By: Stephanie Earthman Baird
It is a familiar scene: March comes around and parents bustle kids in the car to go to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™. Anna Zumpano’s childhood followed suit, and she has been lucky to attend the Rodeo her whole life.
Zumpano will take her Rodeo experience to new heights this year as junior chair of the Jr. Rodeo Committee.
JRC allows volunteers between the ages of 17 and 20 to support the Rodeo’s mission through rotating work assignments across multiple committees. She’s a true “daughter of the Rodeo” as Zumpano’s parents are committee volunteers themselves.
“My mom would come home and talk about how much fun the kids were having in JRC and all the cool experiences they were getting,” Zumpano said. ”I knew as soon as I was old enough, I wanted to join.”
Mission accomplished in 2017.
Zumpano wasted no time exhibiting her ambition, rising from volunteer to captain, vice chair and now chair in four short years. The Texas A&M Animal Science major prioritizes school first, but she enjoys finding time to fulfill her JRC duties. “It gets challenging at times, but overall it has been a very rewarding experience that has shown me how capable I am of being a leader,” she said. Zumpano is driven by her desire to improve the committee each year.
Her goals as chair include spreading awareness of the Jr. Rodeo Committee into local schools and increasing interaction between the junior volunteers. Her favorite work assignment was with the Calf Scramble Committee. “They were all so enthusiastic and made the whole experience memorable,” Zumpano said. Her heart is set on joining Calf Scramble when she turns 21.
Peek behind the scenes and you’ll find the Dayton, Texas, native’s upbringing is heavily tied to agriculture. Zumpano started participating in 4-H at the age of 8 and showed heifers through high school. The overachiever was also jumping on horses from age 5, leading her from English and Western riding to ranch sorting. Her philanthropic attitude is alive in College Station, Texas, where she volunteers for two charities while also finding time for the Texas A&M University Pre-Vet Society.
Linking college education to her role as JRC chair, Zumpano said, “I hope to gain people skills that will help me throughout my life and eventually help me advance in my career. JRC is helping me do that.”