Written by Nikki Keeton, Past NALJA Vice President

This May, I graduated from Texas Tech with a degree in Animal Science. In my three years at Tech, I was blessed to meet many mentors who helped me grow both professionally and personally. One of the mission statements at TTU that my professors referenced time and time again is this: strive for honor in the pursuit of excellence. Growing up in Lubbock, I heard this quote repeatedly, not ever really knowing what it meant. However, over the last few years, I have come to understand its importance. So, let’s break it down. 

Strive for honor. Striving for honor means doing what is right. Acting with integrity in all endeavors. Working for the greater good. Doing right by others as well as yourself. Winning with humility and losing with grace. Celebrating the success of those around you, even when you yourself have lost. 

Pursue excellence. Pursuing excellence means setting goals, BIG goals. Working diligently to achieve them. Performing the best that you can. Bettering the people around you. Bettering yourself. Not giving up, even in the face of adversity. 

Put the two phrases together, and I would say it’s a pretty great mantra to live by, whether you’re a Red Raider or not. The stock show world is incredibly competitive. Some know how it feels to win, but everyone knows how it feels to lose. Losing is not an invitation to stop chasing the goals you have set for yourself; it is motivation to overcome your battles and keep pushing forward. In the same token, winning does not make a person better than somebody else. We were all created equally by the same Creator. The real win in life is not winning yourself, but pushing those around you to succeed. 

So, how do we “strive for honor in the pursuit of excellence?” Start by acknowledging that no one is perfect, and we all fall short. Speaking from experience, it takes a lot of effort to lay down your pride and support the successes of others when you yourself have failed. But at the end of the day, when the dust in the show ring has settled, what’s really important is the lessons learned and friendships formed. So, if you ask me, if you do what is right, do the best you can, and support those around you, you can never really lose.