What makes you a Difference Maker?

My passion for the UM-Dearborn’s students, staff, faculty and culture is what makes me a Difference Maker. The diverse culture of UM-Dearborn has allowed me the opportunity to meet students, staff and faculty from so many different walks of life and bring those different groups together. Whether I am at the rink, the gym or in the classroom, I’ve made friends who represent the diversity of our campus. No matter who I’ve met, our equal passion for life has formed meaningful connections between us. I believe that I’m a Difference Maker because I represent unity among students who have different ideas, values and experiences at the UM-Dearborn. As a new student, I was in awe of the community and the culture found at this university. Since my beginning days at UM-Dearborn, I’ve committed my experiences to continuing to create the comfortable, but enlightening, atmosphere that I admired as a new student. As a student athlete, I was given a platform where I’m able to stick out among my peers and have my voice heard. In my many roles, I’ve been able to stand up for what I believe in and make impactful changes here at our university.

Highlight your campus achievements:

I’m a member of the varsity hockey team here at school, where we have won back-to-back GLCHL championships and have participated in the national tournament the past two seasons. As a member of the team, I was nominated to serve as the representative on the Emerging Leaders Council with Athletic Director Matt Beaudry. This past year, I was also elected as the President of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC). Our mission is to improve the lives of student athletes on campus while also expanding our philanthropic reach to off-campus organizations and charities.

I was also a key contributor to the creation of the Talent Gateway in summer of 2016, and am currently serving as the Transfer Student Liaison and a MTalent Ambassador. Through this opportunity, I was given the chance to work with Provost Kate Davy. We aimed to create a program that would engage students in daily creative habits, that would drive them toward their educational, professional and social goals.

I was also honored by being named to the COB Dean's List in my time here at UM-Dearborn. I was also given an award for having the highest GPA of a male athlete last year.

Highlight your leadership experiences both on and off campus:

I am the president of the Student Advisory Athletic Committee. We organize and host events at university sponsored athletic competitions. As a committee, we also address the many concerns of student athletes and try to solve problems that student athletes face on a day-to-day basis. We serve as a bridge between the administration and the student-athlete community. Another goal of ours is to impact the Metro Detroit area by participating in service activities and raising money for local charities.

I am also a member of the Emerging Leaders Council with Athletic Director Matt Beaudry. We’re a council of nine members who work on our leadership skills, not only as student athletes, but also as members of the community. Our organization is the embodiment of Servant Leadership, one of our athletic department's core competencies. We’re currently working on a community impact project.

I’ve also earned the distinction as a MTalent Ambassador and the Transfer Student Liaison. One of the main duties of being a Talent Ambassador is to collaborate as a group in grading submissions, creating challenges and awarding designations. As a MTalent Ambassador, we serve as mentors for members within the Talent Gateway community. As the Transfer Student Liaison, I’m the head of creating and grading submissions from transfer students, while also recruiting as many transfer students as possible.

What is your dream career and/or long term life goal?

What’s most important to me is the opportunity to interact and make connections with other people. I want to be a resource for the community and in a position to help ambitious students in some capacity. I’m fortunate to have had many mentors growing up and I know that they’ve helped define who I am today. If I have the chance to work with students, I would love to be a coach. The best coaches I’ve ever had taught me much more than just the sport of hockey or baseball, they taught me how to respect others, live with enthusiasm and cherish every opportunity I’m given.

What was your most defining moment at UM-Dearborn?

It’s extremely difficult to choose just one defining moment here at UM-Dearborn, but two come to mind right away. The first occurred this fall for the launch event for the Talent Gateway. Having worked all summer with Provost Davy, and the rest of the team, the launch event was one of the more nerve-racking experiences I’ve ever had. From coordinating the event and bringing keynote speaker Twyla Tharp to our community, months of work went into the launch event. It was truly an amazing experience capped off by an incredible day. While reflecting during that day, I remember thinking about all of the late nights spent brainstorming challenges, entering data into GradeCraft and interacting with students to create a program that they truly wanted here at the university. I’m extremely proud that I was able to be a part of such an amazing process.

My other defining moment was last winter when the hockey team hosted the GLCHL championship on our home ice. We won three games in three days on our way to the school's first ever GLCHL championship, beating the #4 and #6 nationally ranked teams and solidifying our spot in the national tournament. On that day, I remember thinking that our victory wasn't the result of playing well for one weekend, but instead a group of players coming together. All of us came together with the same goal in mind—pushing each other on a daily basis, and buying into our coaches program. Winning on our home ice and holding the league championship trophy in front of our fans was a chilling experience, and one I’ll never forget.