A passion project for Michigan Athletics
The University of Michigan
A journey that began with a single email.
2022
My journey with Michigan Football
In 2022, just before graduating from the Ross School of Business, I was selected to deliver the commencement address for my class. My family couldn't attend: my mother was in treatment for breast cancer in Michigan, and my father and brother had concerns about the pandemic.
I wrote to Coach Jim Harbaugh, a childhood idol whose teams had come to represent the resilience my family leaned on during my mother's chemotherapy. I shared my story and my connection to Michigan.
Schembechler Hall
Coach Harbaugh
Coach Harbaugh and his family responded with an invitation to Schembechler Hall. During our conversations I shared a vision I had been shaping through business school: a bridge between student-athletes and academic resources, helping them build their personal brands with real support behind them.
Michigan Ross commencement
Jack and Jackie Harbaugh
Coach Harbaugh embraced the vision and encouraged me to pave my own path. His parents, Jack and Jackie, attended my graduation at Michigan Ross as my guests. I'll always be grateful for that.
Michigan Athletics
Cultivating support
Through conversations across Michigan Athletics, I served as Assistant to Coach Harbaugh, advising student-athletes on Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities and supporting their academic growth. Those conversations revealed how much student-athletes wanted to give back to their communities, and that became the seed for Hail! Impact.
hailimpact.org · 2023 – 2025
Hail! Impact
Hail! Impact connected Michigan student-athletes with charitable work and offered education in brand development and entrepreneurship, taught alongside professors from Michigan Ross, Michigan Law, and Michigan Kinesiology.
Student-athletes who completed their service and coursework received a stipend to cover essentials and invest in their own ventures. Hail! Impact completed its mission in July 2025.
Be genuine. Be humble.Sparked by a simple email
This journey taught me the value of authentic relationships, of speaking up for opportunities, and of being driven by something bigger than personal achievement. The most fulfilling work I've done has come from trying to have a positive impact on others.