This is a guest post from Brooks F., a Reynolds associate. He describes his journey from struggling student to award-winning associate.

I didn’t want to go to college; I wanted to become a mechanic. I spent hours every night outside, bundled up in winter coats and lying under my car, wrench in hand. Free time was spent at a cruise-in or car show.

Cars were my life. But, my parents insisted I go to college. After enrolling in an engineering program, I dragged my feet and, at the end of my first quarter, was facing academic probation. Two quarters on academic probation and my scholarship would go away.

Committing to Success

That was my wake-up call. No one was going to make my future for me; I had to do it myself. I took a lesson from my wrestling days, where my coach used to say, “finish strong – always finish strong.” That is what would win matches, and it could be implemented in everyday life.

I started with the little things. I wore a suit to class on Fridays. My advisor got me an exception to take junior-and-senior-level engineering courses to challenge me. The results were immediate. I graduated first in my program, attended the best MBA program in the nation for my field of study on full scholarship, and eventually launched my own company.

Later, I made the move to Ohio to take an executive marketing position, but this position still wasn’t quite right. My love for the auto industry was still at the core of my identity, but it wasn’t part of my everyday work.

Finding Reynolds

It was around this time I learned about Reynolds and Reynolds, and I knew it was a company I needed to be a part of. I applied online but wasn’t hired right away. Yet, I was persistent – I was going to finish strong.

About a month and a half later, I met with a Reynolds recruiter at a college career fair. I applied again, interviewed with Reynolds, and eventually was hired into the Product Planning department.

Within Product Planning, I have had the opportunity to work with amazing groups of individuals from various departments, and have been able to work on some truly exciting projects. It is wonderful to be surrounded by so much talent.

In 2016, I was fortunate to be honored by the company for my contributions in helping design and refine Reynolds products to better meet the business needs of automotive retailers. I was named the Associate of the Year in Dayton, and I was a co-recipient of the Product Planning Associate of the Year Award.

Still, the same approach that started at the end of my first quarter in college applies – I’m always looking for a challenge and I still wear suits on Friday.

Conclusion

If I could share one nugget of thought for others, it would be to always practice the traits that make you successful. Know that who you are outside of the office is who you are in the office.

The way you handle your money and time at home is how you handle money and time in the office. The way you read, research, and study at home is the way you do the same at work. The way you analyze your home spending decisions is how you’re going to approach analyzing company data and making sense of it all.

I look forward to continuing to help Reynolds and my teammates build on our shared achievements, and always finish strong.