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Rocks, minerals and fossils are what make future geologist Zac Tunin tick. Starting a rock collection when he was just a kid, Zac has continued to add to it one birthday and Christmas gift at a time.

That passion sparked when, in third grade, Zac listened to a geologist give a “Petro Pro” presentation in his mother’s classroom. The OERB’s Petro Pro program brings oil and natural gas professionals to classrooms across the state to teach kids about Oklahoma’s natural energy resources. The Petro Pro in Zac’s class showed students how rocks and minerals provide information on where oil and natural gas can be found. He also demonstrated how to test minerals to find out what type they are.

 “I was just so amazed,” Zac said. “It impacted my life from there on. When I walked out of that presentation, I was like, you know, this is something I want to do.”

Today, Zac is accomplishing his mission as a geology student at Oklahoma State University. After graduation, he plans to get a graduate degree in geology, and then a job in oil and natural gas exploration.

Zac credits this sense of purpose to the Petro Pro he met in third grade. So to give back, Zac became a Petro Pro through the OERB, and now travels across the state tapping into the passion of students.

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He said there is always one or two students in a classroom that remind him of himself. Sometimes, they even have a rock collection started. Zac enjoys encouraging kids to continue their collections, and maybe pursue a career in geology.

“So go out there, and collect as many rocks as you want and go be a geologist like me, because, I’ll tell you what, it’s fun and it’s rewarding,” Zac said. “I believe that’s the main reason I wanted to be a Petro Pro, because I want to make an impact on kids’ lives.”

We caught up with Zac to learn more about what it means to be a Petro Pro, and how important the program is to fostering young minds for fields within the oil and natural gas industry.

For more information about becoming a Petro Pro, visit oerb.com/education/become-a-petro-pro.

EnergyHQ is powered by the Oklahoma Energy Resources Board – OERB – which is voluntarily funded by the state's oil and natural gas producers and royalty owners. The OERB provides free environmental restoration of abandoned well sites and works to educate the state's citizens about the oil and natural gas industry. For more on the OERB's mission and how it is funded, visit OERB.com.