KAPPA LEAGUERS ACHIEVEMENT SPOTLIGHT
Nicholas Robinson Personifies the Arc of Achievement
By Kevin Burnett
I am fortunate to have numerous former Kappa Leaguers to brag about from the Richardson Pla- no (TX) Alumni Kappa League. I would like to share Brother Nicholas Robinson (Zeta Omega 2009) with you. Brother Robinson started in the Rich- ardson Plano Kappa League while in the 6th grade and continued until his high school graduation. Nicholas is a 2006 graduate of Plano West Senior High School, a 2010 graduate of the Universi- ty of Oklahoma and 2016 MBA graduate of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He currently works as Marketing Manager for Gato- rade Digital Innovation and Ecosystems. Not only is Nicholas an achiever and a leader, he embodies the full story of Kappa League, Guide Right and Kappa. Brother Robinson started in Kappa League in the 6 th grade, he was one of the first full classes of Kappa Leaguers to come through Richardson Plano. He received a Kappa League scholarship, went to college, and joined our Noble Klan, graduated and came back to Richardson Plano and assisted with the Kappa League and had the best scholar- ship program we had to date at the time. While Nicholas is not my biological son, he is my Kappa son. While Nicholas told me he would become a Kappa, I was never more surprised, than when I walked into the Middle Western Prov- ince Council general body session in 2009 and saw a newly initiated Brother Robinson setting there and smiling at me. While Brother Robinson is a dy- namic person and achiever, he has had mentoring assistance from Kappas all along the way. The following is a recent interview with Nicholas. Q: Tell me about your professional career. A: Upon graduating from the Uni- versity of Oklahoma in 2010, I moved back to Dallas and joined AT&T in their Leadership Development Program. I
was ecstatic…I had a salary, benefits, and a new whip. I felt like the man! My first year at AT&T was smooth. I did not necessarily love what I was doing, but every two weeks I had a check coming into my bank account. After about a year I realized that while I was gaining in- valuable leadership experience, I lacked passion for what I was doing and the telecom industry as a whole. Is this what I am supposed to be doing for the rest of my life? Sit at a desk and stare at a computer screen for the next thirty years and retire? I wanted to make a career change. I wanted to go into marketing and work for a company where market- ing was the main driver. I also wanted to blend that with my love for sports. I realized I needed to course correct and find something that piques my interest. I had some mentors and colleagues at the time who told me to consider getting an MBA. I had never thought about grad school and had little interest returning to the classroom. I applied to and joined an MBA prep program at an organization called Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT). MLT was founded by Brother John Rice. The ex-Yale hooper and Harvard Business School alum created this organization with the intention to develop a pipeline for strong, talented people of color to get into business school and eventually the mountain tops of businesses around the world. While we are capable and ambitious, many people who look like me do not often have the resources or know-how to make the leap into top business school programs like members of the major- ity population. It was awesome to meet like-minded diverse individuals from around the country who were embarking on the same journey as me. After a few attempts at the GMAT test, several school visits, and some soul searching, I chose to attend Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern
University. I had never imagined I would get my MBA from a top 5 business school program. I can say it was some of the best two years of my life. I learned so much and grew as a person. There is something to be said when you are in a class full of bright people. There is also something when you are having potluck dinners, traveling the world and you are doing all these social events with those same bright people. It really allows you to forge meaningful relationships. A few highlights – dapping up Presi- dent Obama, traveling to 35 countries, and skiing for the first time. I could go on and on about my experience, but I will stop there.
Q: What came after getting your
MBA at Kellogg? A: After taking two years off work to become a full-time student, I was ready to reenter the workforce. Dur- ing my transition to business school, I realized I had a deep interest in market- ing and passion for sports, so I focused on companies like Nike and PepsiCo. Fortunately, I was able to secure sum- mer marketing internship at PepsiCo on the Tropicana business. I re-joined PepsiCo full-time upon graduation and was placed on Gatorade just as I had hoped for. Q: What’s it been like working for Gatorade? A: I have been at Gatorade now for four years. During that time, I have worked across a series of marketing roles from brand manager of our protein business to product innovation to now digital innovation. At the moment, we are planning to launch a first of its kind Gatorade Sweat Patch and accompany- ing digital app that gives personalized hydration and nutrition recommenda- tions. It has been a good mix of strategy, tech, project management, and creativity all in the realm of sports. Exciting stuff.
THE JOURNAL ♦ SUMMER-FALL 2020 | 63
Publishing achievement for more than 105 years
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