Finance Major, MBA
"Take advantage of the opportunity of a lifetime, in the lifetime of the opportunity."
Eric Thomas
"The opportunity during your lifetime is unfortunately only a finite time period. However, you have the opportunity to do whatever you what and whatever you can do in a lifetime to make it enjoyable, fulfilling, and productive. Eberly has certainly given me the tools and the opportunity to have a successful future and to hopefully make a difference during my lifetime.
"I am from Georgetown, Texas which is quite a bit different than running around the streets of Indiana, Pennsylvania. For one, I rarely had to reach for my umbrella in the morning, and I most certainly never had to grab my winter coat and snow boots.
"Coming out of high school, I was highly recruited to play basketball in college and was fortunate enough to receive several athletic scholarships. I chose to go to Drake University in Des Moines, and was there for two great years. I then decided to transfers schools and ended up finding a wonderful home in IUP. The decision to transfer to IUP was incredibly easy once I visited the campus and found out how prestigious both the academics and the basketball program were. I was blessed to play basketball for three years under Coach Lombardi, and had the opportunity to not only receive my undergraduate degree in finance, but received my MBA as well.
"As a member of both the basketball team and Eberly I participated in a plethora of community service projects as well as volunteer activities. These consisted of traveling to local schools and speaking to students of all ages about the importance of education and other skills needed to be successful in both basketball and in the classroom. I also participated in community service projects such as volunteering at the local nursing homes, St. Thomas Moore book drive, and various food drives throughout the years.
"Eberly College of Business and Information Technology is truly a wonderful school and has the culture in which the students truly feel the value and have the chance to grow as a student and a businessperson. Personally, I was able to broaden on the skills that it takes to be successful in the workplace, and I genuinely thank Eberly for that opportunity.
"I plan on giving back to both Eberly, the basketball program, as well and the community of Indiana as best I can in the future."