This is part of #EberlyDoesSports, a series from the IUP Eberly College of Business and Information Technology that focuses on business majors who play team sports, club sports, or are involved in sports at a community or individual level.
Mike Rycharski played on the IUP Ice Hockey team and is an MBA student the in Eberly College. He chose to attend IUP because, after he visited the campus, he knew he would enjoy going to school here.
Mike had friends on the hockey team and a couple friends from home that also attended the university, and that made his decision a little easier. Playing hockey for the school also was a determining factor that made Mike come to IUP. He also heard great things about Eberly that made him want to pursue his education here.
After talking with Mike, he explained where he is from and how he found IUP. "I am from north of Philadelphia in an area called Bucks County, specifically in Warrington Township. I found IUP through other friends and family. My friend's father attended IUP, and that's where I originally heard of the school. I also had friends on the hockey team that told me to come to IUP and visit.
"I have had nothing but great experiences during my time here in Eberly for my undergrad and graduate classes. For my undergrad I was only in Eberly for my minor; however, the classes and professors that I had were great. They were very helpful and gave me a lot of knowledge that I can apply for my future career. There were countless opportunities that Eberly offered to help me in my professional career," explained Rycharski.
Mike has been playing ice hockey his entire life, playing for his high school and numerous travel teams outside of Philadelphia. He played on the IUP Ice Hockey team for four years as a key defenseman. He has made amazing friends and countless memories throughout his years playing for the school. Playing hockey for IUP was a great experience.
Mike's plans post-graduation: "After graduating with my MBA, I plan on spending one more summer in South Jersey, where I work as a parasail mate for Atlantic Parasail, and complete my training for my captain's license. After the summer my plans are to move to Saint Thomas USVI, where I plan on working on and operating a parasail boat. IUP and Eberly have taught me a lot and have prepared me for my future endeavors.
"Some of my core values and beliefs would include always being optimistic and not worrying about the little things. I believe that everything will work out in the end as long as you do your best and are honest. I try my best to never stress and always think of the positive thingslife is too short to be negative."
About #EberlyDoesSports
The #EberlyDoesSports series focuses on business majors who play team sports, club sports, or are involved in sports at a community or individual level.
Associate Dean Cyndy Strittmatter is overseeing the project. "We are proud of our students who balance their academics with extracurricular activities and recognize the commitment that it takes to excel at all levels. We look forward to sharing their accomplishments with the IUP community and beyond! While this series focuses on athletes, there will be other special series that recognize the broad range of interests and activities of our business students," said Strittmatter.