'What do you want to be when you grow up': a question I had always dreaded being asked in my earlier days. I always felt pressured with that question, mostly because it seemed like everyone else had an answer. All of my peers wanted to be doctors, lawyers, or engineers, always seeming to have an answer to the question. I didn't know. I didn't have any answers. If anything, I had grown to fear getting older. Anytime I thought about it, there didn't seem to be any upside. Goodbye fun, hello responsibility. That's not to say I had a fear of work (while the idea was far from favorable) more so I had a fear of the unknown. I had a date set on the ever-ticking imaginary calendar in my head: May 2024, the year I would graduate high school. For the most part, up to that point I knew what was going to happen, but after that was dark and scary. Every time I thought of the edge of that cliff it wasn't to figure out how to fly but to try and grasp on to the edge before I fell off. Now, looking back at it, my younger self would look at me now and probably say that life looks pretty dull. Yet, I could look back at him the same way. I go to school, work on homework, plan my financials, go to work, and all the other 'benefits' of being independent. But the difference between my previous dread of monotony and where I am today is a goal; an aspiration for the future. Just as I was about to fall off that cliff, I found a purpose. I've told the story many times before but one more couldn't hurt. My Sophomore year, my cousin, who is a wildlife biologist, drove me out to North Dallas so I could experience a controlled burn. He wanted to show me what possibilities my passion for the outdoors could get me in a career. The day was fantastic. I spent the whole day starting fires and fighting to put out the same fires we started. From that point I had an idea, a glimmer of hope, which would eventually manifest itself into a choice towards the end of my Senior year. As it happened, my sophomore year I had also fallen in love with playing football and had a few offers to go play collegiately. The choice was that I could go to school to study wildlife at Tarleton State, one of the best schools in Texas on the subject, or I could go hold on to football for just a little bit longer before I had to let go. My dad often says that there's no point in shooting a dead horse and decided to apply that principle here. Football would eventually end and I would still be left with the quandary of my future. So to me the choice was eventually clear and as far as I can tell, I'm flying.

There are so many aspects of my life where I feel I owe it to a person rather than the thing itself for my interest in something. My passion for the outdoors and my current career path is no exception. For me, my grandpa is my hero. Always has been and always will be. He is my mentor and one of my best friends. He first taught me how to shoot when I was five. I was maybe three and a half feet tall shooting a .22 cricket which was almost my height. I was hooked. From fishing to hunting he taught me the ins and outs, the do's and don'ts. I owe my passion to the outdoors solely to him and even as I'm crossing the threshold into adulthood, we still do pretty much everything together. Even then, as I'm beginning to go my separate way to expand my knowledge and create my own memories, he's always on my mind. So throughout my upbringing, I had fallen in love with the outdoors and felt at home in the woods, but I never really established a connection between that passion and a potential career. To that I owe to my cousin who is a wildlife biologist that works with improving quail habit. My sophomore year in high school he invited me out to a controlled burn in an attempt to show me the possibilities of a career in wildlife. Once again, I was sold. Since then I have volunteered for the foundation he works for several times and his urging is ultimately the reason why I decided to pursue a degree in wildlife at Tarleton State University. My journey to this point has really helped me realize how fortunate I was to be able to grow up with these experiences; exposure to the natural world. It has also made me deathly aware of the potential for this resource to disappear. I aim to be part of the conservation effort to help preserve wildlife mor my kids and my kid's kids. My actions now and over the next ten or fifteen years directly impact the future generations of Americans. I couldn't be more excited to be on the forefront of that effort, and I believe doing so would make my grandpa proud. While I do not know exactly what I want to do, as there are many facets to the wildlife industry, I do know that I do not want to spend the rest of my life sitting behind a desk. I want to be outside, hands on and in the field. Ultimately I want to be able to enjoy what I do and eventually have a house in the middle of nowhere where I can raise a family. That's been my driver the last few years; the light at the end of the tunnel. I can dream all I want; getting there is the real challenge.

I'm from Fort Worth and currently pursuing a Bachelor's in science at Tarleton State. I've always had a passion for wildlife as well as the outdoors and decided to major in Wildlife sciences in an effort to some day become a wildlife biologist. However, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get enough funding to attend school next year without being crippled with debt. I can't get the aid I'll need for school and this scholarship would further my college career. The people who know me best would say I'm relaxed or uncaring but, in reality, I hold unbelievably high standards for myself and my college ambitions are quickly piling up. I finished my first semester making the president's list and strive to maintain that standard over the next three years. I take great pride in challenging myself and making the most my education. This summer I was even able to snag an internship working with Fallow Deer fawns, an opportunity that I'm very excited for. I have been volunteering extensively with wildlife organizations in an effort to bolster my resume as well as help out the community. While I don't know the how, where, and why, I do know that I don't want to be sitting behind a desk for the next half of my life. I want to be outside observing and exploring, taking in the knowledge and majesty of the natural world and helping to restore and improve it. One of the greatest things about going down this career path is the community that you are welcomed in to along with it. Everything is about community in wildlife and giving back is essential to future growth and posterity. Over the next semester I plan to do quite a lot of volunteering, especially in Texas' extensive number of state parks which are in need of volunteer service. Growing up I heard the term 'community' thrown around all the time. But I never really got to experience and understand it until I started playing football. This sport, which I used to think of as pointless, completely changed my life as well as my outlook on the world. During my two years playing, I was given the opportunity to give back to my community. I became an assistant coach for our middle school team. Not only was I able to teach these kids techniques and skills, but I was also there to teach them about the values of discipline and hard work. Most importantly, I was able to help them learn about failure. I have often struggled with the idea of failure. In many ways failure is the most direct path to growth, but it's so hard to see it that way. No one wants to lose; no one wants to admit that they're wrong, and I'm no exception. There are so many instances in which I've failed but I'll leave you with this one: last summer I had gotten into the habit of speeding. Its an unparalleled feeling being able to fly down the road; the adrenaline and excitement building inside. I took a corner and had to slow down to 92mph where there was a cop just waiting there on the side of the road. My heart skipped four beats as I already knew he was going to pull me over. I was asked to step out of my vehicle and we talked for about fifteen minutes in his squad car. He clocked me at 17mph over the speed limit and left me with a warning. That day I learned the value of patience.

Growing up in Fort Worth, Texas I never really had any dreams or aspirations for what I wanted my life and career to look like after graduating high school. Yet I have always felt drawn into the outdoors. Almost like a sense of greater purpose and being part of or responsible for something that could be bigger than myself. I have this continuing idea in my mind, which formed in my a-little-too-vivid imagination, of a small house out in the middle of nowhere with ten or fifteen acres; goats and chickens running around, the dog chasing cars, and enough space to take down that monster buck in the fall. Who knows? Maybe this is an idea that all city kids have at one point in their lives; one last ditch effort to escape the talons of the city before getting snatched by the day to day and the 9-5. Or maybe I have this opportunity before me that I can absolutely make happen at some point down the line. Trust me, I've tried before already. Several times over the last decade I have tried to bring this life to me instead of answering its call. I went so far as to transform my suburban backyard into an ag center full of chickens, goats, and rabbits. But it still didn't satisfy that itch, that yearning for this life that I didn't really have. In the latter days of my high school career I began to discern what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It seemed like everyone else in school knew exactly what they were going to be and how they were going to get to that point. Doctors, lawyers, engineers...they all had a plan. I had no clue, that is until my cousin, who is a wildlife biologist, took me out on a controlled burn. That was it, that's when I knew. That day is when I figured out that I wanted to have a career in wildlife; that is how I'm going to get my little house out in the middle of nowhere. Still I was faced with a choice. How do I get there? I had a few offers to play football up north and, for a little context, football had become my life. For the two years that I played I transformed, not only physically, but my attitude, discipline, and behavior all changed because of this sport that I had previously thought to be meaningless. However, these schools didn't have as robust of a program as the schools did in Texas. So I could either play this sport that I had fallen in love with, or I could put all my eggs in one basket and fully pursue wildlife. Now I'm all in. Sitting here now writing this essay, it seems so clear—the possibilities of my future. All my life I've never been closer to achieving this dream that I have been yearning for for so long: Life on the farm, the call of the woods, the satisfaction of living by my own hands, and being surrounded in the majesty of God's creation. The future is in my hands—there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to achieve it.

There's nothing like a country boy who's stuck in the city. My whole life I have felt a deeper connection to nature than almost anyone I meet. There's just something about it that calls out to comfort and ease the stresses of life. However, I am stuck in the city. So, I have my home away from home. A small town in the middle-of-nowhere, Texas is the place that I love to be. Everything from fishing and hunting to ranching and farming could be done there. A place of endless possibilities. My grandpa very quickly became my best friend. We do everything together. During the winter, we are out in the harsh weather looking for that one big deer that always seems to never show. In the Spring, we are out fishing for those pesky bass that never seem to want to bite. In the summer, we're out in the fields harvesting corn. And yet, it always comes to an end. Even before we leave I'm always asking to go back. Even though I don't get to live in the country, I do my best to bring the country to me. Growing up, instead of playing video games, my brother and I would play with toy tractors and "farm" the carpets. My favorite TV show wasn't a cartoon, it was "Meat eater", possibly the best hunting show available. Instead of trampolines or a basketball hoop in my yard, I decided I was going to raise chickens, rabbits, and goats; much to my neighbor's dismay. Despite all that, I still can't wait to go back--my home away from home. It wasn't until recently that I decided I wanted to order my passions into the direction of a potential career. My cousin, Thomas Janke, is a wildlife biologist. One day during the summer a few years back, he invited me out to a job site with him. The organization he works for coordinates controlled burns all around the state of Texas in an effort to improve quail habitat. That day we burned several acres of property. It really opened my eyes to the myriad of professional possibilities that can be explored under the umbrella of the outdoors. Today, I am committed to Tarleton State University where I will major in wildlife sciences. In the future I hope to either go into the law enforcement side of the outdoors or continue on into a masters program to become a wildlife biologist.