Choosing his Path
by Following his Heart
As a child, attending Miami University wasn’t part of Alex Tyree’s plan, even though his dad, Al, was a proud and engaged alumnus. “I was a kid who grew up with NBA dreams. And I thought I would probably go to the NBA straight after high school. If not, I was probably going to go to Ohio State, or another really, really big school. I didn’t ever see myself coming here.” His NBA dream lasted until high school, when his rational thinking caused him to conclude that professional basketball wasn’t in his future.“I knew I wanted to get into business. I knew I had a business mind. And I thought, ‘If I’m going to go to a business school, I want to go to Miami.’” While he was confident in his decision, he knew that he wanted guidance to ensure he would get the most out of his Miami years, and best position himself for his career. Connecting with Farmer School Director of Business Organizations and Diversity, Michelle Thomas, was a wise decision. “I didn’t really have my personal plan laid out about how I was going to make that happen. It was Michelle Thomas who helped lay that out for me. She said, ‘This is what I want you to do, this is what you should be doing.’ I remember going to her my freshman year and just wanting to make sure that I was doing the right things and putting myself in the right position to meet the right people. And she was there along the way, each year, each semester. Mrs.Thomas’s advice, and Alex’s passion for helping others and his creative talents led him into becoming a resident assistant, working with underclassmen in a dorm; joining Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity; as well as performing with the Miami University Gospel Singers and serving on the Performing Arts Advisory Board.
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