Name: Cody Richard Struss
Job Title: Field Training Specialist
Where do you hail from:
The easy answer is Kenesaw, Nebraska. But the long story would be I am right smack dab in the middle of 3 small villages. I had a Kenesaw phone number, a Juniata address, and the (weird part) a Prosser zip code. Your guess is as good as mine!!
What is it they say you do:
I would guess it depends on which “they” you talk to. As a Field Training Specialist, I work with Children and Family Specialist in the Central Service area. I would say that my primary responsibilities are working with the Children and Family Service Specialists directly to ensure their success in translating all of the training that they receive to the field. I think they would say that I do a little bit of everything like being a therapist, a mentor, maybe teacher, definitely a cheerleader, a coach, and hopefully a friend.
Who are your early influences/who inspired you most:
It is really hard to pick from the many people in my life growing up. My father and his work ethic were always inspiring to me. My father started working in the farm crew at the Meat Animal Research Center in 1980. Even after a full workday farming land for the University, he would come home and farm his own land. It seemed that my father was working 24 hours a day, and there are some days that he literally did. With all of this, my father has never complained! My mother who equaled my father’s work ethic but with a FARRR worse job… That’s right on top of her full time job working at my grandfather’s café she had to parent ME, sometimes she had to watch me while working at the café which was not an easy task. My extended family also played a huge part in my upbringing from day one. I would be doing an injustice to mention some and not the others. I have been blessed to have so many people be a part of teaching me to be the man that I am today.
Family life/hobbies/community involvement:
I have been married to my beautiful wife Tanna, for almost 13 years. We have two children: Tynlie who is currently in the 1st grade and Knox who is 2 years old and full of energy. Luckily Tynlie has been blessed with her mother’s intelligence and seems to excel in school. Knox on the other hand seems to have gotten more of his father’s genes and seems more focused on daredevil like opportunities as there doesn’t seem to be an apparatus that is not worth climbing or jumping off of. When I am not working at one of my three jobs you can usually find me at a gym. I was told once that a gym is basically a room dedicated to fighting gravity, and fighting gravity has played a huge part in my life after my competitive sports career had ended. I needed to find something to keep me active and lifting weights has given me the opportunity to be competitive with both myself and other people. I might add that this has also caused many “what the heck was I thinking” moments as well.
The quotation I live my life by is……
I have always liked reading different quotes and finding the perfect ones to sum up my purpose or beliefs in life. I have read or heard so many quotes from such great leaders or educators that are worded with such perfection that all I can think is “that is just really not me” so these are the four quotes that seems to best define or inspire me:
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place, and I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward; how much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that! – Sylvester Stallone, Rocky Balboa
Be the kind of man that when your feet hit the floor each morning the Devils say “Oh no, he’s up!” – Unknown
The devil whispered in my ear, “You’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.” Today, I whispered in the Devil’s ear, “I am the storm.” - Unknown
I don’t know if my father came up with this himself or if he got it somewhere but I remember hearing him say this often “No family is perfect. We argue, we fight, we will even stop talking to each other at times. But in the end, family is family and when you need something someone will always be there.”