Difference Makers
UM-Dearborn Difference Makers are at the forefront of their fields. They’re improving the lives of others and making an impact on campus and in our local communities.
Jeremy Lance is lazy. It's why he became a programmer. Yet this drive to be lazy manifests itself in a drive to help others be similarly lazy, which inspires him to make processes easier, simplify organization and positively impact people’s lives.
“Counter-intuitive as it might seem, I am constantly trying to find simpler, easier ways to make an impact, be it for my students, peers, instructors or organizations,” he says. “That is how I reform activity, revise process and - with a little luck - leave things better in my wake.”
One look at Jeremy’s accomplishments at UM-Dearborn, and no one would dare call him ‘lazy.’ He almost single-handedly recruited, organized and trained UM-Dearborn’s team for the 2010 Association of Computing Machinery programming competition. Jeremy also proctored the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s annual “Engineering Experience” programming competition, where he had the opportunity to mentor prospective students about college life and post-school planning.
He also served as a member of the Upsilon Pi Epsilon honor society, and participated in and coached the campus’s International Collegiate Programming Competition teams. Having two consecutive years of fantastic performances in the regional competition is a triumph of which Jeremy can be proud.
Jeremy raised two children while working and going to school full time. One day he hopes to teach college computer science. “I feel like investing my time and energy in helping create a new generation of developers and engineers is the strongest contribution that I can make to our world,” he says.
IN MY OWN WORDS
"I am less 'driven' than I am 'pulled'; dragged along - sometimes kicking and screaming - by an extraordinarily large and loosely defined family. My wife, my children, and friends at home and school, they all work together to provide me with the impetus to achieve. When I'm exhausted, they bring me caffeine. When I'm overwhelmed, they talk me through. When I can't cope, they provide solace. On the most challenging of days, my family places me firmly in the passenger seat and drives me for a while."
