I will be returning to Michigan Technological University this fall to give back to the program that, in many ways, built me into the man I am today. I am particularly excited for the opportunity to invest in the men of the Track team and athletic department as a whole.

As a kid, my parents regularly brought me to church, and like many kids, I was often resistant. Despite this, they had me baptized and confirmed (at that time into the Methodist church), and tried to give me opportunities to love the Lord. In high school, I gradually grew apart from my faith, prioritizing other things like sports and fun over my love for the Lord. When I left for college, I was absolutely at a low point in my faith. I had stopped going to church, and the secular world was calling me. Life felt empty, and I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. It felt like I was in college because that was where I was supposed to be, not because I wanted to be there. 

 In a great stroke of luck (or perhaps God’s will), I met a FOCUS missionary early in my freshman year, which opened a new world to me. He invited me to bible study, to mass, and to really explore my faith. He showed me an intellectual depth that I had never before experienced, and opened my mind to the kind of faith that spoke to me, not just participation out of a sense of obligation. Not long after, I was hooked. I converted and began to really dive into my faith with an intellectual vigor I had never before experienced. I began to really believe that God was real and began to see him all around me. I began to heal from my old sins, in small ways and big. I learned to forgive. God gives me graces every day that I need to continue to thrive and love others, and he gives me the strength to say yes to him in ways I never before imagined. Ways like FOCUS.