Computer science graduate student Terry Ruas is big on the idea of balance.

You can see it more broadly in his approach to life and learning—a personal philosophy that blends confidence and drive with humility and a perpetual openness to others’ views. And he also brings it to his academic life at UM-Dearborn, where he’s tackled important research, while never forgetting about his own leadership in the classroom.

“I think my most defining moment on campus was the first day I started teaching a class of undergraduates on my own,” Ruas said. “I still remember when I was in their shoes—listening, taking notes, trying to understand. Besides mastering the technical content as a professor, you are also an educator, a mentor. And it is your role to guide them, to encourage them, to help them become the best version of themselves.”

Ruas’ Ph.D. adviser, Professor William Grosky, calls Ruas a “born presenter”—a talent that serves him both in his teaching and research.

In fact, Ruas recently became the first College of Engineering and Computer Science graduate student chosen for a prestigious internship from the National Institute of Informatics in Tokyo, Japan. He’s currently completing a six-month stint to conduct research into natural language processing.

“I have been the primary adviser of more than 25 Ph.D. students, and he is, without a doubt, the most mature, intelligent, inquisitive, and hard working Ph.D. student I have ever had the honor to advise,” Grosky said. “Terry is a remarkable individual, who is quite serious about the research he does, but teaches better than many professors who have taught for far longer than he has. He has a wisdom beyond his years.”