November 2020 - Parks & Recreation - 12

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
CPRP: Four Powerful Letters
in the Park and Rec Field
By Brooke Adams, CPRP

PHOTO COURTESY OF BROOKE ADAMS, CPRP

Brooke
Adams, CPRP

y name is Brooke Adams, CPRP. I am an
administrative assistant and a Certified
Park and Recreation Professional - CPRP.
Those four letters mean the world to me.
Starting at the age of three, I worked for my dad's business. He is an artist and our family traveled all over the country working every car show, air show, horse show, dog show
and state fair you could imagine. Growing up in the family
business, I had the unique experience of being involved with
customer service and administrative work almost my entire
life. Due to the traveling nature of the business, my siblings
and I were homeschooled. As traveling homeschoolers,
parks were a frequent outlet for us, and recreation programming provided much-needed socialization with our peers.
I always loved participating in park programming and was
thrilled to be able to spend my high school years working as a lifeguard for
my hometown parks and recreation department. When the opportunity presented itself to pair my passion for customer service and administrative work
with the park and recreation profession, I knew I had found my calling.
I had the opportunity to attend my
first NRPA Annual Conference in
2018. My department was named a
finalist for the Gold Medal Award,
and as a part of my department's
Gold Medal Application Committee, I was able to attend. Engaging
with other professionals from across
the country and attending the highcaliber sessions further fueled my
passion for my work. I knew at that
point that I wanted to do something
to increase my knowledge of the
field, as well as make myself a more
valuable asset to my department. I
was aware of the CPRP certification
and its importance, but I was unsure
about my eligibility. I am a front-line
staff member. As an administrative
assistant, I am the person who ensures that my park and recreation

Parks & Recreation

department runs efficiently and effectively on a daily basis. Due to my
position and lack of a field-related
degree, I felt unqualified and was
quite nervous to apply. However,
after researching the process and
receiving encouragement from my
director, I was excited to learn that I
met the minimum requirements for
the certification based on my years
of experience in the field and my job
responsibilities. I then received the
notification that I had been approved
to move forward with the exam.
The process of studying for the
exam was arduous yet exhilarating.
In each section I was able to learn
something new and recall a situation
in which I could apply the knowledge. I also was able to build my confidence in my existing knowledge,

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as there were many things I already
knew. Wanting to take the exam as
soon as possible, I scheduled it for
a date just six weeks after I received
the study materials. I spent every
free moment reading, studying and
absorbing as much information as
humanly possible. The day of the
exam, I pictured the woman at the
testing center letting me know as
gently as possible that I had failed.
Though I had spent countless hours
preparing, the test itself seemed difficult in the moment and I felt wholly
unprepared; but I passed! Reflecting
on the experience, I believe that it
would have been difficult to pass the
test without my baseline knowledge
of the industry.
CPRP - those four small letters
mean the world to me. I didn't hesitate to add them to my signature
line, and I have to stop myself from
pointing them out to anyone who
passes by. The application, studying and even the test-taking portion
of the whole CPRP experience
gave me a confidence boost.
I would encourage anyone to
look at the criteria and take the
time to pursue the certification. It
has elevated my position, and it elevates the standards for front-line
staff in our department as a whole.
My name is Brooke Adams,
CPRP. Please don't forget those
four letters after my name.
Brooke Adams, CPRP, is Administrative
Assistant at Waukesha (Wisconsin) Parks,
Recreation and Forestry (badams@
waukesha-wi.gov).

November 2020 - Parks & Recreation

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