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Max Gooding
AVON PARK, Fla.āFeb. 3, 2016āEvery college dreams of having alumni like Max Gooding.
Gooding, a graduate of ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ās art department, excelled in the classroom and was involved in student government. After earning his Associate in Arts degree, he went on to a four-year university, graduated, and started his own company.
Whatās more, he never forgot where he got his start, giving his time, talent, and money to the college that helped propel him to success.
āI wouldnāt be who I am without the time I spent at ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„,ā Gooding said, while on a recent visit to the Highlands Campus, where he was attending an exhibition to showcase the art of fellow alumni. āBecause of what ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ has done for me, I believe in giving back.ā
At just 27, the artist and landscape architect finds himself at the helm of his own art and design studio. Still, Gooding finds time to stay engaged with ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ in spite of the demands of his thriving business.
From sponsoring an award that recognizes promising art students to encouraging young artists on campus to helping ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ redesign its campus, Gooding is the alumnus who keeps on giving.
A native of Naples, Fla, Gooding calls Highlands County home. He graduated from Lake Placid High School in 2007, bent on studying art with his own approach. āI’ve always loved drawing,ā said Gooding. āBut, I also had an affinity for creating spaces and experiences. Some artists yearn to express themselves in both the second and third dimensions. For me, landscape architecture is how I express myself in three dimensions.ā
Gooding enrolled in ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ immediately after high school. āI knew at the time that I wasnāt in the best frame of mind when I left high school, so going away to a university would not have been a good option for me,ā he said. He doesnāt shy away from acknowledging that he had his share of problems that come with adolescence, bad friends and bad habits.
āAt ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„, I wasnāt just a number as most students are at a large university,ā Gooding said. āA couple of ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ faculty and staff members were instrumental in helping me rid those problems from my life.ā
Kulick Residence by Max Gooding
With his life in order, Gooding poured himself into his studies. He credits art instructors Cathy Futral and Mollie Doctrow with his success. āCathy and Mollie recognized my drive early on,ā he said. āThey had a subtle, supportive way of pushing me to my limits.ā
Gooding delights in recounting that he had an aversion to painting in water colors. He said Futral coaxed him into sticking with the medium under her tutelage. It worked. āShe completely flipped my perspective with her style of teaching,ā Gooding said. āNow water color is my preferred medium.ā
āMax was an outstanding art student. Every now and then a student, as Max did, reminds me of the story of Leonardo’s teacher who taught his student to paint and, in the end, the student outdid the teacher,ā said Cathy Futral, who taught Gooding painting.
āAnother aspect of Max that is equally important to anyone who knows him is his generosity and caring nature,ā said Futral. āFour years ago, Max established the Max Gooding Award as a way of giving back to the ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ community, particularly the art department.ā The award provides $400 to students for purchase of their art.
After earning his Associate in Arts degree from ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ in 2009, Gooding graduated summa cum laude from the University of ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ with a bachelorās degree in landscape architecture. An investor saw Goodingās work and was so impressed that he helped the new graduate start his own studio, The Max Gooding Company.
Goodingās life now revolves around growing his studioās business. He consults with businesses to create brands and logos, produces commercial art, and designs landscapes for high-end real estate developments. āRight now, you could say I am married to my business,ā said Gooding. āWhat little scraps of sleep I get I am sprawled on the couch recharging myself for my next creative endeavor.ā
Max Gooding talking to a visitor at ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ās Museum of ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ Art and Culture alumni art exhibit.
“Max was an exceptional student who touched so many lives when he was at ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„,ā said Mollie Doctrow, curator of the ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ās Museum of ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ Art and Culture (MOFAC), who taught Gooding drawing. āHe is remarkably talented, smart, hardworking, and involved. He contributed in so many ways to the art department, MOFAC, and ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„.ā
Gooding collaborated with Doctrow in designing MOFACās Wildflower Wayside Trail, a self-guided walking trail where visitors can explores pristine scrubland on ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ās Highlands Campus.
Now, Gooding plans to put his landscape design talents to work on ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ās Highlands Campus. He is in the early stages of crafting a plan that would reconfigure the collegeās main entrance on U.S. Highway 27. āIt takes about 13 seconds for a vehicle to pass the collegeās entrance on the highway,ā Gooding noted. “Thatās 13 seconds to tell a story of 50 years of ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„, and thatās not much time.ā
Goodingās ardor for ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ has earned him recognition. He recently received the prestigious LeRoy Collins Distinguished Alumni Rising Star Award, an honor given by the ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ Association of Colleges to graduates of the stateās 28 state and community colleges who show significant achievement as well as support of their alma mater.
Gooding has a message for his fellow alumni.
āThe alumni who have shared a similar experience and really soaked up the ¹ū¶³“«Ć½Ö±²„ experience know the value of the college,ā Gooding said. āIf they canāt give back with money, then they should consider giving back with their time.ā
āJust going to a class and telling your story of success can make a difference for students,ā he said.
