Executive director of The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley credits Blinn for accelerated path to success
Blinn courses, faculty prepared Jabot’ Colvin for career in public service
March 6, 2017
Jabot’ Colvin has always had a passion for working with local youth. Two years ago, the Blinn College alumnus found a way to turn that service into a career.
Since January 2015, Colvin has served as executive director of The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley, a local nonprofit museum dedicated to providing a hands-on, interactive environment for children. The museum attracts more than 25,000 visitors every year.
“I always have enjoyed working with youth and watching them succeed,” Colvin said. “At the museum, we are able to provide many hands-on, interactive exhibits and educational programs year-round that challenge our youth to fully engage their minds.”
Although working in a museum setting was not always in the cards for Colvin, the Brenham native knew he wanted to manage and engage others in public service. He credits his accelerated path to success to getting a head start on higher education through Blinn’s Dual Credit Program.
During his junior and senior years of high school, Colvin enrolled in dual credit courses before making the transition into a full-time Blinn student in 2008. Blinn College’s Dual Credit Program enables high school students to earn credit toward a college degree while simultaneously satisfying the requirements for high school graduation.
“Attending Blinn made the transition into a four-year university very easy for me with its smaller class sizes and caring faculty,” he said. “I can tell you from my experiences that Blinn’s courses and faculty are quite challenging, sometimes more so than at the university level.”
Colvin said he most appreciated the guidance and compassion Blinn faculty demonstrated inside and outside the classroom, particularly from his English professor, the late Dan Schiller. An instructor at Blinn for 44 years, Schiller went above and beyond to assist Colvin in writing his statement of purpose required in the Texas A&M University application process. In return, Colvin said he was honored to help Schiller move out of his office upon his retirement.
“He saw a lot of potential in me while I attended Blinn,” Colvin said. “I enjoyed his instruction as a student in his class, as well as his character.”
After earning his associate degree in liberal arts from Blinn in 2010, Colvin headed down the road to attend Texas A&M University. There, he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and his master's in public service and administration through The Bush School of Government and Public Service. Undergoing an internship with the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum while attending Texas A&M, he said, opened his eyes to using museum exhibits as a way of serving the public. Colvin currently oversees all major operations at The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley.
“As executive director, I wear many hats,” he said. “I handle the business aspect of the nonprofit organization, as well as lead our 12-member staff and share our mission to stakeholders in the Brazos Valley.”
Colvin is an active member of the College Station Morning Rotary Club and Brazos Valley Community Church of
“Blinn provided the solid foundation I needed to pursue a career in public service and administration and make a difference in the lives of families,” he said.
