TVCC students earn accolades at annual convention

TVCC agriculture students (from left) Rhonda Godlewski and Taylor Brown and TVCC agriculture instructor Marc Robinson show off an award won at the 2013 TJCAA Convention. Godlewski is wearing medals she earned in three other categories at the event. (COURTESY PHOTO)
TVCC agriculture students (from left) Rhonda Godlewski and Taylor Brown and TVCC agriculture instructor Marc Robinson show off an award won at the 2013 TJCAA Convention. Godlewski is wearing medals she earned in three other categories at the event. (COURTESY PHOTO)

By Jennifer Hannigan/TVCC Public Information

The members of the Trinity Valley Community College Agriculture Club spent part of April on the road, and brought back a few awards from their journey.

TVCC Ag Club President Taylor Brown and member Rhonda Godlewski attended the 2013 Texas Junior College Agriculture Association Convention earlier this month.

This year’s convention was held in Kingsville and hosted by Texas A&M Kingsville Department of Agriculture. The students at the event represented many different Texas junior colleges departments from around the state.

During the competition portion of the convention, Brown and Godlewski competed as a team in the public relations contest. Taylor Brown also prepared a scrapbook that placed second overall. Godlewski placed second in the entomology quiz, third in the agronomy quiz, and fourth in the wildlife quiz.

“I was very proud of our students’ performance; we came with only a few students, and still did very well overall,” said TVCC agriculture and ranch management professor Marc Robinson. “My hope is that other students see the reward in attending a function like this as an investment in their future.”

During the group’s trip to the convention, they made a stop at the Mission Espiritu Santo in Goliad.

“We took a self-guided tour of the mission grounds, where the students learned about Spanish missionaries and what could be called North America’s first cattle ranch,” said Robinson.

The group also toured the King Ranch Museum, where the group learned about the origin of the Santa Gertrudis Beef Cow, and the famous King Ranch upon which the city of Kingsville was founded.

“It was a rewarding experience; I truly enjoyed it and learned a lot about myself, my faculty, and fellow students,” said Godlewski.