-: Ball State University changed my life.
Last night, I was honored at an event,
Muncie's 20 under 40,
and I had my mother on one side
and my father on another,
and I come from a blue class manufacturing background.
First person in my family to go to college.
And I turned to my parents and said,
"Did you ever think
that an Isaacs would be on a stage like this?"
And the truth is none of us thought so.
But it was made possible, I firmly believe,
because of my experiences at Ball State University.
The things I learned, particularly through my involvement
outside of the classroom,
completely different perspective on diversity.
I came from a very white, very homogenous,
very rural place and, to me,
Ball State was a big city,
which is probably funny to most people,
but not for a kid like me.
So I learned so much about interacting with different races,
sexual orientations, religions,
ability, disability, you name it.
Ball State helped me understand
just how many different kind of people out there
and how important it was to work in a diverse world.
Ball State taught me so much about student leadership
and, eventually, professional leadership.
I still use the skills today.
I was doing a workshop just last month
called Mastering Meetings.
Things I learned about how to run a meeting
as a 19-year-old undergraduate,
I was teaching professionals in a workshop just last month.
So, and then personally, Ball State impacted me.
I met my wife on campus.
And so I worked here at Ball State for 10 years.
I got a Masters Degree in higher education
because Ball State meant so much to me,
I wanted to do the same thing for students.
My wife still is here.
Our boys go to Burris Laboratory School,
which is a part of Ball State.
We go to Noyer Hall every October
because that's where my wife and I met
and we walk around campus,
so I don't even feel like
I've answered that question with justice,
because Ball State has done so much for me.