Teacher accepts challenge
That pressure to achieve has pushed Travis Park out of the comfort
of his Tri-County High School classroom in Wolcott, Ind., where he teaches
agriculture and back into another classroom as a student. After turning
the school's ag program into one of the top six among 7,600 nationwide,
Park is pursuing a PhD in agricultural education this fall at the University
of Florida.
"I don't ever want to be the one they say 'Oh, look at all of
those great Ross Award winners, then there's Travis Park, he won the
award in 1997, but he never really amounted to much,'" Park says.
"I want to continue to excel and continue to challenge myself
to keep up with the accomplishments of the other winners. I want to
live up to the expectations of the award. It's always something that
makes me proud, but it is something I hope I can add to as time goes
by."
Jim Bishop, the 1995 winner, says he, too, felt the weight of the Ross
Award.
"After I won the award, I started to wonder about my future,"
Bishop says.
"I had several job opportunities, but I thought, 'Now that I have
won the award, I can't just be another somebody.' I didn't think I could
stand up on the stage during the honors convocation and say I didn't
have a clue as to what I wanted to do."
So Bishop went back to grad school and earned a master's degree in
animal sciences before joining FFA in Indianapolis.
Karl Brandt, who recently stepped down as associate dean and director
of academic programs, downplays the self-inflicted pressure that comes
with the Ross Award. Brandt was a significant player in the School of
Agriculture's successful Ross Award record, writing many nomination
letters during his tenure.
"Being elected president of the United States puts pressure on
you, but winning the Ross Award? I hope not. Certainly, people know
they expect you to succeed," Brandt says, "but I hope it doesn't
dissuade a student from doing what he wants to do in life. What defines
success is difficult to measure. If it means making a contribution to
society and enjoying what you do, then everybody can be successful."
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