Armed for every endeavor

How an MBA is helping Army National Guard Battalion Fire Support Officer Lindsay Collins achieve her goals.

Joining the Army National Guard made sense to Lindsay Collins (MBA ’25) for two reasons: First, the servicemen in her family were airmen in the Air Force, so she thought it’d be fun to do something different. Second, though she had dreamed of joining the military since childhood, she wanted the flexibility to pursue her other goals, as well.

“The Army really gave me confidence and a huge sense of pride in the work I put in and the accomplishments I achieve, and I hope to continue paving the way for other women who want to continue professional growth while doing what they love,” she said.

When Collins began her military career in 2016, she started in New Hampshire and has since travelled across the country and globe taking on different roles in both field and air defense artillery. Currently, she serves in the Florida Army National Guard as the state’s first female Battalion Fire Support Officer, where she coordinates ground and aerial fire support assets in the field and manages her fires cell and fire support teams during day-to-day operations.

“I’ve had a very diverse experience for a National Guardsman in the Army, especially as a young officer,” she recalled. “From qualifying cannon batteries at Fort Drum, NY, to certifying in master resilience training at Camp Rilea, OR, and coordinating fire support assets at Camp Shelby, MS, to directing C-RAM missions in Kurdistan, Iraq, I’ve been immensely fortunate to have such an active and unique experience with the Army National Guard.”

It was while Collins was deployed in Iraq that she launched her professional career in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and marketing analytics, starting with LendingTree and going on to work with Forbes, USA Today and Home Depot, where she currently works as an associate search account manager.

SEO and marketing analytics matched her first graduate degree in public relations and marketing, but Collins felt that the degree wasn’t taking her far enough. With a 10-year plan set firmly in her mind and GI Bill benefits on her side, she applied to the University of Florida Warrington College of Business’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.

“I wanted the challenge,” she commented. “I was never huge in academia and the University of Florida was considered a reach school for me. Getting accepted into the program was an incredible accomplishment and I chose UF because it was a decorated school specifically for veterans.”

Collin’s experience in the MBA program has been key in transitioning from military operations to civilian work, she says. In the classroom, she is learning how to bridge the gap and apply her skills in leadership and critical thinking to excel in all her endeavors.

“I think the most valuable thing to me, though, is the networking and the relationships I’ve formed through or because of the MBA program,” she concluded. “I’ve met so many students, professionals and other veterans that have not only become lifelong friends to me now but have also shown me different perspectives and opportunities that I wouldn’t have considered for myself before.”