Growing up in Minneapolis, Army 2^nd Lt. Colton Rossow learned quickly that the people around him strived to build a strong sense of community.

“This aspect of Minnesota is one of the main reasons I have never left the state,” he said. “And why I felt that it was my duty to serve the people and community I grew to love so much.”

His desire to serve was also inspired by the immigrant past of his family, Rossow said.

“My family is a super important aspect of my life,” he said. “They have lived here since the early 1860’s. Serving the state my family moved to when they immigrated to this country from Germany and Norway is a great honor and source of pride for me.

From a young age, Rossow knew he wanted to serve others.

“Throughout my youth I knew I wanted to serve my country,” he said. “I just didn’t know how. But once I found the Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, it allowed me to join the Minnesota National Guard as an officer and become the first person in my family to join the military. This allowed me to serve my community and connect with them on a level I never had before.”

He enjoys new challenges and problems to solve, Rossow said, and the Minnesota National Guard has allowed him to take both on. Rossow, who is a human resources officer for the organization, is now taking on new challenges in the field of communications as a public affairs professional.

“I love that fact that we are always striving to grow and modernize through different platforms such as social media,” he said. “And I hope that I can continue to grow those avenues of communication. While this modernization is important, it is key to maintain the strong partnerships we have with local organizations that support the National Guard and continue to spread the work that we do to create even stronger relationships and partnerships with people in the community that I have chosen to serve.”

Story by Sgt. 1^st Class Sirrina Martinez
Minnesota National Guard Public Affairs