2023 ADBA Scholarship Winner
ADBA’s ‘Leaders of the Future’ scholarship is awarded to an individual pursing higher education as a part of their life goals. Qualified applicants are required to be knowledgeable and experienced with the American Pit Bull Terrier and to have displayed leadership in their community, school or local ADBA club. Applicants are asked to submit a carefully prepared application with photos and letters of recommendation.
This year, due to the generous support of Joel Halverson, and funds raised by raffling his custom knives, the ‘Leaders Of The Future’ scholarship will be in the amount of $2,000.00. The Scholarship is paid to the financial aid department of the respective college in the name of the student to be used toward school expenses.
The 2023 Recipient of ADBA’s ‘Leaders of the Future’ scholarship is Triston Fields of Fort Worth, Texas. Triston will be attending Wiley College beginning August 1, 2023, pursing a degree in Education.
Growing up, Triston’s father had American Pit Bull Terriers and was a member of the Lone Star State APBT club.
In 2019, Triston and his family rejoined Lone Star State for the second time. They established an ADBA recognized kennel, Bluecollar K-9 and starting training their APBT’s for Top Dog competitions. Triston is second in command at the kennel where he is responsible for the basic daily husbandry of the dogs.
In the past, Triston has shown in Junior Handlers and several puppy classes. He is engaged with the club assisting with the set up of the weight pull track, security and recently was instrumental in helping with the clubs first Top Dog competition.
Triston has kept himself busy in numerous high school and community activities. He played in his high school band, was a member of the Varsity Basketball Team and a member of the Fort Worth’s Young Life (2021-2023). He is a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and served in the Young People’s Division: his participation has included feeding the homeless, supporting a local food panty and clothing drives, preparing boxes at the areas community food bank; sending correspondence of care to home bound and skilled nursing home patients.
In 2019, Triston was a volunteer at Chuck Silcox Animal Care and Control Center where he gained experience grooming orphaned or abandoned cats and dogs, following meal schedules, participated in recreational activities for animal engagement, catering to social and emotional need of animals awaiting adoption as well as assisting with facility sanitation.
Triston writes of his high school experience: “One of my biggest challenges was school enrollment during the pandemic. My graduating cohort was in the midst of freshman year when this health crisis hit the nation. I went from beginning school with a normal freshman year to leaving on 2020 Spring Break and never physically returning to a normal first year of high school. Suddenly, I went from going to High School to daily logging into a school issued Chromebook or home device to a Google classroom. This itself presented the first challenge since freshman year is typically the year students are introduced to technology use on such an involved level. I first had to learn to use my Chromebook followed by maneuvering in a virtual classroom on a Google platform. I struggled with remaining focused while in online classes. My phone was a constant distraction with web surfing or video games. Also class was no longer exciting, and I even struggled to remain awake in a room for hours a day.”
Triston continues, “I am a longtime athlete and the University Interscholastic League (UIL) rules are ‘no pass, no play’. I overcame this pandemic challenge with basketball season as a catalyst. I put on alarms before and during each class to make sure I logged in and was active during the online class. Also, I began to organize my Google classroom tasks by color priority. This guaranteed I completed all academic tasks and arranged the assignments into manageable chunks. I have achieved the A/B honor roll ever since my freshman year while being a student athlete. In my family, “student” precedes “athlete” and my transcript is a representation of me. I used the qualities of self initiative and organization to overcome my situation and I graduated Cum Laude on May 24, 2023.”
Chris Rose, Associate Principal of Everman Joe C Bean High School, in his letter of recommendation wrote: “Triston is an amazing young man that is extremely motivated and I am confident that he will be an excellent college student. He embraces leadership opportunities and possesses the ability to get others to perform tasks at a high level. He is very mature for his age and has an outstanding work ethic that will make him an outstanding leader.”
In conclusion, Triston writes. “I love my community and country and I will continue being a productive citizen in it. I understand the importance of advocating for others while also handling the responsibilities that come with leadership. This scholarship will allow me to complete my education and to continue with my life goals of making a positive impact in my community.”
Congratulations, Triston Fields, on being chosen as the recipient of ADBA’s ‘Leaders of the Future’ scholarship for 2023. We wish you success as you continue with your educational goals!
ADBA Board of Directors
