Adapting to Change on the field & in the classroom.

by Jen Wingerter ’13

When B.J. Wilson was voted team captain for the QU Hawks football team by his teammates, he was surprised. For B.J., leadership is quiet, leading by example, and caring for the people around you.

W hen B.J. is studying in the Student Success Center, he disciplines himself to do his homework and not be on his phone. In the weight room and at practice, B.J. gives his all.

“My teammates see that. If I’m not studying or would skip a rep, somebody is going to see that and think they can skip a rep or they don’t have to study," said B.J.

Mike McCabe, director of IT, has been an influential leader for B.J. as Mike willingly works alongside his team and student workers to complete necessary projects.

“I was working in the attic above the new weight room two summers ago. It

is dark, dirty, and cramped, and I could not find the light to run the wire up there. After struggling for a while, I called Mike, and he crawled up to the attic to help. I thought, ‛He’s the boss. He does not have to do this,’” said B.J.

Another influencer for B.J. is Coach Gary Bass, and B.J. appreciates the culture he has created within the football program.

“He is focused and determined that we will be good men when we leave college. That is his main goal. He wants to win football games, but he wants us to be good men too,” said B.J.

The thing that makes B.J. stand out most as a leader is his ability to adapt to change.

I honestly was not expecting that. My leadership style isn’t as vocal as others, so I was surprised they

chose me. -B.J. Wilson

She [his mother] pushed two things from day one while I was in high school–major in a degree that is in high demand and pays well. She encouraged me to pursue computer science or the law. -B.J. Wilson

When he arrived at QU, he wanted to be a tight end but was moved to offensive line left tackle instead. B.J. had to adjust and overcome self-doubt.

“I did not think there was a chance I was going to be able to play as a left tackle,” said B.J. “I was 260 lbs. and not very strong.”

Despite his doubts, B.J. accepted the change and worked hard to improve.

“I’m proud that I have continued to improve my skills as a left tackle,” said B.J. “I decided, if I’m going to do this, I'm going to be good at it.”

Initially, B.J. planned on majoring in cybersecurity, but the program was not available until his junior year. He pivoted and decided to double major in criminal justice and computer science and later

added a minor in cybersecurity. His mom was influential in helping him make that decision.

“She pushed two things from day one while I was in high school–major in a degree that is in high demand and pays well,” said B.J. “She encouraged me to pursue computer science or the law.” B.J. had some concerns. He grew up playing video games and playing on the computer but had little experience with coding. In high school, he feared public speaking, so going into law was intimidating.

Undeterred by his uncertainty, B.J. chose both.

As he started taking computer science classes, he found he enjoyed them. He overcame his fear of public speaking and participated in the Academic Symposium, something he never expected to do.

Proudest of: Making the Dean's List his first semester

Biggest adjustment to college life: Social life - balancing it with class and practice.

Why QU? Family feel, the people - faculty, coaching staff and other players.

Surprised B.J. about college: Being in the Criminal Justice Program

Involvement on campus: Football team member, Student Life–RA, Pi Beta Beta member, Academic Symposium presenter, student worker for the IT Department

Hometown: North County St. Louis, Missouri

People might be surprised to know: Enjoys baking. As a side job and hobby B.J.’s dad bakes cakes. B.J. found a way to use his dad’s red velvet cake recipe to make cake pops and sold them on campus to make some extra money while at school.

I was not always confident I was going to be able to finish, but now here I am, at the end of the line.

-B.J. Wilson

“Professor (Husam) Ghazaleh suggested that I and two classmates design a virtual reality football game to present at the Academic Symposium,” said B.J.

New to the world of virtual reality programming, they spent time researching the process. After a disappointing discovery that they built the game in the wrong program, the team had to start over.

“It was hard and took a lot of perseverance to continue to work on it outside of class because it did not go the way we thought it was going to,” said B.J.

Six weeks before the symposium, they finally started making progress, and by the Academic Symposium, the game was ready to play.

Through his time at QU, B.J. has set goals but learned the path that gets you there needs to be flexible. Rather than getting stuck on one solution to solve a problem, B.J. adapted.

BJ’s plans to work a couple of years after graduation from QU in the computer science field, then go to law school and study cybersecurity law.