Strive for Honor

Story and Photo by Adam Evans

On July 11, 2008 the state officers of the Texas FFA were elected in Lubbock, Texas. Four of these officers found their way back to Lubbock to attend school at Texas Tech University in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources because they appreciated the services that the college could offer.

Matthew Barnes, Dean Black, James Marcuse, and Mai Lee Holmes are four previous state FFA officers that are students in Texas Tech’s Department of Agricultural Education and Communications.

Rachel Bobbitt, coordinator of student programs for the Dr. Bill Bennett Student Success Center, said the recruiters at Texas Tech try to target students by explaining the things that Texas Tech can offer such as a personal touch.

“These four students chose to come to Texas Tech because it is a place where they knew they would be given all the opportunities that a large division one school can offer,” Bobbitt said, “but will also be an individual student, not just a number.”

Bobbitt said that even though Texas Tech is not the land grant college of the state the school still offers outstanding facilities and a high quality of education.

Mai Lee Holmes, senior in agricultural communications, was one of the 2008 Texas FFA vice presidents.

“I didn’t enroll at Texas Tech for my freshman year of school because I felt that to serve my area best I should attend Texas A&M,” Holmes said, “but they didn’t really give me the kind of personal attention I can get at Texas Tech. So I decided that I should transfer after my freshman year.”

James Marcuse, junior in agricultural communications, who was also a vice president on the 2008 Texas FFA officer team, came to Texas Tech because he felt the tradition had stayed true to its agricultural and technical origins.

“The agricultural program here at Texas Tech really has stayed true to what they believe in,” Marcuse said, “and I think that is what really makes the college so good.”

Dean Black, junior agricultural communications major was one of the 2008 Texas FFA vice presidents, believes that the student-to-teacher ratio is really what makes Texas Tech so appealing to him.

“At my old school they didn’t really focus on making students feel welcome,” Black said, “and when I visited here at Texas Tech I really got the feeling that I was really wanted here.”

Matthew Barnes, junior agricultural leadership major, who was the 2008 Texas state FFA president, said he really believes Texas Tech is playing a major role in educating people about the importance of agriculture.

“Agriculture is just such an important part of our nation,” Barnes said, “and I think that Texas Tech really understands that. Coming from an agricultural background myself it really means a lot to me when an institution does the little things that help educate people about agriculture and I believe Texas Tech does that.”

By continuing to strive for honor evermore Texas Tech will continue to recruit students who were born to lead and are paving the way into the future for their generation and the ones to come after them.