Senior Spotlight: Alex

In honor to commemorate our seniors leaving our lovely admissions team, we are highlighting their experiences at Eastern!

Alex - Class of '21

Welcome to Alex’s feature in our "Senior Spotlight" series. Alex is from Marine City, MI. He majored in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) with a Spanish minor. He was an amazing addition to our Admission Office, holding the record for our highest tour count, and we are so excited to share his story of being here at Eastern Michigan University!

What was it like when you were choosing colleges?

It was pretty simple overall. For a long time, I was pretty set on going to a different college, mainly when I was younger. I visited that college and didn’t like it. After that, I thought about some other colleges, but none of them felt right. I didn’t know where I wanted to go after that. I went on a tour of EMU, and I loved it here. I was really looking for a good LGBTQ+ community and a marching band.

Why did you choose EMU?

I ended up choosing Eastern because there was an incident in 2015 where someone outside of the community tore down the pride flags displayed outside of one of the academic buildings. The university made a post describing the incident and thanked all of these people and organizations who came to help put the flags back up. It made me get a great sense of the community and its solidarity. The people were all just so nice at Eastern.

What were your experiences with clubs/involvement here at EMU? (say specific clubs/involvements)?

I was a tour guide. I started this job the winter semester of my freshman year. That has been the most impactful experience outside of academics during my time here. I was, also, the Treasurer of the TESOL student organization. I played on our Esports team for one semester (never competed, just practiced haha). The first thing I actually joined was the swing dance club, but I could only go a few times because my chemistry lab was the same night. I marched with the marching band play trumpet, which was my second instrument, so I was incredibly mediocre. I was honestly really bad, but I had a wonderful time.

What were your academic experiences here at EMU?

I officially had 5 majors throughout my time here at Eastern, but I flirted with a lot of other things in between them. I started as a chemistry major, then history education, then religious studies, geography with a concentration in tourism, then I just didn’t know what I wanted to do. At that point, I was only at the end of my sophomore year at that point. Something I always wanted to do was be fluent in another language. I found TESOL through Spanish. That is where I went “yeah. this is it.”

There was a professor that taught comparative studies of religion that I loved. I wanted to follow this man to the ends of the Earth. I took another class of his and did a research project with him. It was the first time I presented at the Undergraduate Symposium. I did a few more research projects, as well as a study abroad in Spain. I went in early January 2020 until COVID sadly sent us home. I met so many other international students and ambassadors from all over the world. Everyone was there specifically to learn Spanish. I had class 5 times a week from 9 am-2 am. It was just like high school, and it was so weird. I lived with an older woman in her apartment as my host family, and she took care of me.

The last research project I did was a result of an independent study class all based around research. The idea came from Spain. I taught as an English teacher at a private school twice a week to 8-year-olds. As soon as they found out I could speak Spanish it was so hard to get them to speak English. The easiest way to get them to speak English was through Pokémon cards. I play Dungeons & Dragons, so I created more supplemental materials and adapted the player’s handbook to make D&D a learning tool for English learners.

What was your experience with life on campus/Ypsi?

I lived on campus for 2 years. I was moving from my hometown which was not a safe place to be out. I first came out at Eastern. In my first year, I lived in Hoyt Hall on a floor meant for LGBTQ+ students coming from unsafe families. It provided gender-neutral housing that wasn’t really obvious. In my second year, I moved to the SPECTRUM floor, which is specifically meant for LGBTQ+ students. I moved off campus after that.

I was a part of a Spanish Conversation group, with a couple of native speakers and learners. I, also teach in the community through Washtenaw Literacy with a group of adults looking to get into a master's program at the University of Michigan, as well as teaching in the basement of a church with a group of newer immigrants teaching newcomer beginning English. As you can see, I was able to get super involved in the community.

What is/are your favorite memories that you've made here?

Meeting my friend Connor. Connor is my very best friend, and he is one year older than me. He became a tour guide one semester before me. In the office, he was my go-to-guy. We formed a really close relationship after a little bit of time. We would eat together all the time. We started watching Degrassi: New Class Generation, which is the one they filmed in Canada, and that’s how we became friends. After that, we were inseparable for the rest of the time. You should have seen us in the office together. He’s really great.

Any advice you could give to future students?

My advice would be to take agency in everything that you can. There are so many things available to you, which you might not be aware of unless you ask for them. Recognize what you need, because there are people who will help you get what you need.