Colton Tubbs’ journey as a CEAT student to an annual recruiter
Monday, December 5, 2022
Media Contact: Kristi Wheeler | Manager, CEAT Marketing and Communications | 405-744-5831 | kristi.wheeler@okstate.edu
Colton Tubbs is back to where it all began.
From a College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology freshman entering the Summer Bridge program to returning annually as a recruiter, Tubbs has seen it all.
Tubbs graduated from Oklahoma State University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a minor in mathematics. He currently holds a position as an optimization engineer at Phillips 66 in Selmer, Tennessee, and is married to Payton Tubbs, who graduated from CEAT with a civil engineering degree in 2020.
They are both continuing their education at OSU by working toward their MBAs through the Spears School of Business online program.
“I ultimately chose the degree because the discipline was interesting and I expected that it would open up a variety of career opportunities for me in the future,” Tubbs said. “I knew it would help open doors to a great job.”
The alumnus was born and raised in Hartshorne, Oklahoma. He grew up with three brothers and is a first-generation college student. Before starting his college career, he attended CEAT Scholars Interview Day and was a part of the first incoming freshman class that attended the Summer Bridge program in 2015.
The Summer Bridge is a three-week curriculum on campus that prepares incoming freshmen who are planning on attending CEAT. Students participate in coursework, orientation seminars and engineering design projects.
“Summer Bridge was great because I really didn’t understand how the university worked,” Tubbs said. “I got to understand simple things like how the campus was laid out and how the classes function. Beyond this, it helped me see what engineers do in a career and confirmed for me that the program was a good fit.”
Tubbs found the Summer Bridge helpful in his transition into campus and CEAT. The program helped him establish relationships that he carried into his college experience.
“It gave us a built-in community,” he said. “It also put me on a good footing to succeed, not only as a first-generation college student, but just as a clueless freshman, which I was.”
Lance Millis, Tubbs’ former advisor in CEAT Student Council, was first impressed by Tubbs at the Summer Bridge program. He said Tubbs has always been and continues to be constant, steady, outstanding and a leader.
“For him to have come to OSU and excelled like he has, and to become one of our top graduates, it’s just a reminder that the best and brightest don’t always come from where you would expect,” Millis said. “I think he’s a lesson to anyone from a small town, that there is no limit to how far you can go and what you can achieve.”
Throughout his undergraduate career, Tubbs gained experience in research and as a leader on campus. He put his knowledge and perseverance to good use as a research assistant for the Building and Environmental Technology Research Group; a recruitment specialist; an academic tutor in fundamental and engineering science courses; and a Wentz Research Scholar.
“I got to do a fair amount of research on a volunteer basis and on a grant basis after my junior year,” Tubbs said. “Research is often something that gets overlooked with the stress of classes. The research opportunities enriched my educational experience and helped me apply the class concepts in a real-world setting.”
Tubbs has taken his experience from CEAT and applied it to his current profession at Phillips 66 in many ways. His position works specifically in the lubricants division, which is a part of the marketing and specialties business unit. His responsibilities are focused on improving processes across the facilities’ warehouse, logistics, production and scheduling operations. He works to improve supply reliability, optimize production and reduce costs while maintaining focus on operating safely each day.
“As an optimization engineer, I get to acquire a variety of experiences,” Tubbs said. “I have the opportunity to work with teams in the warehouse, on the production lines, and across each and every other aspect of the lubricant facility. I’ve been in this role for just a couple of months; previously working in a sales-focused role based in Houston, Texas, and I’m part of a rotation program for earlycareer hires.”
CEAT has assisted Tubbs in applying engineering and problem-solving principles in his career. He believes his engineering degree opened doors for him while he was searching for a job and it has helped him become more effective in his career performance.
“I really recommend becoming a part of an organization that’s degree specific and doing something that’s campuswide. … Find something that lets you meet people, and lets you get away from the nerves and see and build some cross-campus relationships.” - Colton Tubbs
“Day-to-day, I use information like optimization and some of the programming that we learned in engineering,” Tubbs said. “I still use similar modeling and analysis tools, Excel and other programs. CEAT gave me just a general understanding of how the equipment works at any industrial facility. If it’s a heat exchanger or an engine, the concepts are helpful to understand even if I may not be the individual directly operating the equipment. Those concepts learned from CEAT enable daily performance in my career.”
Tubbs has had a long-standing relationship with CEAT and shows his confidence in the program by using it as a resource to find OSU graduates to fill positions and acquire internships at his company. He hopes all CEAT students will take advantage of the many resources available to them to help them succeed.
“I really recommend becoming a part of an organization that’s degree specific and doing something that’s campuswide,” Tubbs said. “Whether that’s Into the Streets, CEAT Student Council or any other campus organization. Find something that lets you meet people, and lets you get away from the nerves and see and build some cross-campus relationships.”
Photos: Courtesy of Colton Tubbs and Gary Lawson
Story by: Bailey Sisk | IMPACT Magazine