Fire in their hearts and ice in their blood
This post was written by Claire Everts, a senior business administration major who
is graduating in May 2020. Claire has also worked as a School of Management student
marketing assistant for the past three years.
The summer of 2019 was a turbulent time. Drastic state budget cuts were announced
that included severe cuts to the University of Alaska system. Due to the budget crisis,
many students felt the need to accelerate their degree programs to ensure they could
finish school before any possible changes were made to programs.
Three juniors in the School of Management, all of them UAF hockey players majoring
in business administration – Steven Jandric, Max Newton, and Justin Young – have gone
to extreme lengths to ensure they will be able to graduate this year. In order to
make it happen, they enrolled in up to eight classes a semester, while still maintaining
good GPAs and being successful on the ice. Together, these motivated students set
forth to complete their degrees in three years instead of four. The bond they have
developed as they set forth on this journey has helped them not only with their schoolwork
and classes, but also on the ice and in their personal lives.
Hockey is a big part of their lives; they sometimes devote up to seven hours a day
to hockey, spending what little free time they have focused on their studies. They
noted that one of the most important boundaries for them is to keep hockey and schoolwork
separate. Although it is difficult to do and sometimes the workload gets a little
overwhelming, these students have worked closely with their professors to get the
work done.
“We’ve turned adversity into a positive,” said Max Newton. “Being so far ahead and finishing this semester, getting to start the MBA in the fall and being able to move on so quickly is not something that everyone gets to do in four years. It’s pretty cool to have been able to do it all.”
What these three have accomplished really shows what School of Management students
are made of.
Now fast forward to this spring semester as we all face the global COVID-19 pandemic.
This same trio who were so close to finishing their degrees are now facing the complications
caused by the virus outbreak. Although living conditions have drastically changed,
these determined students are still persevering. Understandably, they have faced the
many challenges that go hand-in-hand with this shared experience, including changing
class schedules and missing out on the experience of in-person classes and interactions
with instructors and students. However, the pandemic does have a positive side, offering
them more freedom and flexibility in completing their classwork now that everything
is online.
With this set back, many students are having to work even harder to accomplish their
goals this semester. We are happy to report that these outstanding students are all
still on track to complete their goals of early graduation. In addition, they are
all continuing on to obtain their master’s degrees, as well.
When asked if they had any advice for other students who may be struggling right now
with all of the changes they are facing, Steve Jandric said, “Don’t get distracted
and stay focused on your work.” Max Newton suggests “Schedule stuff out for the whole
week. Seeing the work that you need to get done mapped out on paper makes it seem
a lot more achievable.” Finally, they all stress the importance of communicating with
your professors. If you have any trouble, your professors will be there to help you
out.
They started off as strangers and are finishing this journey together as friends.
Through all of the ups and downs they have endured, they are finishing strong. They
said that they could not have accomplished what they have without the incredible support
from UAF, the School of Management, and the coaching staff and other players on the
hockey team. Congratulations to all three of them as they continue working toward
their dreams even through adversity!