Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow / Livestream
Collin Buford was on the fast track to fulfilling his dream as owner of a Chick-fil-A franchise before suffering a life-threatening brain injury in an auto accident in 2008.
But the months in the hospital to undergo 18 surgeries gave Buford a new purpose after constantly asking himself, “Why did this happen to me?”
His transformation started when his parents visited his hospital room and brought his high school graduation gift, a framed picture with Jeremiah 29:11 inscribed:
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
“Sometimes discovering your purpose doesn’t begin with a perfectly designed plan,” Buford said. “Sometimes it begins with simply showing up.”
He decided to volunteer at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, exchanging stories with patients recovering from traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. He heard the same questions he asked himself – the future, identity, life after surgery.
That experience persuaded him to be a part of something that helped people heal. He shifted gears and became a patient care technician and nursing assistant.
That 17-year climb has culminated in Buford's role as a system vice president of Safe Choice & Employee Health at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas – and he's also the proud recipient of a master’s degree in leadership at Grand Canyon University.
“What I once thought was the greatest tragedy of my life became one of the greatest blessings,” Buford told fellow online graduates as the commencement speaker at Tuesday’s 4 p.m. commencement ceremony at Global Credit Union Arena. “Because it redirected my path, deepened my faith and placed me in positions where I could impact the lives of others in ways I never would have imagined.”
Buford believes his 16 ½ years at Baylor Scott & White align perfectly with his commitment to helping others, from hospital patients to customers to 53,000 employees. He learned the duties of nurses, patient care technicians and the care team for nearly three years before transitioning to the corporate side with physician credentialing and learning about regulatory requirements.
Working in hospital administration cultivated friendships with hospital leaders, and Buford managed an outpatient family medicine practice before shifting to a system director role and eventually system vice president for Baylor Scott & White.
“I feel like God has used each one of those roles to prepare me for the role I'm in today, because I know how to serve the people that work in our outpatient world who work in our inpatient bedside direct patient care world,” Buford said.
“I know how to support our leaders in an administrative setting. I know how to support our physicians from an administrative and regulatory standing, and so I feel like God has used each one of my physicians to prepare me for the role I'm in today.”
Buford earned his master’s in slightly less than two years after earning his bachelor’s degree in management – from GCU.
“Collin is a wonderful example of the power of Christ in your life, resilience and intentionality,” GCU Colangelo College of Business Dean John Kaites said. “He is an overcomer who maximized his opportunities through Grand Canyon University’s unique online educational platform.
“God is doing mighty things in his life, and it is a joy to walk this journey with Collin.”
Before his auto accident, Buford was climbing the Chick-fil-A ladder rapidly. He wanted to drive his own car and move out of his parents’ house as soon as he could afford it.
He started at Chick-fil-A as a 15-year-old sophomore, was promoted to supervisor at 16 and became a general manager/operations manager in Forney, Texas, at 17.
“I just loved the service industry, and I felt like that's what I wanted to do,” Buford said. “I wanted to own my own Chick-fil-A. I wanted to run it and serve people and do so in accordance with my Christian values and my Southern Baptist upbringing.”
The car accident, which caused brain damage, a spinal fusion and facial reconstruction, caused Buford to change the group and size of the people he was serving. “I survived an accident that I shouldn't have survived, and I often struggled after my accident with depression and trying to understand why did God save me? Why am I still here and trying to find my purpose?”
What I once thought was the greatest tragedy of my life became one of the greatest blessings.
Collin Buford, GCU student commencement speaker
At Baylor Scott & White, Buford found his purpose by assisting tens of thousands of employees to make sure they have the tools to perform their duties and that they are taken care of in case of injury or illness on the job.
During part of his time working in Baylor Scott & White’s corporate offices, Buford spent a year working as a part-time front desk representative at a Sheraton Hotel to help pay medical bills.
“I know the demands that hotel employees go through, but you’re in the service business, making sure people are happy.”
After enrolling at a few local community colleges and Capella University, Buford was drawn to GCU because of its Christian ties and “being able to tie a Christian worldview into my studies and learning how I can be the best leader that I can be that aligns with my Christian faith.”
A co-worker at Baylor Scott & White who earned her master’s degree recommended GCU, and a local field advisor visited the hospital to enroll him in classes in 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused Buford to delay his studies by nearly two years, but he finished his bachelor’s degree requirements in 2024, took four weeks off and started work on his master’s. he completed his work last February.
“GCU was the better fit for culture,” said Buford, whose family includes UT-Texas and Texas A&M graduates. “And I think just the way that the courses were outlined and the expectations were set, and the way that my advisors communicated in the beginning, trying to get them set up, everything just spoke volumes. And then looking at the curriculum itself, GCU is where I wanted to be.”
Buford said he could not single out one specific professor because all of them were supportive, engaging and available.
“They humanize the school experience, even though I was an online student. I had that sense of community and the sense of connection to my professors and my classmates.”
Buford plans to take the LSAT this summer in anticipation of applying to law schools, but he has already made an impact with people.
“You know what it took to get here,” Buford told fellow graduates. “The long nights. The sacrifices. The moments when you wondered if you could keep going. But you did.
“And along the way, something deeper happened. You grew. You developed resilience. You learned to think critically, lead with integrity and serve others.
“And perhaps most important, you discovered that you are capable of far more than you once believed.”
At 36, Buford admits he struggles with comparing himself to others, reminding himself that he has younger co-workers with bigger titles.
“What I have to remind myself is what God has in store for me,” Buford said. “I'm on this journey, and I don't need to compare myself to anybody else. What gets me through is knowing that I'm making a difference in somebody else's life and feel like I'm living my calling.”
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
