Eugene had dreams of attending Michigan State University to study horticulture after high school. Many of his friends were going off to East Lansing. But his family did not have the money for him to go away to study, so there would be no pursuit of horticulture at MSU. He enrolled at the University of Detroit, living at home and commuting via bus or with friends to campus for classes and other activities.

Since there wasn’t a horticulture program at the University of Detroit, Eugene settled on Social Work as his major. But two years into his undergraduate studies, based on the advice of a mentor, he changed his mind and decided to pursue a business degree. That meant summer classes and doubling up credits in the fall and spring semesters to account for the shift in his major. He floated through his classes, doing well enough to pass but not excel because he had to maintain his two jobs to pay for school.

With the memories of picking through garbage cans for food and wearing the same trousers day after day to school not too distant a memory, he pushed himself to be better. In spite of the challenges of being a commuter student with two jobs and a full class load, Eugene used the words of his father to fuel his strong work ethic. Education came first, even when a fresh pot of coffee was his lifeline to fight off the need for sleep or when he loaded his accordion in the trunk of his car at 2 a.m. after playing another gig. His goals were still in front of him.

Somewhere during his senior year, his mentor approached him with a unique opportunity: a couple more semesters of business courses and he could complete his M.B.A.  By then he had moved into the residence halls at the university, finding it easier to study and avoid the distractions of home. His older brother, the chosen one, had already graduated with an education degree and was teaching chemistry at a local high school. Now he had a chance to one-up him and become the “big shot” in the family. He decided to pursue the extra courses and complete his Master’s Degree.