Post by Tristan Luoma on Oct 28, 2013 21:44:10 GMT -5
Tristan Luoma
Sophomore - Ross School of Business BBA
Interests: Cooking, baking, travel, music making, music listening, nature
Member of: Michigan Marching Band, optiMize Core Team, Michigan Sustainable Foods Initiative
Hey! I'm Tristan. I'm currently a Sophomore studying business, but I'm considering converting back to LS&A to study Organizational Studies. I'm a trumpet player in the Michigan Marching band, and I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. All my life, I've wanted to own a restaurant. I've grown up cooking with my dad, but my passions have turned mostly to baking. Before I settle down somewhere and begin a small business endeavor, however, I want to change something in the world. I've grown up around community work through my church back home in the U.P. of Michigan, and it's something I never want to leave behind. I find it vital to feel like I'm making a difference while I'm at the University, not just paying $100k to get a degree.
I was lucky to find optiMize during my freshman year. A friend of mine told me about a mass meeting for a social entrepreneurship club he'd heard about, so we thought we'd give it a try. Little did I know how big of a difference it would make in my life. It's exposed me to countless motivated and driven students who think the same way I do. For a semester, I was afraid I wouldn't find anybody who would want to do what all of these people wanted to do. To all of a sudden be in a room around 100 of them was breathtaking. I knew I was on to something. I joined ReSource Fund (2012 winners of the Social Innovation Challenge) with the same friend, and after a semester of engaging work, I was able to look back at my winter semester and be proud of what I'd done. I ultimately decided to join the optiMize Core Team while I plan to work on a project of my own in the coming years. I'm so delighted to be surrounded by all of these awesome people.
As I said, I'm from the U.P. in Marquette, MI. If you've never been there, go! It's so beautiful in the summer, and contrary to popular belief, it's NOT a part of Canada, and it does NOT snow year round. I've grown up swimming in Lake Superior, rooting for the Green Bay Packers, and aspiring to become a Michigan Wolverine. My time has come, and I'm so glad to be here--of that, I'm reminded daily.