Fire in their hearts and ice in their blood

This post was written by Claire Everts, a senior business administration major who is graduating in May 2020. Claire has also worked as a School of Management student marketing assistant for the past three years.

The summer of 2019 was a turbulent time. Drastic state budget cuts were announced that included severe cuts to the University of Alaska system. Due to the budget crisis, many students felt the need to accelerate their degree programs to ensure they could finish school before any possible changes were made to programs.

Three juniors in the School of Management, all of them UAF hockey players majoring in business administration – Steven Jandric, Max Newton, and Justin Young – have gone to extreme lengths to ensure they will be able to graduate this year. In order to make it happen, they enrolled in up to eight classes a semester, while still maintaining good GPAs and being successful on the ice. Together, these motivated students set forth to complete their degrees in three years instead of four. The bond they have developed as they set forth on this journey has helped them not only with their schoolwork and classes, but also on the ice and in their personal lives.

Hockey is a big part of their lives; they sometimes devote up to seven hours a day to hockey, spending what little free time they have focused on their studies. They noted that one of the most important boundaries for them is to keep hockey and schoolwork separate. Although it is difficult to do and sometimes the workload gets a little overwhelming, these students have worked closely with their professors to get the work done.

“We’ve turned adversity into a positive,” said Max Newton. “Being so far ahead and finishing this semester, getting to start the MBA in the fall and being able to move on so quickly is not something that everyone gets to do in four years. It’s pretty cool to have been able to do it all.”

What these three have accomplished really shows what School of Management students are made of.



Now fast forward to this spring semester as we all face the global COVID-19 pandemic. This same trio who were so close to finishing their degrees are now facing the complications caused by the virus outbreak. Although living conditions have drastically changed, these determined students are still persevering. Understandably, they have faced the many challenges that go hand-in-hand with this shared experience, including changing class schedules and missing out on the experience of in-person classes and interactions with instructors and students. However, the pandemic does have a positive side, offering them more freedom and flexibility in completing their classwork now that everything is online.

With this set back, many students are having to work even harder to accomplish their goals this semester. We are happy to report that these outstanding students are all still on track to complete their goals of early graduation. In addition, they are all continuing on to obtain their master’s degrees, as well.

When asked if they had any advice for other students who may be struggling right now with all of the changes they are facing, Steve Jandric said, “Don’t get distracted and stay focused on your work.” Max Newton suggests “Schedule stuff out for the whole week. Seeing the work that you need to get done mapped out on paper makes it seem a lot more achievable.” Finally, they all stress the importance of communicating with your professors. If you have any trouble, your professors will be there to help you out.

They started off as strangers and are finishing this journey together as friends. Through all of the ups and downs they have endured, they are finishing strong. They said that they could not have accomplished what they have without the incredible support from UAF, the School of Management, and the coaching staff and other players on the hockey team. Congratulations to all three of them as they continue working toward their dreams even through adversity!