One visit to Midland University’s campus was all it took to convince Kia Abdool ’09 that was where she wanted to take the next step in her educational journey.

Abdool is being honored with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award during Midland’s Homecoming weekend. She will be recognized during the Alumni & Legacy Awards Brunch on Sunday, Sept. 28th at 11 a.m. at the Wikert Event Center.

Growing up in the Denver, Colorado, area, Midland wasn’t exactly on Kia’s radar when it came time to pick a school. “I had never even heard of Midland,” she said. “Dr. Janet Lack came here on a recruiting visit and brought several students back to Midland for the weekend. I was able to connect with other people from Colorado who ended up at Midland. Jody Riibe (former Education professor) helped me understand that I could get all the degrees I needed and get my student teaching done in a short amount of time.”

Once she arrived at Midland, Kia quickly became a leader on campus. She was a Resident Advisor in the second semester of her freshman year, as well as being part of the Midland Leadership Council.

“Being an RA as a freshman allowed me to figure out how I wanted to lead people, which is so much of who I am today,” she said. 

After graduation, Kia taught for three years in Ralston Public Schools before moving back to the Denver area. After spending time as the executive director for one of the largest childcare centers in Colorado, she accepted a position as CEO of Mile High Youth Corps, an organization that specializes in workforce and youth development for people ages 18-24. She was recently recognized as part of the Denver Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 class.

“Mile High has been the perfect place for me in connecting both the workforce and the education side,” Kia said. “I love leading people and being able to give back to the community in meaningful ways.”

Kia has a 13-year old daughter who keeps her on the go. She is grateful to be recognized by Midland, and thankful for the career opportunities it provided.

“I have so much gratitude toward Midland,” she said. “Midland provided me opportunities to get involved in various activities and collaborate with people from all over. It shows the ability of Midland being able to reach across state lines and continue doing incredible things.”