Ross Price: Alumni Spotlight
I was the last Price boy to go through TFA, preceding Rob, Rick, and Ryan, however, I was the only one who attended for 13 years. It’s crazy to think that I remember having Grandparents Day in Lower School, countless field trips through Middle School (Sneak Day was epic), then homecomings, proms, and Friday night lights in Upper School came and went in what feels like the blink of an eye now.
I graduated from TFA in 2011, and after that, I followed my brother’s footsteps and attended Mississippi College (MC) with high school friends Mike Rose and Kyle Cotton. During my time at MC, I helped start a Christian Mens Service Club called Kokoa on campus and was President during my Junior and Senior year. I am proud to say they received Men’s Club of the year these last 3 years. After a few major changes, I ended up majoring in Kinesiology – the study of human movement and I graduated from MC in 2015. Two days after my graduation I received a phone call saying that I had been accepted into a Physical Therapy program at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and I started the graduate program the following week.
I graduated from Nova in May of 2018, packed my bags and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. I accepted a job as a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) working in an outpatient clinic and have begun my career this year. One of the best things about PT school was that I met the girl of my dreams through intramurals, and we became engaged this past August.
Looking back now I do not think I appreciated enough what TFA did for me. It taught me a Christian foundation, a hard work ethic, what it means to be honorable, how to treat others equally, as well as the importance of community, lasting relationships, and how to play hard. Coaches like Coach Oliver, Kinard, Mayberry, Chambers, and others who have come and gone probably have had the greatest impact on my work ethic and have helped build my character when things became tough. They always expected the best out of you and would push you to be better, but the best part was that you could approach them with anything. Teachers like Mr. Kowars, Kavanagh, Toenges, and Harrison along with the countless others from Lower & Middle School helped give me a foundation for my college endeavors while at the same time being open in class to talk about life applications. I won’t deny I used Mr. Kowars multiple times to look over college essays in undergrad and graduate school for grammatical accuracy….who else would do that? Also, I have a unique perspective of working for TFA with Juan Felix in the Operations Department, who through the years helped me and was a mentor to me through some tough times, even after I graduated.
I am sure that TFA played a larger role than I realize, but I am glad of the family that I have because of it. I am so grateful for the teachers, coaches, staff, and the friends I made during my time at TFA.