What was the first moment that made Baker feel at home?
Certainly, playing soccer for BU and the preseason workouts my freshman year begin the process. But Rush Week and meeting all the other freshman and getting to know the upperclassman really solidified it for me. I made great friends in different parts of the Baker experience, and my Kappa Sigma brotherhood are near dear to me for sure.
What was your favorite class at Baker, and why?
My senior seminar class in the mass communication department with Professor Ron Shearer was flat out my favorite. There were students from around the globe in there and all of us were getting ready to take our steps into the professional world. We were all kind of coming of age and you could feel it.
Who made the biggest impact on you while at Baker?
There’s so many, but I remember Jerry Weakley in particular. His role in the University and genuineness helped me make a decision that affected me the rest of my life by joining the right fraternity. More importantly, I got a chance to see what it meant to be an example — someone who remembered everybody’s name and where they came from with sincerity and warmth.
What are two things that you would tell current students today?
Take advantage of an intimate small college environment and try everything you possibly can extracurricularly and in the classroom. Also, make sure that you visit every single campus building whether you have studies in there or not. It’s truly a historical place with such great architecture. Each pocket of the campus has its own vibe and the students and faculty in each facility do as well. As part of that, walk every sidewalk and cross every bridge at least once a quarter, see Baker through a lens of the changing seasons.
How did your Baker experience shape your journey and career?
Playing sports, living in such proximity with everyone and small classrooms taught me to be accountable and to show up. Also, the interpersonal skills of knowing so many people so fast produced friendships that are still blossoming — all this came because of the incredible environment there. I think about it all the time. It changed my life.
Can you briefly describe your career path since leaving Baker?
I produce sporting events all over the country, and I’m also a culinary producer for the James Beard Foundation showcasing chef and libation talent. Additionally, I publish two golf magazines that have a nationwide following. I’m one of the people who can honestly say the things that I learned at BU I use every day for work. I received the perfect education — the school and professors truly pointed me in the direction and set me on a path I’m still following.
What do you love about Baker the most?
The friendships I have formed. I think most everyone will say that, but my own unique spin on it is I feel like I’m the luckiest guy in the world. My wife Merideth and my daughter Lily both had amazing Baker experiences as well. There’s not a week or a day that goes by that I don’t have some form of communication with somebody I went to school with there on the prairies of Baldwin City.
