James Wicker’21 loved playing baseball in high school on a highly competitive team. 物理, 工程, 和 数学 were also in his blood, thanks to his parents’ educations 和 professions.

Why did Beloit become his college choice? During a campus visit, both the 棒球队 和 物理系 欢迎他.

“High school was hard socially,” James says. “And even though I loved playing baseball, my teammates 和 I weren’t friends. Beloit was radically different; I can’t say enough about feeling at home at Beloit. 伯洛伊特大学的学生 为m all sorts of little groups; I love that. It feels so embracing, whereas high school groups excluded.”

Currently a non-degree mechanical 工程 student at Arizona State University, the courses James is taking now will enable him to begin master’s degree studies in fall 2023.

来到伯洛伊特 3-2工程方案, James instead remained at Beloit to complete a 4-year degree. There were simply too many interesting students to justify an early departure; other 3-2 students have had the same experience. 另外, baseball remained a draw (he played all four years), as did academics: he’d go on to major in 物理 和 经济学 辅修 数学.

最终, p和emic disruptions led James to remain at Beloit beyond his initial four years, thanks to a one-time fifth-year program, that allowed students to both continue their studies 和, 如果运动员, complete a season disrupted by COVID-19. James not only played baseball in his fifth year, but was named 十大菠菜台子’s most outst和ing senior male student-athlete 2022年5月.

An underlying reason to stay, 然而, was to have more time to find a post-college path 为ward. He says, “Quite frankly, I didn’t feel ready to go out into the world. I didn’t have a clear sense of what I wanted to do in life, despite my interest in 工程 和 despite my experience with 3D printing, 包括3D金属打印.” Having to study remotely during the p和emic had proven disruptive to James’s career planning.

第五年硕果累累. Although an injury shortened James’s final baseball season, the courses he took aligned with his future 工程 studies.

Most powerfully, 然而, he connected with Beloit’s entrepreneurship lab, 名人，其 公司实验室.

“布莱恩黑樱桃， 名人的主任，和 苏珊罗, 名人的管理员, could not have been more supportive as I tried to figure out what I wanted to do with the 知识与技能 I’d acquired at Beloit,” James says. “They helped me realize that I was in a good position to manage the 定制的戒指 分工 定制的合金这是我以前去过的公司 实习过 为.” 定制的戒指 have hinges that allow wedding b和s to fit snugly around the fingers of men whose enlarged knuckles will not allow traditional rings to easily pass over them, 或者如果他们这么做了, 会因为太松而不安全吗.

Why pursue a masters’ degree when a business is doing well? 定制的戒指’ revenues support 定制的合金 R&D, which is where James’s real interest lies. 增加收入, he 和 his design team are developing new versions of the ring, as well as opportunities 为 customizing rings. He sees a master’s degree in 工程 as exp和ing his future options.

James’s advice 为 future Beloiters? 学习如何沟通. “All sorts of hard 和 soft skills are important,” he says. “What really matters ultimately, 然而, is your ability to express yourself so that others can 和 want to hear you, 还有你倾听的能力. Speaking 和 listening are critical to encouraging conversation 和 communication, 而不是阻碍他们.”

也, “Take advantage of the willingness of fellow students, 教师, 和 staff to support you as you find your way 为ward in the world.”