarian community and heavily involved in the National FFA Organization as a young adult, Beckie was aware of the human-to-nature relationships as they pertained to food and farming.
During her freshman year at Texas Tech University, in the spring of 2014, Beckie convinced the hiring manager at the Outdoor Pursuits Center that she would be an excellent addition to their team, despite her only prior “outdoor pursuits” being half-hearted hunting and fishing trips, competitive soil judging, and cheerleading.
In the years that immediately followed Beckie became proficient in backcountry navigation and multiple outdoor sports. She honed her skills as a rock climber, whitewater kayaker, and most notably as a gravel cyclist, bikepacker, and mountain biker.
She loved outdoor sports so much that she completed her masters degree in Recreation and Sport Management from the University of Arkansas.
From there, she went on to have a successful career in the outdoor and cycling industries. In 2019, she founded a nonprofit, All Bikes Welcome, and an inclusive mountain biking festival called Grit MTB Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. This led her to being recognized as one of the “Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas” by the Arkansas Women’s Foundation in 2023.
Not surprisingly, Beckie developed a deep interest and respect for the natural world and its history. She believes we are connected to the Earth in ways that we have yet to imagine, and she uses her photography to encourage others to consider their interconnectedness to the natural world.
A true Texan, Beckie feels more at home in the arid climates of the desert Southwest, which is why you’ll see desert landscapes, architecture, and flora largely represented in her work.
