Tell Your Story

Christine: From No Stoplight to the Spotlight

CMU has had a major impact on my life. As a motivational speaker and author, I have presented on stages worldwide. Hard to believe I started off in the no stoplight town of Pinckney. Central Michigan was the difference-maker for me. To go to a college that was big enough to matter, but small enough to care, opened many doors and created friendships for a lifetime.

My roommate had me come down to check out the campus radio station 91.5 WHMW and I was shocked to learn you could work at the station as a freshman. So, I did and that started it all. Joining Alpha Sigma Tau, becoming a Campus Ambassador, Orientation Mentor, Admissions Intern, and then joining the Summer Theatre program gave me many opportunities for leadership and public speaking. Summer jobs that I got through the recreation department at Cedar Point and Walt Disney World were game changers. I’m not sure I would have even known about those opportunities at a larger school.

My love for CMU led me to my first job as an Admissions Officer and I traveled all over the state talking to students about my Alma Mater. Encouraging students to “fire up” and come to CMU was such a great experience and I LOVED the admissions staff. Betty Wagner, Dan Eversole, and Mike Owens were incredible mentors. The faculty I had as a student were instrumental in my success. Dr. Richard Allen, my Communications professor and I are still very good friends. He turns 90 this year!

In 2016, I was inducted into the National Speakers Association, Speaker Hall of Fame. There is no doubt that I would have never ended up here if I hadn’t been for my experiences at Central Michigan University. I am a forever fan of maroon and gold. Fire Up, Chips!

Maureen: My Nontraditional CMU Story

My connection to CMU is not the traditional story. As a young child, I actually lived on the property that would eventually become part of the CMU campus. Our home was located right next to the present Foust Hall and behind it were Preston Apartments used for married student housing and the CMU President’s house. Right across the street were the original CMU tennis courts, Finch Fieldhouse, the CMU Alumni football field and the University Baseball Stadium named Alumni Stadium all on Preston Street. Our house was very large and so conveniently located that we rented our upstairs rooms to CMU students. My mother, Ruth Murphy worked as a custodian on campus while I was growing up. This allowed my five siblings and I to swim in the Finch Fieldhouse pool during the summer months. We always had a lemonade stand in front of our house during the CMU football games and sold lemonade to the attendees while they were walking from the parking lot to the game. Then we would go to the game which was always a treat for us and we loved watching the homecoming parades. The CMU marching band practiced in a field right behind our house and the majorettes would teach us how to twirl batons. I could walk across the street and hit tennis balls with my ping pong paddle on the backboards. Coach Bill Kelly was teaching tennis classes there, saw me and gave me a tennis racquet. I used it so much that eventually he asked me to demonstrate my “natural backswing” to his tennis classes. I played tennis with that racquet until I wore a hole through it. I still play tennis, which has always been my favorite sport. I could walk to and use the CMU Library when it was located in Ronan Hall. I loved going to the University Center for french fries and a coke with my friend and neighbor, Cecilia and visit her father, Donald Carr, director of Alumni Relations who had an office in the UC. Eventually, our home and several other homes on Preston Street were bought by the University for expansion purposes. Now, Foust Hall, Park Library, Fabiano Botanical Gardens and several parking lots sit on this property,

After graduating from Sacred Heart Academy in 1968, I enrolled at CMU and chose to earn a B.S.B.A degree. However, after my freshman year, marriage and two children became my priority and I dropped out of school. Fortunately, I remained in Mt Pleasant due to my husband Gary’s business and I started working at Park Library in a part-time clerical position in the director’s office. It was ideal for me when Tracey and Tara were young. But I never forgot my desire to finish my CMU degree. I then took another part-time position in the Center for Learning Assessment Services (Testing Center) and had the flexibility to adjust my work schedule to take classes. My supervisor, Diane Dolley was very supportive and CMU offered 6 free tuition credits each semester to employees. So I eventually earned my B.S.B.A degree and was hired as a General Academic Advisor at CMU, an administrative professional position. I worked as an advisor until my retirement in 2002. After retirement, I temporarily worked advising honors students and business students. Both of my daughters attended CMU and were able to use my tuition credits while working on their degrees. Tara earned her Master’s in Physical Therapy and is now employed as a physical therapist in Plymouth, Michigan. Tracey chose Interior Design as her undergrad major. During her time as a student at Central, she lived in the Towers her freshman year, worked at the Bovee UC at Goodies to Go, pledged Alpha Chi Omega sorority, joined the American Society of Interior Design and won a student contest by submitting the winning name of the previous Reservation in the Bovee UC to the Down Under Food Court. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor her junior year and complications from surgery caused short-term memory problems and she could not continue to work toward earning her degree. She passed away 12 years later. She was awarded the CMU Alumni Memorial Certificate by President Michael Rao. We established the Tracey Marie Rondy Memorial Scholarship at CMU which is now awarded to an outstanding Interior Design student each year in her memory. So Tracey’s legacy lives on at CMU.

I will forever be grateful to Central Michigan University for having such a positive impact on my life. Without the support I had while working at CMU, I doubt I would have been able to finish my degree. Two of my sisters, Diane Paul and Judy Lannen are also CMU grads. Diane became a high school math teacher & later taught math at Delta College. Judy is employed at Central as a buyer in the Purchasing Department. My husband, Gary and I still love attending CMU football and basketball games. We donate to the Campus Campaign every year and also like to see a University Theatre production and attend a CMU alumni event occasionally. I continue to stay informed and see that Central is adapting to the changing needs of its students while working toward it’s mission of teaching, research and service. My hope is for every student who enrolls at Central Michigan University to be able to earn a degree using the resources available at Central such as academic advising, career counselling, financial aid, mentoring and scholarships.

Jim: Jim’s Story

In the spring of 1956, I graduated from Muskegon Heights High School. I did fairly well in High school as a nerd. I had no role models to follow at home, since my parents, who were immigrants from Hungary, never finished much, if any, schooling, nor had my three older sibs, who had, at best, only graduated from high school. Because I always enjoyed the outdoor life around Muskegon, I took a liking towards fishing, bird watching, and nature walking. In High School, my favorite classes were taught by Mr. Glen Brown, a graduate of CMU. It was his encouragement that prompted me to take all the science, math and language courses. Prior to graduation, he encouraged me to consider CMU as a place to go for higher education. My parents, who were very poor, saved enough to get my tuition/room and board paid for the first semester and some new clothes for me.
In the fall of 1956, I entered the campus at Mt. Pleasant and was ushered to my dorm room in Robinson Hall to meet my 3 new roommates. Over my four years at CMU, I had a number of roommates. Especially, I remember George Williams, my life-long friend until his death in 2005. He was the campus radio disc jockey for jazz; and a fantastic mathematician; Paul Locher was a roommate, who had been around the block a few times, and was a stabilizing “adult in the room,” while Ed, who failed every class in which he was enrolled, left me with memories that have lasted to this day, even though, he dropped out of school at the end of his first semester. There are too many stories about Ed, but there is only one that I will relate. I had the lower bunk bed, while Ed had the top bunk. It was this topological situation that caused me to experience, all too often, a shower of his barf after he came in late at night.
Now comes the fickle hand of fate concerning what happened on a cold November night. I was going to drop out of school because I had no funds to maintain my room & board or tuition. Yet, on November 3, 1957, the Russians launched a satellite, Sputnik. We were told by the University administration that Sputnik was to fly over Mt. Pleasant that evening. Many of the students ran outside and, in the cold, we watched the dark sky for something to happen. Low and behold, there streaking across the sky was this shinning ball in the sky. It was at that moment, I became a “Sputnik baby.”
The impact on my life, then and to this day, was because our President, J.F. Kennedy, started a new scholarship program to train more U.S. students in the sciences, math, and engineering to help catch up to the Russians and to lead in the age of the future. I received one of these scholarships, which enabled me to stay in school and to major in biology and math, while I minored in chemistry and physics. All my other University required courses were waived so I could get all those science classes. In addition, for two summers, I was afforded assistantships to work at Argonne National Laboratories near Chicago on real research projects related to the biological effects of radiation.
However, I would truly be remiss if I forgot to mention the most import fact of my undergraduate experience related to being a “Sputnik baby.” One of the chemistry courses I was taking (analytical chemistry) had a young woman in the class with at least 40 young men (Before STEM). Beverly Kay Dowell, was seated distal from me and we never spoke to each other in or even outside of class. Clearly, Kay caught the attention of all of us guys …for two reasons, one was obvious, the other was that she aced all the quizzes and tests. This course also had a lab where we did real experiments to reinforce concepts related to the formal course. In order to pass the course, we had to test samples given to us and to report the results. One early Saturday morning, I went to the lab to test some of my samples, and who should walk into the lab, but Kay. Her lab bench was way on the other side of the lab. She and I were the only two in the lab at that time. I put my three samples in 3 Kjeldahl flasks filled with sulfuric acid and lit the flames on the Bunsen burners under these flasks.
As I watched two of the flasks boil away, I notice that the third flask was not boiling. As I bent over to exam what might be happening, this flask exploded, sending broken shards of glass over my head into a chemistry hood in the back of me, while the hot sulfuric acid went to the ceiling of the lab and came down on my head. I let out a terrifying scream, as you can imagine, and Kay ran over to me and pulled me out into the hallway where she opened up the safety shower drenching me. Try to imagine this scene…me on the floor, very wet with my hair still steaming. I looked up to her and without thinking, I thanked her, and in the same breath, I asked if she might go out with me for a cup of coffee. She thanked me and said that she did not drink coffee but could be enticed to join me for a pizza at Falsetta’s Restaurant. We enjoyed a very good pizza that evening, and, as the old saying goes, “History was made that day!” She was the first date I had had in college. Kay went on to have the highest grade in the class. She, ultimately became a medical technologist with a strong chemistry and arts background. We married in 1960 before I went to graduate school at Michigan State University.
So, how did all of this CMU experience shape both of our lives? With my background solidly in the sciences, I entered my graduate studies to continue my interest in radiation genetics. I was mentored by one of the scientists I had met at Argonne National Laboratory, Dr. Arman Yanders, who had moved from Argonne to Michigan State University. As his graduate student, I gained real experience doing research on how radiation might affect human health. It was, serendipitously, in his laboratory that I met Dr. Leroy Augenstein, who started a new department of Biophysics at Michigan State University, and I was also introduced to a new faculty in Biophysics, Dr. Barnet Rosenberg. Dr. Rosenberg was the scientist who discovered the most widely used anti-cancer drug, cisplatin. It was during the long relationship I had with him that I helped him determine that this new drug would not cause mutations in the patients that were treated with this drug. Thus, the drug was permitted for clinical trials and became a very important treatment for some cancers. He became a multi-millionaire, and I got a paper published in Nature.
My experience at CMU was the beginning of all kinds of national and international opportunities for me, Kay, and later, our late son, Philip. In brief, it included invited trips to Australia; Menton & Nice, France; Beijing, Shanghai, Wuxi, Yellow Mountains, Nanjing, Guilin and West Lake in China.
After my three years in graduate school at MSU, I was able to obtain a Masters Degree and a Ph.D. (1963) and postdoctoral fellowship to work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. There, I worked on human radiation genetics (still following the early opportunity that was afforded me at CMU by President Kennedy to study radiation effects due to the atomic/nuclear bomb testing by the Russians, Chinese and Americans during those “cold war” years). It was there, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, that I helped to discover that human cells could repair damage to their DNA caused by ultraviolet radiation. That experience set me up for a “real job” and I was hired by Michigan State University to do to things: (a) teach undergraduate non-science students to understand the impact of scientific discoveries on human values and human culture; and (b) to continue my research on radiation effects on human diseases, such as cancer. A major event that gave to my wife Kay and me the most joy in our lives was the birth of our son, Philip.
At Michigan State, my research led me to discover, with my collaborators, colleagues and students, that if DNA damage, caused by radiation, is not repaired, mutations can be the result. My teaching to undergraduates at that time, when genetic engineering was then being introduced to the public, was the ethical responsibilities of scientists that came to be a focus of public attention. This was at the time when “genetic engineering” concerns led to the Asilomar Conference. Because of my unique experiences, which started at CMU, I was asked by the scientist Dr. Van R. Potter at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research at the University of Wisconsin, who coined the terms, “Bioethics” and “Global Bioethics” during Earth Days of the late 1960s, to work with him on both cancer research and re-writing his book, Bioethics: A Bridge to the Future. I was able to do so by having A National Cancer Institute grant, “A Career Development award” which afforded me the opportunity to spend one year at the McArdle Laboratory being trained in chemical carcinogenesis to round out my previous research training in radiation carcinogenesis.
After I returned to MSU, I was subsequently awarded to chance to become the Chief of Research at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation (RERF) in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan for two years. There I had the opportunity to work with the original founding fathers of the “Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission,” [The first name of the Institution], Drs, James Neel & Dr. Jack Schull, as well as many famous American co-workers at RERF- Drs. Sheldon Wolf, Joop Theisen, & Seymour Abrahamson.

After returning to MSU, I continued my research guided by a unique experience of seeing how both radiation and chemicals (particularly those found in foods and diets) could alter the effects of radiation on the atomic bomb survivors. Then, I integrated all my previous experiences to study the various hypotheses of how cancers are formed. Also, I worked on the isolation of human adult stem cells, which my lab actually accomplished 10 years before the discovery of human embryonic stem cells by groups at The University of Wisconsin and Johns Hopkins University. During this period of time, my lab group was the first to determine that non-mutagenic chemicals acted as “epigenetic” toxins/toxicants to cause cancer cells to multiply in the body.
During our stay in Hiroshima, Kay got a job as a “Cake-sensa” in a Japanese-run French restaurant. Her interest and experience as a dessert and pastry maker became known after she won a First Prize in an International Cake contest in Hiroshima.

Also, we were able to share our research experiences to scientists, students and the public in Seoul, Korea, where I was a “Brain Pool” awardee from the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology to work on human adult stem cells grown in 3-dimension to screen for new drugs and potential toxicants. I worked in a human stem cell laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Seoul National University and gave Food Safety lectures at many of the major Food Manufacturing Companies. Later, I worked for a year at the ARNAS Civico Cancer Institute in Palermo, Sicily.
To summarize all my 50 plus years of professional life’s work:
I was able to give over 800 invited lectures and seminars, including Plenary & Keynote lectures, all over the world and publish over 450 peer-reviewed scientific publications, with over 20,000 citations as of 2021.
After “retirement,” I started to reflect on the start of my personal life with Kay and my professional career, only to realize how CMU played the major role in that journey. I started to re-connect with CMU, via the College of Natural Sciences, gave several lectures and helped the organizers of CMU’s new medical school. We have arranged to give a part of our endowment to facilitate a human adult stem cell laboratory at CMU. Other endowments include a scholarship fund at the University of Wisconsin Computer Science Department in memory of in our late son, Philip. In addition, another portion of that endowment, Kay’s large cook book collection, will be given to Michigan State University Special Library Collection on Cook Books. This includes books about foods experienced during our international life work. The last portion of our endowment will be given to a Native American Library as a gift from Kay and related to her partial Native American heritage.
While it has been a long time and many miles since 1956-60 at CMU, I still remember, fondly, my days and wonderful moments at CMU, even those few scary minutes when my head was burning from the hot sulfuric acid.

Kay: Kay’s Story

I arrived at what was then Central Michigan College in September 1956 and met 5 roommates in our assigned rooms in Ronan Hall, a very old dormitory that was demolished years ago. They were graduates of 4 Michigan high schools. I had graduated from Battle Creek Central. As we introduced ourselves and chatted, I learned that all 5 had been selected for an outstanding graduating senior student award at their high schools. I had not received such an award and thought that I was going to need to study very hard to compete.

I will digress a bit. I arrived at Central without a determined curriculum. During a meeting with my assigned councelor in my junior year in high school, I had been asked what were my plans for after graduation. I responded that I thought I would study to become a high school sciences teacher. He responded: “Kay, men do that!” Immediately, I realized that all the science teachers at my high school were men. After arriving at Central and before I registered for classes, I perused the Central Michigan College Bulletin and found Curriculum For Medical Technologists. I decided that this curriculum would require study of subjects that I enjoyed and could probably lead to gainful employment after graduation.

I enjoyed the biology, chemistry and physics classes and was really busy because all also required commitments in laboratories. I minored in art because I enjoyed art, but that required much time, in addition to lectures, in workshops. However, I found time to participate with a social sorority and attend some social functions—and, of course, assist a fellow student, (Jim) after he exploded a macro kjeldahl flask. I must admit that I put in many more hours in lectures, labs, the library etc. than any of my 5 roommates that freshman year. I also came to realize that it is probably easier to be selected for an outstanding graduating senior award as a member of a small high school graduating class than as a member of a class of 500 students.

Some of my experiences as a female student, and before Title IX, probably, hopefully, are not experienced by female students today. Sixty plus years ago, a biology professor at Central never awarded a 4 point to a female student in his classes. I was disappointed and angry thinking that not any student should be denied an excellent grade that he/she earns. Also, a CMU administrator, Dean of Records, George N. Lauer, treated me very much as my high school counselor had treated me—only in reverse. I had to process with Records, late in my junior year, prior to starting a Medical Technology Internship (my senior year). At my meeting with Dean Lauer, he insisted that I change my chosen curriculum from Medical Technology to, none other than, High School Sciences Teacher and abandon my scheduled Medical Technology Internship. He was adamant. However, I refused to do his bidding and can only surmise all the consequences. He did require that I present proof of passage of the Medical Technology Registry Exam to qualify for my degree. This exam was given one month after graduation exercises for my class. This was a requirement unique to CMU (possibly only to me and not documented anywhere) and prevented me from graduating in June of 1960. I officially graduated without recognition with any class.

I am grateful for many excellent professors who instructed me and the knowledge and skills that I obtained at CMU. Some of my experiences made me acutely aware of prejudice and discrimination. All forms of discrimination are unacceptable, and I have recently witnessed what I believe to be reverse discrimination (discrimination against Caucasian males). This is as ugly as any other discrimination.

It would take a book to delineate all the experiences that Jim and I have had at CMU. When we matriculate there in 1956, there were only about 4,000 students. The last time we were there, we barely recognized the place. However, as the old adage states: “You can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can’t take Iowa out of the boy!” So too, one can substitute, CMU for Iowa. Substitute Kay & Jim for “boy” and CMU for “Iowa”, and you know how CMU has affected our lives.

We had different life stories before we decided to enter CMU. Also, we had very different motivations to go to the University. Once there, we started our life’s journeys quite independently. If it wasn’t for a serendipitous event during an explosion in the chemistry lab, in which we were the only two in that space, our life’s journeys would have taken very different courses. As it turned out, history for us was made, and we have shared our journey together, guided by the individual educations that suited our interests, passions and abilities.

Shelly: I Never Thought I’d Go Back to School

Getting my MSA degree from CMU definitely changed the trajectory of my career. My degree helped me get intervirwed to be considered for positions I wasn’t before. I first became involved when I learned my employer offered a generous tuition reimbursement benefit and that we had a CMU Branch on site! My hope is that the university continues to be able to offer programs and aid to the nontraditional career student. I also hope more online Doctorate degree programs become available.

Michael: Once a CMU Chippewa, always a CMU Chippewa!

I first came to the CMU campus in the Fall of 1989. I loved my experience in Mount Pleasant. As a classroom teacher ( in a town near Kalamazoo, MI aka Bronco territory), I display my Chippewa Pride through signs, pictures, and flags. I wear CMU spirit gear to school all the time. My daughter is beginning her senior year at CMU and has enjoyed her experience there. No matter where I go, where I am at, or what I am doing, if someone sees me displaying the maroon and gold, I am sure to hear “Fire Up”. That’s a bond, no one can take me. In January 2021, CMU afforded me the opportunity of returning to the Global Campus to obtain another Masters program in the MALDT program. I graduate, again, in spring 2022.

Picture attached was taken on July 12, 2021. It is me and my dog Garth. Michael “David” Clark CMU ’93 and ’22

Thomas: Managing for success…

The graduate degree allowed me to expand understanding of managment and leadership techniques and translating research into practice. I used what I learned while serving in the US Army, in civilivian non-profit healthcare organizations, my own consulting business, and now back on active duty serving during the pandemic.

Grace: Apart of CMU’s Fabric!

Being apart of the CMU community has given me the educational leadership skills that I use daily as 8th grade ELA content liaison, in the classroom, and across grade levels. In addition to understanding management styles and applying them in the different facets of my career/life. Proudly, I was apart of the 1st cohort graduating class in educational leadership in Atlanta, GA 2004-2006. May CMU continue to grow with a diverse population who feels welcomed and getting a quality education. Keep reaching out to make connections for a world community! Thank you CMU!

Tim: A love story

I am happy to share my CMU experience, a love story incorporating love of education and love of two young people. My name is Tim Maly and I graduated with a BS in BA in 1974. I spent my freshman year at the University of Detroit and transferred to Central in the fall of 1971. I always said it was the best decision I ever made. That is because I received a great education in warm and welcoming social environment, but more importantly, it was where I met Sue Colby, my late wife of 40 years. We were married at the end of my Junior year and spent my senior year in Northwest apartments. She was the love of my life and we have 4 wonderful children. Central is where all that began.

Sue received her degree in education and was an amazing teacher who received numerous honors throughout her teaching career. Our education allowed us to have very successful careers; hers in teaching and mine in Human Resources. My job allowed us to live in may parts of the county; midwest, south, and the west. We often talked about our CMU experience and how inspiring and fun it was. We were blessed with caring professors and surrounded by like minded capable and intelligent students that we learned from; many of whom are good friends today.

Sue passed away from ovarian cancer in 2013. Before her passing we decided to honor our love for CMU and Sue’s legacy as a remarkable teacher. That led to a fortuitous connection with Ted Tolcher, Senior Direct of Giving. Ted’s sage guidance resulted in the development of a scholarship established in Sue’s name “The Susan Colby Maly Endowed Scholarship”. We were so blessed to connect with him because he has been with us every step of the way providing guidance and support in our fund raising efforts. As a result the scholarship stands at about $200,000 and we have been able to provide tuition assistance to 3 students thus far.

Because I moved out of state in 1980 I had not been on the CMU campus since 1974. The campus was barely recognizable to me. It is impressive to see the transformation of the university, new buildings, a medical program, an impressive education department, etc. It has been rewarding to reconnect with the university through Ted, and our passion to continue to grow our endowed scholarship is as strong as ever. I can honestly say Central changed my life in ways that I am eternally grateful for.
Go Chips!

Dane: Woildnt be who I am without CMU

The time period at CMU had lasting impact. The tome period included a great education, amazing friendships, and developed my desire to make an impact on the world. Going to school, working on campus, and my fraternity Delta Sigs all shaped me. I have fond memories of the work with the housing crew several.summers. My fraternity time period gave me the social skills and oppurtunitys to assume leadership rolls that paved my way. I was a retail store manager for 28 years. The influence of CMU always made me want to be the store of the community. Having an impact with shop with a cop, and helping numerous other nonnprofits raise money to awareness. I moved on to working in the world of nonprofit work as a Prevention and Harm Reduction manager in southern Oregon. I wouldn’t trade a thing! My husband and I reside in a rural mountain setting with out three dogs, two cats, and 10 chickens. CMU made a strong lasting impact on my journey.

Linda: Love for Higher Education

At CMU I found great faculty who encouraged me to develop my talent in mathematics. I also found a great love for higher education and made the decision to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics. This led to a fulfilling career as a faculty member and administrator at the University of Minnesota Duluth. I hope that CMU is successful in recovering from the Covid pandemic and continues to provide excellent undergraduate and graduate education in the future.

Scott: Spreading Service Worldwide

I am grateful and humbled to have had my fantastic experience at the best, in my opinion, university in the USA 🇺🇸! At CMU, I developed a sense of great pride in becoming an empathic individual who seeks to be a leader through service to others. Over the years since graduation in 1988, my careers have taken me to several places with beautiful diversity and love. I was fortunate to help educate others in the inner cities of Detroit, a migrant town in Southwest Florida called Immokalee, in the poorest Southeast region of Appalachia Kentucky, to the poorest neighborhoods of Birmingham Alabama in the Woodlawn section where I lived as a minority white privileged male. Due in wonderful part to CMU’s faculty my story continued beyond our borders across the Atlantic Ocean to Israel and Palestine 🇵🇸, where I helped Christians in Bethlehem by smuggling food and medicine across blockades. As an educator from CMU, I negotiated peace with my counterparts in Columbia to help students from the poorest of poor to incentivize education over violence and the rampant drug trade. In 2003, in collaboration with Iraqi authorities attempted to work alongside our partners in the UN to find a pathway towards peace prior to President Bush’s illegal and immoral invasion of a sovereign Country. But out of my countless terrific experiences, what I’m most proud of is my son, who would not exist today had I not met his mother at CMU. Zac is now also paying it forward at the greater YMCA of Richmond, Virginia’s diverse and underprivileged youth. Making a difference everyday in their lives in direct part because of CMU’s mission and spreading it to others. Our family loves CMU! Today, I presently work for IMPACT LIFE, the regional blood center for Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin saving lives one pint at a time. And, due to CMU, I am an active supporter of donorschoose.org, which has helped countless teachers across America during the worse pandemic since 1918. I absolutely 100% love 💘 ❤ 💕 💖 Central Michigan University. Fire up Chips!

Judy: CMU is my home

CMU has been a part of my life since birth. It is home to me I know the campus and its history very well I am the youngest of 6 and when I was born our family home was located on Preston Street The parking lot just west of Foust Hall is where our home sat. The University purchased our home when I was about 9 years old but we only moved a few blocks away and I continued to enjoy events on campus all through my schools years. My mother worked as a custodian and retired from CMU. I attended CMU right after high school and earned by Bachelors degree in Business Administration I have been employed by CMU going on 32 years now as a Buyer in the Purchasing department My husband and both my daughters are also CMU Alums. My hope for CMU is that it remain a popular small town University that students feel at home and comfortable at while obtaining their degree.

Eileen: Graduate education

My story started in 1998 while my husband was stationed at Hickam AFB. I am a nurse who had a BA. in psychology from Temple University and a BSN. from Old Dominion. I had three children, with my youngest almost seven and my oldest a student at Hawaii Pacific University. I chose to pursue a MSA. I didn’t ever get to see the main campus as I have never been to Michigan. I received my degree in Omaha, Nebraska after many years of classes (part time) before my husband retired in 2002. I never regretted the path I took as I feel those classes gave me greater balance as a nurse.

Janay: From then to Now

Being an alumni graduate of the Master’s Degree Program (HRD), has given me great opportunities in the professional world,giving me the set tools of having mutiple successful businesses. I had to find another University that would accept all my credits and not prolong my degree program. CMU was the first choice tranferring and was somewhat challenging academically, but I prevailed. with a 3.50 GPA in my Masters Degree Program. To donated to an HBCU university. To empower other Universities a broad to do the same by to such HBCU ‘s. Everybody deserves a starting point, they deserve a story to tell. Thanks CMU.

Carlos: Quick Advance

Stationed at Camp Pendleton as a US Marine, I obtained a CMU MS Degree. I was finalizing my Warrant Officer application when on the last day to mail it, I received my diploma in the mail. I knew that only 1% of enlisted Marines has masters degrees at the time. I was selected and promoted months later. After graduating with my MS degree in 99, I started attending local CMU events in the LA and San Diego area. I have done well in my post military career, including positions as city auditor, audit Manager of Nashville & Davidson County and a DoD investigator.

Melissa: SISU ~ How the great granddaughter of an indentured orphan from Finland got Fired Up!

From the manageable class size, excellent instruction, opportunity to study abroad in France, Women’s Chorus, CMU Theatre, CM Life and internship placement…everything I took advantage of during my five years at Central has influenced my life, career, travel and outlook. My grandfather and mother also attended CMU and while I grew up in East Lansing with MSU in my backyard, I always knew (since 8th grade!) that I would attend Central. I am very grateful to have had the privilege to access education and since I have also worked at three universities (Denver/Chicago), I truly appreciate the VALUE of education to advance one’s prospects in life – on so many levels. Even my work-study experience in hospitality services (the Res!) paid off when I learned service bartending for events. Great gig work whenever I moved. I’d like to see more elder care/geriatrics students coming out of CMU – we need them in rural areas in northern Michigan.

Thomas: My attachment to C.M.U.

My wife earned her degree at C.M.U. My three sons went to C.M.U. Two of my sons earned their degree. Before that I took graduate classes at C.M.U. During many winters I went to watch members of the wrestling team that went to the high school I taught at, Warren Lincoln High School. My brother-in-law, a C.M.U. graduate encouraged me to come watch a C.M.U. football game. For the next fourteen years I attended games, had tailgates and watched many games. During many of these years I had two nephews and two nieces attending C.M.U. So seven family members were attending at the same time. I am proud to give additional money to C.M.U. My memories are priceless