Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/16726
there’s really a small chance that you will be acculturated to the idea of national parks. It just didn’t come up in any conversation I remember hav- ing as a child. If no one ever talks about national parks, and you don’t hear about it in school, then how would you know about it?” Ironically, Johnson notes that many places that celebrate African- American history, such as the Tuskegee Institute or Martin Luther King Jr.’s boyhood home in Atlanta, or the Frederick Douglass home are, in fact, sites run by the Park Service. BECOME AN EXPERT Not only has Ranger Shelton Johnson learned how to tell stories, but has become a master of diverse media, because he developed an area of specialization within interpretation – the Buffalo Soldiers, who were allegedly so-named by Native Americans who likened the men’s curly hair to that on the buffalo’s coat. The American Indians also “revered the buffalo for its fierce bravery and fighting spirit, so the nickname can also be considered a sign of respect. The soldiers accepted the title with pride and honor (source: Buffalo Soldiers: Guardians of California National Parks).” While he does not remember the actual birth of his interest in the African- American soldiers, he attributes early interest to viewing Sgt. Rutledge or perhaps an episode of the TV show High Chaparral that burned the image into his imagination, where it remained dormant for many years. Johnson performs a “one-act, one person play that focuses on the life of a Black Indian from South Carolina who eventually joins the Ninth Cavalry and serves in Yosemite less than 15 years after its establish- ment.” He finds acting a great challenge perhaps because his performance con- sists of 90 minutes of unscript- ed improvisation where he becomes the soldier, and sim- ply tells his story. IDEAL JOB Needless to say, Johnson feels he is currently employed in his ideal job – one characterized by working and living in a beautiful place, alongside people who are inspired by working in that place, and who help create a deep, lasting connection between park visitors and that place. This job helps him sustain a powerful balance among roles as “teacher, guide, facilitator, confidante and ambassador.” Johnson shares his non-linear career path with those looking for their ideal job, but not knowing where to begin. Johnson believes that too many adults discourage, when they should encourage, and climbing the traditional corporate ladder may not be for everyone. He advises others to “stay true to what your heart tells you to do. Don’t let anyone talk you out of following your dream. I was told by the district naturalist that I did- n’t have the right background to be an interpreter, and just last week I won the highest award for an NPS interpreter, the National Freeman Tilden Award”. CONCLUSION In order to find his ideal career, Johnson had to draw on childhood experiences and academic prepara- tion. While his early childhood took him away from a career in music, he was able to capitalize on his back- ground in the “arts” as well as his African-American heritage to achieve recognition in his field of choice – the National Park Service. Developing a career action p l a n might require answering some of the following: 1.) What are some of your child- hood hopes or dreams that you wished to achieve, but have not as yet? 2.) Don’t think of general educa- tion or training in the arts as irrele- vant to future career goals. Take a look at those transcripts. Is there a career that combines or builds on those strengths? 3.) Are there some less-well- known (non-traditional) careers that you either never heard of or had access to as a child, that match your vision of a “dream job?” 4.) Are you willing to try some- thing new, drawing on skills acquired in the past? What do you watch on television, see in the movies or on the Internet, read or think about that really excites you? To end with Park Ranger Johnson’s words “when you open a door and walk through it, you’ll find that you are now in the pres- ence of other doors that you did- n’t even know were there. My career as a ranger has indirectly led to me becoming a published novelist, a stint serving as a part of the NPS delegation to China, and being interviewed by Ken Burns for his national park documentary film. There was no way I could have envisioned all of this when I began my career over 20 years ago.” Follow your pas- sion, and don’t be afraid to tell your story…. Bison, Yellowstone National Park Photo Credit: Marcelo Piotti Black Meetings & Tourism July/August 2010: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 23