-Submitted photo
Ben Collins and Melissa Collins, parents of Brayden Collins, pin the Iowa Army National Guard second lieutenant rank on the shoulders of their son, Brayden Collins, at the Commissioning ceremony immediately following Collins’ Buena Vista University Commencement exercise on May 8 at BVU in Storm Lake.
As a junior at Humboldt High School, Brayden Collins had a goal for his track team to not only make it to the state track and field meet, but place at the state competition.
The difference between placing and not placing was by tenths of seconds. But ultimately the goal was accomplished when the team placed seventh in the 1,600 meter relay.
“It was just shock,” said Collins, who graduated from HHS in 2016. “I couldn’t believe we actually did it. We did it together. We relied on each other. We were friends, but it was just the fact that we were all working toward this one goal that pulled us closer.”
And it’s that sort of team mentality that continues to elevate Collins through his education, military and career experiences.
Most recently, Collins was one of three Buena Vista University ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) graduates to be commissioned following commencement exercises on May 8.
-Submitted photo
Captain Brendan Lind (at the podium), Sergeant First Class Donavon Speers (seated) observe as three Buena Vista University ROTC members participate in the Commissioning ceremony following their BVU Commencement exercise on campus in Storm Lake on May 8. The officers, from left, include: Second Lieutenant Brayden Collins, Medical Services Corps; Second Lieutenant Jarrod Daniel, Medical Services Corps; and Second Lieutenant Don Phillips II, Transportation Corps.
Collins’ first salute at the ceremony was directed at his twin brother Bryce Collins, a former member of the U.S. Marine Corps who served for five years, including a deployment in Japan.
“We were both kind of interested in joining the service and metaphorically he jumped off the deep end and so then I did, too,” Collins said. “And I can’t say I regret it.”
Being commissioned was a proud moment for Collins. It was something he had worked toward for several years.
“I have been chasing that goal for six years,” Collins said. “It felt like at times it was never going to happen and then I finally got there.”
Collins earned the Governor’s Cup award from Gov. Kim Reynolds, presented to the top ROTC graduate at each Iowa college offering the program.
-Submitted photo
As a junior in January 2020, Brayden Collins was one of two students to participate in Buena Vista UniversityÕs landmark Undergraduate Rural Medicine & Development (URMED) program and had the opportunity to shadow and observe surgeons and medical staff personnel serving hospitals in Storm Lake and Humboldt.
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from BVU in May.
As a freshman in college, Brayden Collins focused on studying and running on the BVU track and field team.
Now as a college graduate, he’s leaving BVU as Iowa Army National Guard 2nd Lt. Brayden Collins.
Collins grew up in Thor with four brothers: Bryce, Brock and Brody Collins; and Brandt Harrison.
In a town of about 200 people, there wasn’t necessarily a whole lot to do at times, Collins recalled.
“There’s not a lot of kids who are in Thor, especially that went to Humboldt,” Collins said. “It was just you and your brothers, basically. It seemed like the only thing there was to do was run. I was really into track and cross country and being on your own kind of deal made me more self-driven.”
Although currently Collins said he hasn’t been running as much, he said getting out and moving has helped him mentally.
“It’s your escape time,” he said. “If you didn’t accomplish something that day, at least you ran.”
Collins joined the Army Reserve in December 2015, where he spent three years.
When he went to BVU, he joined the ROTC program.
With the National Guard he will be a help services officer beginning in July. He will train in Fort Dodge.
Collins grew through his military experiences.
“There was a lot of challenges that came up,” Collins said. “It was fun to compete with others. ROTC wise was the highlight of my college experience. I could see self-improvement from semester to semester and the friends I made there were closer than any of the other friends I had made there.”
During freshmen year, most people didn’t get along that well, he said. But that changed over time.
“We grew surprisingly close by senior year,” Collins said. “We were from all over and had different experiences. And then we were experiencing the same thing and had the same problems, so we had to work through that.”
In high school, Collins said chemistry was not his favorite subject. At college he discovered a passion for it.
“I showed up to college and I took a chemistry class and thought it was way more fun than biology,” Collins said. “So from that point on I preferred the chemistry classes and it was way unexpected.”
While at BVU, Collins was a member of the BVU Science Club and a member of BVU Campus Security. He also earned the Clifford A. Ray Academic Achievement Award three times.
As a junior, he was one of two BVU students to participate in BVU’s landmark Undergraduate Rural Medicine & Development (URMED) program. He had the opportunity to shadow and observe surgeons and medical staff personnel serving hospitals in Storm Lake and Humboldt.
“It was something I enjoyed a lot,” said Collins. “Seeing physicians who remembered things about their patients like, ‘she has two cats at home.’ Those types of interactions really confirmed that, ‘Yes I want to be a physician someday.'”
During his senior year, Collins stayed busy working part-time in the meat department at Fareway Grocery in Storm Lake. He also was an academic assistant at the Iowa Central Community College campus in Storm Lake.
Collins is currently taking a break from education. He works at Elanco Animal Health as team lead in the package department.
“I thought if I got out in the workforce, it will make me want to go back to school,” he said.
Medical school is on his radar for the future.
“I’ve always wanted to be a doctor,” he said. “I can help people and be involved in science. I like putting those two things together.”
Whether through education, the military or in the workforce, Collins remains focused on improvement.
“I want to get better every day and the better I make myself, the better I can make people around me,” he said.
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