Alpine’s Jake Crump can trace his interest in animals back to elementary school.
He was drawn to becoming a veterinarian after watching the popular children’s TV show Go Diego Go and reading a novel named Buddy by M.H. Herlong.
After his interest in the career briefly faded in middle school, it resurfaced the summer after his sophomore year when he started working at a veterinary clinic.
“I remember being a little kid bugging my parents on what an animal doctor was and they told me it was a veterinarian,” Crump said. “That’s kind of been my dream ever since.”
Through his time at Alpine High School, Crump followed a core path that allowed him to study agriculture and animal science.
He also balanced that with busy athletic schedules, competing on the school’s varsity basketball and track teams.
Crump said his work ethic combined with support from friends and family helped him get through the rigorous schedule.
Alpine boys basketball coach Hugh Morrissey believed Crump exemplified what a student-athlete should be.
The student-athlete was a starter on the basketball team and won a district title as a high jumper.
Morrissey described Crump as a selfless person who always gave his best effort in sports and academics.
Crump is the youngest of three brothers that Morrissey had the opportunity to coach at Alpine.
“All three were actually great kids, great athletes, great in the classroom,” Morrissey said. “They were all top 10 in their class, so he just comes from a line of successful people.”
Crump will graduate fourth in Alpine High School’s Class of 2022, keeping pace with a group of highly competitive individuals that made up the senior group.
He plans on majoring in pre-veterinary science at Texas Tech after his high school graduation, with the goal of moving on to the university’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
Texas Tech recently opened the veterinary school in Amarillo, welcoming its inaugural class in fall 2021.
Before Crump decided he wanted to go to Lubbock, he was considering going to Texas A&M because of the university’s prestigious College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
The new opportunity at Texas Tech and some family ties in the area helped Crump decide where to continue his academic career.
“It kind of all fell into place and it became the most viable option,” Crump said.
He’ll start off by going to South Plains College first before transferring to Texas Tech, heading into his freshman year with 16 college credit hours under his belt.
Crump will also start his collegiate career with the unmatched experience of working at the Alpine Veterinary Clinic, where he’s on pace to get licensed as a veterinary assistant.
One of Crump’s career goals includes owning a ranch, although he’s still undecided on where he wants it to be located.
He has considered moving back near Alpine, the rolling hills east of Dallas and the plains near Lubbock.
When he starts his collegiate career, Crump won’t continue to play competitive sports but he still plans on spending time in the weight room and playing basketball with friends.
Crump said the times he got to spend with his teammates on the basketball team this year stand out as some of his favorite memories.
“The celebrations in the locker rooms, the hugs going around, the jumping into the stands to hug my mom, those will all stick with me forever,” Crump said.
Morrissey believes Crump will handle the transition to college with ease and execute all of his career plans.
The senior showed his classmates that athletics and academics can be balanced well with a strong work ethic.
“I just know that he’s going to be successful at whatever he chooses to do,” Morrissey said.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
JAKE CRUMP
ALPINE
>> Academic Rank: No. 4 (of 84)
>> Sports: Basketball; Track
>> Academic bio: Maintained 3.94 GPA; 16 Dual Credit hours; Core path (Agriculture/Animal science)
>> Athletic bio: Basketball (2-year varsity letterman)
>> Activities: Hunting (Deer; Dove; Predator control; Archery); Skeet shooting; Fishing (Salt water, freshwater); Bird-dog training; Country dancing and romancin’; Cruising in my truck; Hanging out with friends
>> College and major: Texas Tech University (Pre-Veterinary Science)
>> Goals for the future: Become a licensed Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), which is my goal to give back and protect God’s wonderful creatures
>> Favorite subject: Science (Animal Science/Physics)
>> Favorite book: Buddy (I read it in elementary school and it directly related to my love for animals)
>> Favorite musician: Zach Bryan
>> Role model: My mom, Emily, the most nurturing and giving person I know; Dr. Ray Allen, DVM
