When Vincent Intrieri began his studies at UM-Dearborn in Fall 2022, the campus radio station, WUMD, needed a refresh and the student newspaper, the Michigan Journal, had not been published in print since before the pandemic. Flash forward to 2024, and not only is WUMD continuously broadcasting from the Renick University Center, it boasts new programming. The Michigan Journal is back on newsstands. And campus now has a DJ service, which promotes the radio station and serves as a source of income for its parent, the Wolverine Media Network. As president of WMN, Vincent played an outsize role in designing and implementing these changes. His “jump in and get it done” mindset makes perfect sense when one considers his prior experience: before enrolling at UM-Dearborn, he served for 13 years in the U.S. Navy, working in logistics and stationed in Pearl Harbor and San Diego.

Leading — and learning

While Vincent is proud of the changes he’s helped drive at WMN — which, in addition to the radio and newspaper, includes the campus literary journal, Lyceum, and the Wolverine Video Network — he’s even prouder of the mentorship he’s provided to his fellow WMN members.  “I was probably at the right place at the right time, just being there” he says. “Students who become friends, they're asking me for advice. I guess that's what happens when you're a nontraditional student. People, in a way, I guess they look up to you.”

He says he has learned a great deal from his fellow students as well. “I arrived here and I didn’t know what to expect,” he reflects (he hails from Erie, Pennsylvania). “The youngest of the youngest mentored me when I first arrived at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.” He says those younger students have taught him humility. “I've learned that there's an old way of thinking and there's a new way of thinking,” he observes. “These students here show me new ways to think, new ways to solve problems, new ways to attack life.”

Vincent has also been involved with Lyceum, where he eventually became the editor-in-chief. Although he came to campus as a “struggling writer,” by his own definition, he was determined to improve as he knows effective writing will be integral to his future career as an attorney. Not only that, he has always enjoyed writing, as well as literature, poetry and art, and kept a journal throughout his time in the military.

“At the end of a day, there's certain things that you can't say in a regimented environment like that. So in order to get it out without saying it to someone, I’d put it on paper,” he says.

Supporting fellow vets

Working with WMD and being an honors student in international studies are both time-consuming pursuits, but Vincent also carves out time to support his fellow veterans.  He works in the university’s Veterans Services office, providing guidance, advocacy and mentoring to military-affiliated students on campus to help them succeed in higher education. He is also a member of the Student Veterans Association and represents them at the Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council. He volunteers to host the Veterans of the Game at the Student Veterans Association tailgate, held before each home University of Michigan football game.

Vincent also serves as a Veterans Treatment Court Mentor in the City of Dearborn's 19th District Court. “What Judge (Eugene) Hunt does is he takes on veterans who may need special treatment for drugs and alcohol. And there's a four-step process that I, as a mentor, help my mentee through,” Vincent explains. “I think the most important thing that I do on a weekly basis is talk to my mentee and guide him through this right here. I'm fortunate. I hurt myself, and I had the mental capacity to pursue education and not allow my disabilities to affect me. There's people that did get out that didn't resolve their issues. I'm proud to say that I'm there helping. Also, I'm paying it forward.”

As for his own time in the Navy, Vincent says many of his experiences have served him well at UM-Dearborn. But that doesn’t mean transitioning to student life wasn’t a big adjustment. “In the military, I've always been that person who's marched to the beat of my own drum,” he says. “But I was a logistician, and in the logistics world, it is regimented. It’s very disciplined. So I think those two aspects blend very well together for me, and I’ve learned to be a lot more soft arriving here and that's been good for me. In the real world, no one wants to be around someone that's a mile a minute, nonstop, all day, every day just throwing around orders.”

Next stop: law school

After he graduates from UM-Dearborn, Vincent plans to attend law school — even though he could do something far less rigorous if he chose. “I could probably sit on a beach in Mexico and just collect my pension down there, but I won't be happy until I fulfill what I think my potential is,” he says.

His sights are set on a public interest career or working in international law for the State Department. “I want to pursue public interest because justice is not equal for everyone. And that's just a fact,” he explains. “I understand that if someone commits a crime, OK, yes, they do deserve to face punishment. But people don't have the same access to justice as wealthy people, and if you do commit a crime, and punishment is rendered, you shouldn't be going to jail worried about your life.”

When asked what else he’d like the UM-Dearborn community to know about him, Vincent is quick to express his gratitude for everyone on campus who has supported him during his time here. “I’m proud of the person I’m becoming because of all the people that I'm surrounded with,” he says.

“It's easy to talk about myself,” he continues. “But I'm around some solid people who are helping to mold me into something completely different than when I arrived here. And that's a tribute to a lot of people on this campus who care about the development of the people that work for them or their students. I've been on a journey, and I'm leaving here next year finer than when I arrived. That’s thanks to the people that surround me.”