STUDENT IMPACT STORY Global Act of Generosity Spans Generations Sometimes a gift’s full impact comes to fruition years after it’s made. Sometimes it takes six-plus decades. Such is the case for Alais Starling Murillo, BBA ’21, whose path to the University of Michigan Ross School of Business began in the 1950s — 40-some years before she was even born. In the 1950s, a U-M Geography PhD student named Robert Nunley was visiting Costa Rica when he made quick friends with Carlos Murillo, a young man running a small grocery store. After several conversations, Nunley made him an offer: Move 3,644 miles to Ann Arbor, Michigan in exchange for free housing and support to obtain an American education. Carlos accepted, setting off a chain reaction of impacts that neither man could have imagined. More than 60 years later, his granddaughter, Alais, is preparing to take part in Michigan Ross’ commencement ceremony. Alais, who grew up in Pinckney, Michigan, is the first person in her family to attend U-M since her grandfather took electrical engineering courses at U-M Dearborn all those decades ago.
Alais Starling Murillo, BBA ’21
“It changed everyone’s whole life,” she said of Nunley’s gift. “My dad has four siblings, and they’re all living in the United States because of that. My grandpa ended up meeting my grandmother, building a life in Ann Arbor, and it’s made all of us the biggest Michigan fans.” Once Carlos made the trek northbound from Escazu to Ann Arbor, Nunley, who passed away in 2016, helped him secure a position as a custodian on campus. When Carlos wasn’t working, he was taking electrical engineering courses at U-M Dearborn. Later, he assumed his role in Wolverine gridiron history by becoming an usher in the student section at Michigan Stadium, a position he held for 27 years. He eventually went on to make a further impact in the Ann Arbor business scene by owning and operating Arbor Hills Hardware at the corner of Platt Road and Washtenaw Avenue before returning to his native country. There, he gave back to his community, playing Santa Claus for children in the neighborhood, as well as opening a community center where children could participate in soccer and other sports. Alais, who is an incoming product marketing manager at Microsoft, said her grandfather’s experience in Michigan helped shape her path to Michigan Ross. “He came to America with this entrepreneurial spirit. He always worked for himself down in
Carlos Murillo with grandchild
Robert Nunley, PhD ’58
Costa Rica and then he came up here with the same mentality,” she said. “That paved my path of wanting to come to Michigan and have a similar experience.” Nunley’s gift to her grandfather has stuck with Alais in profound ways. “It’s shown me that one piece of generosity can have the greatest impact on someone’s life. That’s something I hold true in my day-to-day life, trying to give back. You never know what the one thing is that will have the largest ripple effect.” To learn how you can help make a world of difference to someone, please visit michiganross.umich.edu/giving