Kolin Brooks | Faces of Midland
Once A Warrior, Always A Warrior
For Kolin Brooks, Midland University has been a home away from home that has led to success in his professional career. Kolin began his journey at Midland as a traditional undergraduate student, double majoring in Criminal Justice and Communications while participating on the football and tennis teams.
His freshman year came with hardships that nearly pushed him to leave Midland, but when he reflects on those challenges, Kolin is glad he stayed.
“My freshman year as a whole was very difficult. I dealt with a knee injury, and I was getting homesick. I am grateful that my parents told me to stick it out for at least one more year at Midland because that following year, I matured and developed some lifetime friendships.”
After completing his undergraduate degree at Midland, Kolin headed into the workforce with a career in logistics. Being the company’s first ever hire as a Divisions Manager at Sparrow Logistics came with new experiences and lots of challenges.
“I was the owner’s first hire and it was extremely difficult at first. I learned a lot about myself in the first year. I’m still learning more as we go, but the fruits of our labor from the first year is finally starting to pay off.
“Over that first year I learned to be more patient as well as the importance of growing and maintaining a healthy culture/work environment. I also learned to celebrate the little wins, no matter what they are. It’s been an absolute blast in the meantime.“
After starting his career, Kolin chose to return to his alma mater to continue his professional development as a Master of Business Administration graduate student.
“Being so young in my career, I feel like my MBA experience has helped put confidence in upper management. This is my first job where I am managing people younger than myself and having that MBA experience, along with hard work and paying close attention to details, I’ve realized that age is just a number.”
“It can be intimidating managing someone twice your age, but utilizing the skills and knowledge I learned at Midland, I have worked to gain their respect. Working alongside other MBA students, who were in a management role during my education, helped me grow and mature my business acumen.”
Kolin Brooks is a previous Master of Business Administration student from Le Mars, IA. To share your story or nominate a friend, email cgps@midlandu.edu.
