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Office of Marketing and Communications
ABAC 30, 2802 Moore Hwy
Tifton, GA 31793-2601
Phone 229-391-5055
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For IMMEDIATE Release
APRIL 27, 2017
Matthew Tucker Continues Family Tradition as an ABAC Ambassador
TIFTON—When he was growing up, Matthew Tucker heard a lot about Abraham
Baldwin Agricultural College. Both his parents, Tony and Laura Beth, and his older brother,
Brett, are alumni of the college.
“For the most part I chose ABAC to continue the family tradition,” Matthew said. “I had
my choice of where to go, and my parents didn’t push me in any particular direction. I took a
tour, and it felt like coming home. That is why I chose to attend ABAC.”
And now the computer science major from Camilla is continuing in yet another Tucker
family tradition. He is the third member of the Tucker family to be a part of the ABAC
Ambassadors, a select group of students chosen for their enthusiasm, premier leadership
ability and exceptional communication skills, who represent ABAC in Tifton and across the state
of Georgia. The Ambassadors provide official campus tours, host visiting dignitaries and assist
with on-campus functions.
The Ambassadors were formed in 1987 and Matthew’s mother, Laura Beth, was one of
the founding members. She chose to attend ABAC because she could commute from her
hometown of Ocilla. She also wanted to attend a smaller school so that she could have the
opportunity to actively participate on campus. And participate she did.
While at ABAC Laura Beth served as Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society president and as a
senator with the Student Government Association. She was named to Who’s Who at ABAC, was
named as a Distinguished Honor Student, and was the recipient of the Donaldson Award at the
commencement ceremony. As an alumnus, she was the recipient of the Outstanding Young
Alumnus Award during the 1996 Homecoming festivities and served two terms as president of
the ABAC Alumni Association.
Laura Beth said the inaugural group of Ambassadors included only six students because
the ABAC administration wanted it to be an exclusive group and made it quite an honor to be
selected after an extensive interview process.
“The appeal of being in an inaugural group was my first interest in becoming an
Ambassador,” Laura Beth said. “I thought how cool to begin in the first group ever of the ABAC
Ambassadors. The hype was all about developing your public speaking or communication skills
and gaining leadership ability through participation as an Ambassador, which made me think this
experience would be positive.
“At the time, I didn't realize the networking aspect of how many people I would meet and
how many more opportunities I experienced because of being an ABAC Ambassador.”
She learned that once an Ambassador for ABAC, always an Ambassador.
“The loyalty I have today for my college comes from how ABAC faculty and club
advisors prepared me for my career,” Laura Beth said.
And that is just one of the reasons she encouraged her sons to become Ambassadors.
“Both Brett and Matthew have strong people skills and are talented communicators, so I
knew this would be both a benefit for ABAC and for their own personal development,” Laura
Beth said. “It makes me very proud as a mom to hear them telling a prospective student why they
should consider ABAC. One of the most important, life-altering decisions in someone's life is
obtaining a higher education.”
Matthew’s older brother, Brett, followed in his mom’s footsteps. He served as an ABAC
Ambassador from 2001-2003. The agricultural engineering major was president of the
Ambassadors during the 2002-03 term.
“The ABAC Ambassadors program promoted an opportunity for myself and others to
zero in on the art of communicating with people,” Brett said. “Giving tours to prospective
students and their families is atop my list of memorable moments while serving as an
Ambassador. I especially liked joking with folks, mainly parents, that the Chapel was a favorite
hangout for many students around the end of the semester so they could seek Divine
Interventionfor their finals.”
Brett now works for the Georgia Transmission Corporation as a land acquisition agent.
He acquires land rights from property owners all over Georgia for electric transmission lines and
substations that serve reliable power to Georgia's Electric Membership Cooperatives.
“Communicating with people became my livelihood when I began working at Georgia
Transmission Corporation,” said Brett. “And the ABAC Ambassadors gave me those
communication skills.”
Then came Matthew’s turn to try out for the Ambassadors.
“When I was thinking about joining the Ambassadors, neither Brett or my mom pressured
me,” Matthew said. “With Brett and I being 15 years apart, there weren’t a lot of stories being
told to me about the Ambassadors.
“I talked to Brett a little when I was thinking about applying, and he said it was an
excellent way to make connections and the social skills that he learned as an Ambassador had
really helped him. Mom said that as well.”
But the family tradition of serving as an Ambassador wasn’t the only factor that turned
Matthew’s attention to the student organization. Former Ambassador Slayten Carter was another
influence.
“Slayten was my tour guide, and she kept talking about how great being an
Ambassadorwas,” said Matthew. “It got me interested in wanting to join.”
Being an Ambassador has affected him in positive ways.
“I enjoy meeting people,” Matthew said. “The Ambassadors have given me a sense of
duty and priority. “It keeps me in check – which I enjoy.”
Aside from the Ambassadors, Matthew is also a member of the Beekeepers Association,
the ABAC Honors Program and the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society.
Matthew will transfer to the University of Georgia this fall to further his education in
computer science with the possibility of minoring in agriculture. After receiving his
bachelor’sdegree, he plans to attend graduate school.
“As a career I’d like to focus on agricultural technology,” Matthew said. “Both
agriculture and technology are areas that will always be in demand.”
And Matthew has a strong idea about agricultural technology in relation to power
companies since his father is the President and CEO for Mitchell EMC. But no matter where
hisfuture career may take him, he is firm on where he wants to live to pursue that career.
“I don’t want to relocate to some big metropolitan area; that’s not me,” Matthew said.
“I’d like to work in a smaller town somewhere in the southeastern United States.”
Matthew hopes that in 10 years he is managing a company or number of companies.
“My parents have raised me to be a leader, not a follower,” Matthew said. “That has been
something I have heard since I could walk.”
And Laura Beth is still as proud as ever of the Ambassadors’ program.
“I'm pleased to see that the number of Ambassadors today has expanded to meet the
needs for showcasing our product at ABAC,” said Laura Beth.
Before too long, there might be the possibility of a fifth member of the Tucker family
coming to ABAC and possibly serving as an ABAC Ambassador. Matthew has a younger
brother, Brooks, who might just decide to follow in the family tradition.
Only time will tell.
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