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He
graduated from The University of Toledo with a B.S. in
administrative services in 1999 and first began working as
an intermittent call-in entering application data into the
system before steadily moving up to his current position,
director of freshman admission.
Pierce
hopes students pursing higher education will look at him as
an example of success.
“I want
my life, up to this point, to be an example to students that
you can be successful,” said Pierce. “You can earn a college
degree; you can overcome obstacles; you can realize your
dreams.”
According to Pierce, both of his parents and much of his
extended family had degrees, which led to an expectation
that college would be his next step after high school.
“My
parents would always tell me and my brothers that education
was something that can never be taken away from you and
obtaining a college degree could open many doors of
opportunity,” said Pierce.
Although
Pierce did receive his college degree, he admits that there
were a few struggles on the way, one being when his parents
discovered he had not been performing well over a few
semesters.
“They
were pretty disappointed and it was from that day I decided
never to let them down like that again,” Pierce said. “I
realized that I was headed down the wrong path and would
never achieve my goals. I had to make a choice either to be
discouraged by the situation or use it as a learning
experience.”
Pierce
learned a great deal from his experience and advises young
students in college struggling to find the right path, to
never give up.
“The
collegiate road will become rough at times, but it is always
important to set goals, both short-term and long-term, and
remain focused on those goals, and to hold yourself
accountable,” said Pierce. “Challenges will come and go and
there’s a choice that must be made; you can either allow
those challenges to prohibit you from achieving or you can
view each challenge as a learning experience.”
As a
current role model, Pierce himself was also inspired by many
others, though he claims his biggest role models were his
parents.
“It is
my father’s work ethic that I carry with me today,” said
Pierce. “It is my mother’s humbleness and kind spirit that
nurtured us and taught us how to take care of ourselves and
how to put family first.”
Striving
to be a role model for UT students is something Pierce
continually puts first at every opportunity. Be it a college
fair or visiting with a family in his office, he wants to
share his story about how his degree helped him get to the
point in his career he is at today.
“I want
to be a role model for all students, particularly
African-American students, that you can do whatever you set
your mind to,” said Pierce. “The only limits are the limits
that you place on yourself.”
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