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ROBERT COOPER: RPTA AMBASSADOR

By Kim Saavedra (RPTA '13), Staff Writer

Although the University may regard Robert Cooper as a "super senior" (i.e., taking a longer route to graduation), his tenure in the Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration department at Cal Poly has led his peers and the faculty to consider him as a "super Reccie!" In fact, RPTA faculty believed that so much that they created an award simply to honor him at the 2011 banquet, the RPTA Ambassador Award. With wild flowing reddish hair, and his overwhelmingly friendly and helpful personality, "Coop" is easily recognizable. Yet, more importantly, he became a role model for current and future RPTA majors at Cal Poly by being so involved with the major. Dr. Hendricks stated, "Sure, Robert is charismatic and has a memorable look and personality, but when it came time to needing someone to do something, we could always count on him to be there."

Hailing from Laguna Hills in Southern California, Cooper (RPTA ’11) began his journey at Cal Poly with the hope of escaping the routine of a 9-5 standard desk job. Since his transfer into Cal Poly three years ago, Cooper has flourished within the RPTA department and found hope in his future career aspirations by concentrating in Outdoor, Adventure, and Resource Recreation.

While many people know Cooper for his adventurous attitude or the many stories he loves to tell about his travels with Dr. Jacob’s RPTA 412 classes to Belize and Fiji, he has also impacted Cal Poly Athletics. If you have attended a Mustang football or soccer game at Alex G. Spanos Stadium in the last two years, you are familiar with his talents. No, he was not a two-sport athletics star kicking field goals and making dazzling saves. But, he was the one showing the replays of those field goals and saves, as Cooper ran the video board and kept fans entertained with the latest game updates.

His most recent appointment with California State Parks has given Cooper an eye opening and experiential opportunity as an intern. Cooper was tasked with transitioning the Law Enforcement Training Academy for California Park Rangers from Asilomar State Beach in Monterey to Camp SLO. For the past few weeks, Cooper has worked to create new programming procedures for the Camp SLO Academy. Following his internship with the State Parks, Cooper plans to pursue a position as a Senior Park Aid in an effort to continue strengthening his relationship with the academy.

As mentioned, Cooper decided to take a “leisurely approach to education” in becoming labeled a "super senior," but he has no regrets. According to Cooper, his theory of “The Spaghetti Effect” allowed him to fully embrace all aspects of his education by permitting him to determine which subjects “stuck” and sparked his interest so that he didn’t graduate without any idea of his future. As Cooper leaves Cal Poly, he has certainly made a lasting impression that will stick with students and faculty alike for may years to come.

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