Legacies in Totems

The unfortunate part about life is that it doesn’t come with a handbook. There is no instruction manual with a step-by-step guide to all of life’s questions, so some may be left wondering, “What am I supposed to do now?”  

It was this question asked by his son that inspired Bauer College alumnus Jerome Brown (MBA '19) to write the self-help book TOTEMS: 6 Pillars Every Young Man Must Carry.  

Brown is a Finance Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard and Bauer MBA finance alumnus. He’s served in the Coast Guard since 1999 following the birth of his first child. He said that the Coast Guard offered him many opportunities for personal and professional development, including fully funding his education to attend a university of his choice to obtain his MBA.  

He admitted that the University of Houston was initially not his first choice among the three schools he was considering. However, after meeting Executive Director of Recruitment and Admissions Lenay Johnson and touring the campus for the first time, he started to think differently.  

“Once I got a sense of the community aspect of Bauer and how they actually take interest and care into your development, I certainly grabbed hold and changed my mind immediately,” Brown said. 

Bauer laid a strong business foundation for Brown to advance in his career. His experience as a student in the Cougar Investment Fund gave him the experience and skillset to handle day to day operations as a Finance Officer for the Coast Guard.  

While his time at Bauer was brief, the impact that it left on him was immense. More than offering him a great education, his time spent learning and growing during his MBA also gave him the ambition to set out and write the book, TOTEMS: 6 Pillars Every Young Man Must Carry.  

In Brown’s book, he covers six core principles that young men are faced with and must find for themselves. Purpose, morals, responsibility, knowledge, strength and community are all represented through totems. 

In Brown’s mind, each totem is symbolized by a physical object.  

Purpose is a compass. Morals are an anchor. Responsibility is a money sign. Knowledge is a quill. Strength was a weight. And community is a warm embrace. 

“I chose to present my ideas through the forms of totems — symbols that have stood the test of time, stretching back thousands of years,” Brown wrote in the prologue. “Totems have always embodied power, guidance and inspiration.” 

Originally, the book was only intended for Brown’s son. In it were lessons he had learned through lived experiences from his childhood, military service and being a husband and a father. However, along the way he found that while writing he was not only speaking to his son, but also a younger version of himself. 

“I knew exactly what position (my son) was in at this point in his life at 24,” Brown said. “These are things I wish I knew or things I wish I was told when I was his age. That’s exactly how I formulated everything... It was like speaking to my past self through these words.” 

Brown found encouragement from his friends and family, who were impacted by the stories he told and the thoughtfulness behind each totem, to publish his book so that a wider audience could garner insights from these lessons as well.  

Though the book is titled for young men, Brown believes that anyone of all genders and ages can find something that speaks to them in this book. Many of his readers told him that the lessons he shares go beyond gender and generational divides, and rather than feeling a disconnect with the author, it feels as if they were having a sincere talk with a parent 

“That was intentional,” Brown said when addressing the tone. “I want it to be more conversational...like you are talking to your father or mentor or someone who has a lot of interest in you being and doing better.”  

With the book being addressed to his son first and foremost, it should come as no surprise that there is a familial tone while reading. More importantly than that, however, he hopes that his book will pass the test of time and act as a totem in and of itself to be passed down among his children and grandchildren.  

“The legacy I want to leave are my children,” Brown said. “I put a lot of effort, energy, thought and heart into ensuring that my children have a strong foundation to grow. That’s really important to me, and now I have it memorialized in this book.”

Disclaimer: Use of military rank, job title or photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the Department of Homeland Security or United States Coast Guard.