From Carnie to Conservation

When Forrest Cobb walked across the commencement stage at Texas A&M University-San Antonio in 2015, he wasn't just earning a biology degree. He was taking the first step toward a career and purpose he spent years searching for.   

Today, the San Antonio native helps shape environmental policy for 27 million acres of military land. As a national infrastructure coordinator with the U.S. Department of War, he helps ensure military installations remain environmentally sustainable while supporting training, conservation and recreation.  

It’s a career built on science, stewardship and leadership. But it almost never happened.  

Cobb's journey to a college degree wasn't linear. Before discovering biology, he explored different careers and worked a variety of jobs, including a stint as a carnie for a traveling carnival. All the while, he wrestled with finding where he belonged.  

"I had a drive to achieve, but I didn't quite know where to put that energy," Cobb said.  

Looking back, Cobb said those early detours were just as valuable as the path he ultimately chose. One of those detours even led him to vocational training in welding before he realized something was missing.  

"I very quickly found out that I was not going to be happy unless I was in more of an academic environment," Cobb said. "I'd always been fascinated by the natural world and the sciences, but somewhere along the line I convinced myself that maybe that wasn't something for me."  

His journey eventually brought him to Texas A&M-San Antonio, where he found exactly what he had been seeking. The University's biology program offered small class sizes and close relationships with faculty who invested in his success.  

Among his mentors were Associate Professor of Biology Rodolfo Valdez Barillas and former University adjunct faculty member Dean Wiemers, who taught courses in biology and wildlife ecology.   

Valdez Barillas helped Cobb land an internship with the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, which supports private land stewardship, military land sustainability and species conservation.   

Wiemers spent hours outside of class with Cobb, exploring the fields around campus and helping him sharpen his plant identification and field survey skills.  

After graduating in 2015, Cobb joined the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute as a research assistant. For over a decade, he helped lead conservation research, community outreach and natural resource management projects across Texas.  

You build confidence over time. Sometimes you have to take the door that opens, even if it's not exactly where you want to go. It may get you closer to your destination. Every success, big or small, is part of that journey.

~Forrest Cobb

In 2023, he accepted a new challenge with the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition & Sustainment, a key entity for logistics and supply chain within the Department of War. In his role as a natural infrastructure coordinator, he helps develop ecosystem management strategies and environmental policy for military installations nationwide.  

"I wanted to be in places where big decisions get made," Cobb said. "I wanted to be impactful."  

This spring, Cobb returned to A&M-San Antonio in a different role — not as a student, but as commencement speaker and recipient of the University's Distinguished Alumni Award.  

Standing before graduates who undoubtedly faced some of the same uncertainty and self-doubt he once felt, Cobb shared a simple message: Success doesn't always follow a straight line.  

“Most people feel imposter syndrome to some degree,” he said. “You build confidence over time. Sometimes you have to take the door that opens, even if it's not exactly where you want to go. It may get you closer to your destination. Every success, big or small, is part of that journey.”  

As the newest Jaguars begin charting their own course, Cobb's story is proof that purpose isn't always found on the first try. Sometimes, it reveals itself one step and one opportunity at a time.