When he was attending Fulton High School a decade ago, Ricky Dawson had dreams of playing professional basketball.

But all of that changed after graduating with a biology degree at Columbia College in 2020 and from the Conservation Agent Training Academy in Jefferson City two years later.

“I kind of came to reality and learned that I was good with my hands and person-to-person,” Dawson said. “I could benefit more with what I have to give to others with my ability than I could try to be a basketball player."

Dawson is in his third month as Montgomery County agent of the Missouri Department of Conservation. After graduating from the Conservation Agent Training Academy in October, Dawson gained experience in the field training program. Now, he’s one of almost 200 MDC agents who serve and protect Missouri’s fish, forest and wildlife.

“It’s going pretty good,” Dawson said. “It’s going smoothly. It’s a different transition. There’s nothing you can plan for. You just have to wake up, hope for the best and just work through it.”

Dawson said he enjoys living in Montgomery County after spending most of his life in Callaway County.

“I fit in really well,” Dawson said. “It makes you feel like you’re at home. It’s another farm town. Honestly, if I transferred to the county line, I wouldn’t tell the difference if I was in Montgomery or if I’m in Fulton. They’re all the same to me.”

Dawson graduated from Fulton High School in 2015. He did plenty of hunting and farming when he was little.

“I’ve been hunting since I was allowed to get a gun in my hand,” Dawson said. “I got certified through the conservation with my hunter safety course. I’ve always been around cattle my whole life. That’s through my grandfather.”

Dawson was a member of the FFA chapter at Fulton two years before deciding to concentrate on basketball for the high school team.

But after a strong career in high school, Dawson got hit by the injury bug when he entered college, ending his dreams as a professional basketball player.

“I went to Lincoln (in Jefferson City) and I got injured there, so I didn’t get to play,” Dawson said. “Then I transferred to Columbia College and I kept getting hurt, so I never really got to use my basketball talent.”

Dawson said he decided to go into the conservation field while he was at Columbia College.

“During college, I was around all of the people in the college atmosphere,” he said. “It makes you be around a lot of people.”

After graduating from Columbia College, Dawson got a job working at Lodge Brothers Farm in Kingdom City.

“I’ve been working on a farm my whole life, so it was nothing new to me,” Dawson said. “It really wasn’t work. It was getting up and doing something I enjoy during the day.”

Dawson was one of 17 new conservation agents who graduated from the academy in 2022. He said graduating was one of the biggest highlights of his life.

“It was a huge milestone because it was a relief,” Dawson said. “At one point, I didn’t have a dream anymore. Conservation gave me a dream and gave me something to chase after. I knew that I was good with my hands. I can work with about anything. I call myself the jack-of-all-trades. If I don’t know how to do it, I’m going to figure it out quickly.”