what i know now
samuel gibson
age: 24
hometown: Grand Bay, Alabama
education: I attended Tuskegee University and majored in Animal
Science/Business. I chose the School of Agriculture (CAENS) because
I was promised a job working with the cows on the research farm.
growing up: As a child I loved cattle and wanted to be a farmer
when I grew up.
career: I work for the USDA in Wildlife Services. I am a wildlife
specialist and my responsibilities are to address wildlife damage issues
in the counties of southwest Alabama. I do things like trap beavers
that are damming up creeks, trap and remove feral swine that are
destroying crops, and monitor our rabies program. Basically when
wildlife is causing issues for people, agriculture or other wildlife, I
implement methods to control, reduce and prevent the problem.
parental influence: My parents, Bernard and Amie Gibson,
one wild career
samuel
gibson
other influences: My grandfather, Edd Jackson Jr., had a huge
impact on my life. He is retired from the paper mill and spends all
of his time on the farm. He is responsible for my addiction to cattle.
As a child I followed him everywhere, feeding the pigs, hauling hay,
picking watermelons, and my favorite, checking on the cows. I wanted
to be him when I grew up. To me, he had the greatest job in the world.
secret to success: Having a positive attitude, strong work
can’t live
without
1. God
2. My family
3. Being in the woods
Samuel and his
wife, Mykeira
downtime
1. Hunting
2. Helping my uncle with his cows
3. Spending time with my wife
8 |
taught me to first love and trust in the Lord. Secondly, they taught me
to “adapt and overcome,” a principle instilled in them while in the
Marine Corps. As a teenager I still desired to farm, but I was not so
enthused about going to college. I always thought that college would
only land me a job in an office sitting behind a desk. But my father
convinced me to go to college and pursue a degree in animal science.
Summer 2017
ethic and building a network with the right people are the three things
that are definitely keys to success. Pretty much every opportunity I’ve
had has been because someone who knew me recommended me to
someone else.
advice for teens: I wish I had never heard of Sallie Mae.
Getting private student loans was probably the most convenient way
to pay for college; it was easy. But it was probably the biggest mistake
I’ve made in my life thus far. If I could rewind the hands of time, I
would find another way to pay for college.
parental advice: My advice would be to sit down with your
kids and ask them what it is they really want to do with their life and
help them figure out the best route to take. Many teens have no idea
what it is they want to do, and that is when it’s so helpful for parents
to know their kids and their skills, strengths, weaknesses, likes and
dislikes and then based on that, look into career choices with them. I
didn’t even know animal science was a major. I knew I liked to farm,
fish and hunt, but had no idea I could go to college and learn more
about any of those topics. If my daddy hadn’t known his son and put
in the work to look into that stuff first for me, and then with me, I
might not be where I am today.
www.potentialmagazine.com