Tess Underbrink

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Howdy, my name is Tess Underbrink. I will be attending Texas A&M University in the
Fall where I will be majoring in Ag Communications and Journalism. Growing up, I loved to be
outside and around animals. I currently rodeo and have shown pigs for many years, so I have
been around agriculture in many different ways for pretty much my entire life. Throughout my
years in FFA, I have competed on different teams such as horse judging, chapter conducting, and
even quiz teams. These experiences taught me so many things about animals, the way meetings
are conducted, and facts about agriculture. Taking multiple FFA classes allowed me to learn
lifelong skills, like welding, which I used to build a trailer for my county show, and floral design.
In my advanced floral design class, we started our own business that made and delivered
arrangements monthly to our local Pleasanton teachers. This gave me a taste of the business
world and I really enjoyed it. A part of our business that I also enjoy is getting to deliver the
products we made to our customers. They accept our arrangements with a smile on their face and
a lot of thanks and praise. I love to communicate and meet new people every time we deliver the
arrangements.

Talking is something I have always liked to do, especially if the person I am

communicating with is interested in the same things as me. Speaking about agriculture and rodeo
makes me so happy, this is why a career in marketing would be fitting for me. I would love to
obtain a job within the rodeo/ agriculture industry. The two go hand in hand so regardless of the
specific field I end up in, both will be a match. Marketing for companies that are involved with
rodeo would allow me to travel to many of the big and important rodeos like the NFR in Las
Vegas. At these big productions, there are shopping centers that resemble trade shows. These
places are filled with companies from animal insurance to small town boutiques. This is where I
would go to talk to people about the product of the company, meet the endorsees and learn from
those with a lot of experience. Working with people involved in this amazing sport would be a
blessing because they are the most kind and supportive people you could ever meet. Constantly
being surrounded by positive people would be the ideal work environment I am looking for.

I want a job that is new, exciting, and is always challenging me, and is ultimately why I
chose this career field. In marketing, technology is always advancing and so are the strategies
 Tess Underbrink
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used to capture the target audience's attention. Finding new and exciting ways to market the
company's products and services will keep me on my toes. In my floral design class, I enjoy
getting to create pieces that people will take interest in, so I would use this skill to create
advertisements that are appealing to the buyers. Being creative is something that comes naturally
to me. As a kid I was always finding some type of arts and crafts to get into or painting pictures
for my mom. Although I am looking forward to being creative in my adult life, I am so excited to
learn the ins and outs from the business perspective in marketing. I am looking forward to
learning more about analyzing data, researching customer habits, sales tactics and so much more.
Another great thing about marketing is that it is diverse and flexible, meaning I can work from
home or wherever I choose.

Traveling has always been a passion of mine, so luckily marketing would allow me to
work from anywhere in the world. The amazing advancements in technology have allowed many
jobs to be accomplished from a computer. This would also be helpful when deciding to get
married or start a family because I could be flexible and move wherever. For example, Cactus
Ropes is based in Pleasanton, Texas and their marketing manager lives and works from
California. In my adult life, I hope to continue rodeoing and working with horses while
maintaining a job to pay for my super expensive hobby.

These are my hopes and dreams… the ideal situation for me. I have no idea if any of this
will work out, but I won’t know until I try it. What I do know is that I am extremely passionate
and goal driven, I know what I want and I am going to try my best to get it. I know that I will be
attending the best University ever in the Fall (Gig’em!), and begin my amazing journey through
college while getting to do what I love, rodeo. I know that I have an amazing support system
built of family and friends who will love me no matter what I end up doing with my life.
Everyone says to choose a career you love because you will spend the majority of your life
thinking about it, and as of right now I believe I have.