A Student Voice: We Have Everything We Need to Succeed

NOTE: A version of this essay was published in the September 2021 edition of When Free To Choose.

Returning to campus for the fall 2021 semester felt different but amazing. As a current DeVos Graduate School student, this is my fifth year at Northwood University, and every year the Timberwolf community continues to impress me. I came to Northwood for many reasons, but primarily I made the decision based on the immediate immersion in my major, leadership opportunities, and small class sizes. I would not change a thing about the past five years.

During my undergraduate years at Northwood, I majored in Operations and Supply Chain Management, and I’m now earning my MBA at the DeVos Graduate School of Management. Reflecting on my time at Northwood, it has been nothing short of the best college experience. I took advantage of my time at the University and made the most of it through involvement in student organizations and internship opportunities. One of my proudest achievements is having the honor to serve as this year’s General Chair of the Northwood University International Auto Show (NUIAS).

As most students have experienced, this year has been extraordinary. Even though there were challenges, Northwood remained responsive to students’ needs, offering classes in-person and online while providing a safe campus life experience. Northwood is distinct in that we look at things from a world view, including the pandemic’s effects on the world economy. Northwood teaches the importance of the free-market economy and how governmental restrictions on our professional and personal lives can hinder prosperity. A free-enterprise society can be impeded by governmental regulations on business, especially small private companies. Imposing directives as to when people should leave their homes and restrictions on attending college in-person are contrary to personal choice and individual responsibility, and I believe, could hinder growth and prosperity.

I am grateful to be at Northwood, a university entrenched in the ideals of a free-enterprise society, because they align with my own values, including individual freedom and personal responsibility. I have appreciated Northwood’s approach to mandates and respecting students’ personal choices in regard to being vaccinated and wearing masks. I highly value these individual choices, and I appreciate Northwood encouraging students to remain safe while respecting our freedoms.

Encouraging me to grow, learn, and become the best version of myself is, and always will be, Northwood’s greatest strength. Northwood has challenged me over the past five years not only to learn, but to question conventional norms while gaining valuable real-world experience even in the most challenging of times, including a global pandemic.

Now, more than ever, I am extremely proud to be involved with the Auto Show, which takes place October 1 and 2. Already, I have had opportunities that otherwise I would have only experienced in the real world. I’m also proud to be one of only five women to have been General Chair of NUIAS, and I face one of the most challenging years in organizing an auto show. This year, our team is faced with unprecedented logistical challenges, from dealer shortages to a recession and slow economic recovery, to marketing an annual show that has now experienced a one-year gap. However, we are resilient, and our Northwood education has conditioned us to be well-equipped.

The world will never be the same as we knew it, but the Northwood community will continue to learn, grow, and connect as we embrace The Northwood Idea philosophy. The experience gained from a Northwood education is truly unmatched. I am committed to putting 100 percent effort into earning the best education, hosting the best auto show, and making more lifelong connections, while being a successful business professional. I’m up for the challenge, ready to put my education to work, and well suited to be a future leader of a global free-enterprise society.