From his first day at UM-Dearborn, Alfred Kishek wanted the “full” college experience. He didn’t want to be the student who just came to campus for class.
He has certainly succeeded.
A computer science major, Alfred is a member of Dearborn Campus Engineers, which offers space for students to collaborate with one another. He also is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery.
In 2012, Alfred was initiated into the Theta Tau professional engineering fraternity. He served in different roles, including social chair, where he planned social events for members. Alfred even helped welcome new students to The Union at Dearborn on move-in day.
“Alfred is one of the most charismatic and helpful students I’ve worked with,” said Kristin McDonough, Greek Life coordinator. “He has worked hard to increase his chapter’s presence with the Greek community and across campus."
After becoming vice president and then president, his first goal was to ensure that everyone in the fraternity felt included.
“As a leader, I believe positivity is key,” Alfred said. “I believe in creating a space on campus where everyone feels welcome. I wanted to make sure everyone felt valuable and as if they had a family on campus.”
While he has accomplished so much outside of the classroom, his education remained top of mind. Alfred earned a spot on the Dean’s List for six semesters and is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society, which requires students to be in the top 15 percent of their class. He also interned with Ignite Social Media and Urban Science.
As he prepares for graduation in April, Alfred looks forward to building his own software company in the future.
“I want to create a company where innovation and creativity come first," he said. "In a field where our careers depend on technological advancement, I feel the best way to bring the best ideas and motivation from the team is to create a forum for everyone to introduce their ideas. You never know who may surprise you.”