By Renee Witherspoon, CSP, CIH, CHMM, Region III ARVP Communication
This past August, I had the opportunity to attend our Region III Regional Operating Committee (ROC) meeting in Oklahoma City. One of the highlights of attending any ROC event is getting to meet and network with some of our great Region III leaders and share ideas.
One of the leaders I had the privilege to met was from our Fort Worth Chapter, current Chapter Treasurer, Travis Lane. Travis has an amazing story about how he achieved his Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential despite overwhelming circumstances.
Here’s his story…
On April 6, 2018, he opened and email from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) stating that as of July 2, 2018 they were no longer going to accept his Associate’s Degree in Safety as meeting the minimum educational requirement to obtain the CSP. A bachelor’s degree would now be the standard.
Travis stated that this revelation, to say the least… “placed his motivation into high gear.”
He received his Associate in Safety degree to help accelerate his path to the CSP, and now with the change in the educational requirements for the BCSP, it would further delay to his goal of certification. He had also paid a considerable amount of money to attend classes for his Engineering Degree, and resigned himself that it could take years before he could finish the degree program and sit of the exam.
He did not have an Associate Safety Professional (ASP) credential, a minimum requirement to the CSP. He had already paid several thousand dollars to attend classes, and did not want to stop his progress through his engineering degree plan. Possibly his most formidable challenge; he had less than three months to study and take the exams.
Travis however was not going to let these circumstances discourage him from his goal of certification.
He decided that he was up to the challenge. So on April 26, he dropped his coursework at the University and began studying for the certification exams. Two weeks later on May 10, he passed his ASP certification exam, and if you can believe this – 30 days later on June 9, 2018, he passed his CSP exam.
What was seemingly impossible was possible if you are determined to achieve your goal.
Travis said that he “just couldn’t believe it,” but as he was reflecting on the entire experience, he was very thankful that he had received that email in April because it really motivated him to get his certification. He shares a quote that relates to his certification journey, “Sometimes, fear brings wings to the feet.” – Author: Unknown.
Travis’ encouraging journey to certification was a reminder for me that our challenges, no matter how overwhelming it may appear, should not discourage us from achieving our goals. We will always face challenges in family and career, but sometimes it’s our attitude and willingness to take on challenges that when we look back it will give us confidence that we can do the impossible. We can achieve our goals, and even surprise ourselves when we persevere through those challenges.
Travis is the HSE Manager for Forum Energy Technologies in Ft. Worth, so we know that his organization also benefits from his diligence and can-do attitude.
On behalf of Region III ASSP we would like to congratulate Travis for all of his hard work in achieving his CSP and his inspiring story.