Lifelong Lessons
Little did he know that the lessons his grandparents were teaching him would inspire Adam Knowlton to a career in education.
Adam is in his fifth year as a professor at Midland University, where he serves as Associate Professor/Director of Forensics. If it was not for some persistence from his grandparents, Adam’s career as an educator might never have been launched. “My grandparents are the kind of people who will drag you along and take the time to teach you how to do something rather than just do it themselves. I didn’t always appreciate it at the moment, but I know how valuable those lessons were. From a young age, they instilled in me a love of learning that has carried with me to this day.”
He has passed along that love for learning to his own students. “This campus is blessed with an amazing set of students, and I love the opportunity to work alongside them. My favorite thing about being a teacher is having the opportunity to assist students as they grow towards the people they want to be.”
Adam’s passion for teaching is so strong, that he honestly can’t picture himself being anything but an educator. “Even if it wasn’t within higher education, I would still be teaching somewhere. I am one of those lucky people that gets to do what they enjoy for a living.”
When not in the classroom, you might find Adam on the golf course, but don’t expect him to be setting any course records. “I am admittedly not great at golf, but I enjoy the outdoors and challenging myself.”
He also likes to challenge his students and is often reminded of a quote from Green Bay Packers legendary football coach, Vince Lombardi. “Even though it kills me inside as a Chicago Bears fan, I truly love Lombardi’s quote that says ‘perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.’ No one and nothing is ever perfect, but it is that constant pursuit of perfection that leads to success.”
Getting to know Adam Knowlton:
Snack that he can’t resist: Gingersnap cookies.
When flipping channels, he’ll always stop to watch this: “Bluey” if before 9 p.m. as my 4-year old runs the house. But in the rare moments I get to choose, a good documentary will always catch my eye.
Something people might not know about Adam: I got to meet Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick while they were filming the movie “Election” in my high school (Papillion-La Vista).
What artist dominates his playlist? Luke Combs
What is his ideal vacation? Fishing in Minnesota. There are few things better than relaxing in a boat and “wetting a line.”
What is his most-used emoji? I honestly cannot remember the last time that I used an emoji. More often than not I trend towards using memes and gifs to express myself in emails and text messages.
