‘One foot in front of the other’: A Marine charts a path to success at Cal Poly Pomona
Isaias Colin Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps the day he graduated from high school. During boot camp, he received a letter from his brother containing a simple yet profound piece of advice: “One foot in front of the other.”
That adage would become Colin’s personal motto, inspiring him on his journey from the Marine Corps to Cal Poly Pomona and even on to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Colin’s story is one of tremendous personal determination bolstered by the network of student success resources at the core of Cal Poly Pomona’s mission.
From Camp Pendleton to Cal Poly Pomona
Colin served in the Marine Corps from 2017 to 2021. For Colin, military service marked a turning point in his life. He struggled academically in high school, graduating a year late. Determined to take his life in a new direction, he credits his military experience with developing the work ethic and resilience he continues to rely on today.
Enlisting as an infantry mortarman, Colin completed recruit training in San Diego and infantry training at Camp Pendleton before joining 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Just two weeks after arriving at his unit, he embarked on his first six-month deployment, traveling to Thailand, South Korea and Japan. A second deployment took him back to Japan as well as to Australia, where he served as a squad leader and learned the importance of looking out for the Marines under his leadership.
Colin completed his four years of active duty as a corporal, carrying with him lessons in discipline, leadership and perseverance. During one of his final deployments to Zamboanga, Philippines, he noticed an aerospace and defense company that was also deployed in the area. Seeing that company’s work and equipment sparked his interest in the aerospace industry.
After leaving the military, Colin took nearly a year off before enrolling at Cerritos College using his GI Bill, the landmark federal legislation providing a range of benefits to veterans, including educational support. He initially studied computer science but moved to computer information systems so he could combine his technical skills and entrepreneurial spirit.
“When I found computer information systems sitting under the business umbrella, it clicked,” Colin said. “That was the exact thing I had been looking for.”
Colin initially planned to stop his formal education after completing his associate’s degree, but he and his brother, Daniel Colin (’21, mechanical engineering), noticed that CPP had extended its admission deadlines for transfer students. Daniel, also a Marine veteran, and sister Daisy Colin both encouraged Isaias to continue his education.
Isaias applied to Cal Poly Pomona and hasn’t looked back since.
Become by Doing … and Supporting Others
As a student veteran, Colin found support through Cal Poly Pomona’s Veterans Resource Center, which helped him navigate his GI Bill benefits and provided a place to study and connect with campus resources. The center also introduced him to recruiters from the aerospace and defense industry and veterans who had transitioned into civilian careers, helping him explore opportunities beyond military service.
Colin also sought opportunities to use his experience and talents to support fellow students as a peer career coach through the university’s Career Center. He helped students with resumes, interview preparation and career development, and he harnessed his particular interest in helping veterans translate their military experience into civilian roles. Having navigated that transition himself, Colin valued the opportunity to connect with fellow veterans, exchange experiences and help them adjust to college and civilian careers. For him, supporting other veterans was a way to extend the same guidance and encouragement he had received.
Network by Doing
While coaching students to network, Colin decided to take his own advice. He connected with alumna Natalie Brizuela (’15, finance, real estate and law), a former contracts manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), through the Cal Poly Pomona Alumni Association. Brizuela helped Colin understand careers in aerospace and the role of business development in the industry.
By connecting with Brizuela on LinkedIn, Colin discovered, applied to and was offered an internship at JPL in business development.
Over 10 weeks last summer, Colin helped track, manage, and forecast the team’s portfolio, supported the weekly business development process and worked to improve existing processes. He quickly proved his value to JPL as he spearheaded the development of a tool that checks for new comments within portfolio records and notifies assigned team members. He also created a system that sends notifications as contracts approach their end dates. Within its first two weeks, the 30-day notification identified three contracts approaching expiration that subsequently received no-cost extensions.
Before the midpoint of the summer, his supervisor Jessica Millenbach offered Colin a part time role at JPL after he returned to Cal Poly Pomona for his senior year.
“Probably the best endorsement I can give Isaias is that I wasn’t ready to lose him when his 10-week internship ended,” said Millenbach, a portfolio and business manager. “He is continuing to work part time with my team while he finishes his final year at Cal Poly Pomona, and I’m thrilled that we get to keep him.”
Colin is quick to credit his success to his academic opportunities at CPP, noting Professor Wei Yu’s business intelligence course, as well as his participation with the Bronco Investment Club and the support and guidance from the Veterans Resource Center, Career Center and Alumni Association.
One foot in front of the other
The guidance and encouragement Colin received from his siblings nearly a decade ago continues to power his progress. He plans to graduate in May 2027 and hopes to continue working in aerospace and at JPL after graduation.
He looks for opportunities to share his educational journey, particularly the academic challenges earlier in his life, because he wants students who may feel behind to know that earlier decisions do not have to determine what comes next.
“It only takes one decision to change where you end up,” Colin said. “You don’t need the whole plan figured out. You need one.”
