Austin Cook

What is your current role and what are your primary responsibilities?

National Service Director. Oversees all US olympic athletes that are involved in the shooting sports. Responsible for design and T&E of future products. Does all service work for roughly 500,000 firearms of ours in private collections. 

What skills from your time at SPHS have been most valuable to you?

Math comes in handy, especially geometry. 

How did your career path evolve?

When I left the Marine Corps, I went to work for a global optics company Zeiss. Through networking and industry contacts landed at my current position. 

What advice would you give your past self about career planning?  about life planning?

Never underestimate the power of networking and industry specific events. Always be able to step outside your comfort zone and learn something new.  

Who was your favorite teacher and why (and which class did they teach)?

Coach Williams, while funny and personable, he did actually teach a ton of life lessons.

What extracurriculars did you participate in and how did that shape your time at SPHS?

Baseball- It played a big part at the time in my work ethic and drive to get better. 

What advice would you give students to maximize their high school experience?

Enjoy it to the fullest. Do good in school, but no one is going to remember how well or bad you did on that test or class. 

What are you most proud of since graduating from SP?

My 3 girls.

What are your favorite memories from your time at SPHS?

Being the oldest class all three years there. The pep rallies were quite fun as well. It seemed like everyone was always at all the sporting events. 

What did you love about being a student at SP?

Being the first class to graduate there