ScottWesterman.com

By Scott Westerman
Welcome to the world’s greatest University!

You heard some terrific speakers at Convocation this morning, each sharing their unique take on the MSU Magic. They spoke of the importance of scholarship and filling your mind with as much academic knowledge as it can hold. As Provost Wilcox likes to say, the fundamentals of successfully navigating higher educations are embodied in the Three G’s: Get Good Grades.

President Simon challenged you to dream big. When you graduate, what you learn here can be the foundation for the next big discovery. MSU invented hybrid corn and homoginized milk. We also invented two of the most important cancer chemotherapy drugs ever conceived, drugs that have literally saved thousands of lives, including my wonderful wife. Spartans Will write the next big chapter in world history. Be a part of it.

In my role as the MSU Alumni Guy, I want to add my two cents about what I believe will be the most important dimension of your MSU experience: Your friends.

The people you encounter on the banks of the Red Cedar during the next years will likely become some of the closest friends you’ll ever have. They can add value throughout your personal and professional life, just as you will inevitably enrich theirs.

In my personal experience, my best friends are those I met at MSU. At every turn of my varied career, there has been a Spartan connection, someone within my “six degrees of Spartan Nation” who said a kind word, made the hiring decision, or gave me crucial advice that made all the difference.

They say we have many acquaintences in life, but very few true friends. So choose those friends carefully. Build a diverse constillation of Spartan acquaintences. Get to know as many different types of people as you can.

Find one of the more than 600 student organizations on campus that touches your passion and get involved. I was a student radio guy in the days before there was The Impact. Our group of DJs still get together every year at homecoming. Whatever your interest, there is something for you at MSU.

Join the MSUAA Student Alumni Foundation. You’ll have an opportunity to participate in some of our most famous traditions, like the Izzone and Slapshots and will recoup your dues the first time you buy text books with your SAF Card. And you’ll be exposed to some of the most motivated, friendly and fun achievers on campus.

The education you get at MSU will be second to none. Your degree give you a competitive advantage. But it’s the friends you make and the things you do beyond the classroom that will ultiamtely become what we at the MSU Alumni Association call “Your Personal Network… for Life”.

Welcome home, to Michigan State!

Scott Westerman
Head Servant and Chief Evangelist
Michigan State University Alumni Association
wsw@msu.edu – @msuscottw on twitter

By Scott Westerman
I had the honor of speaking to 550 of MSU’s best on Tuesday. These are the Rez Life kids who man the front desks in our residence halls. For many, they are the first and most lasting impression of the MSU brand.

We talked about the challenges of being a human wiki, a psychologist, and a hall cop. Behind the smile that sits at these desks are individuals who walk a tightrope to guide and please all types of customers, from students and parents, to their supes and co-workers. Remembering my years at Wonders Hall, I was reminded of how much admiration I have for these special people.

We talked about the lifelong friendships that we make as a result of the student organizations we join, the causes we support and the jobs we do while studying “on the banks of the Red Cedar”. And we reflected on how our association with Michigan State truly makes us Spartans for life, with a world wide network of a half million instant friends who stand ready to help, whenever we may need them.

As I wound up my remarks, I trotted out “The List”:  My three favorite real world text books:

Good To Great – Jim Collins timeless meditation on what separates the consistently superlative performers from the rest of the field. From his definition of Level 5 Leadership to the irony of the Stockdale Paradox, Good to Great is a guide for the behaviors and strategies that can ensure long term sucess.

Never Eat Alone – When I was a student at MSU in the 70s, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” was the relationship bible. Keith Ferrazzi has rebooted Dale Carnegie, expanding on his sage wisdom and sharing the secrets of identifying and engaging with the 240 people that can energize your life.

Linchpin – Seth Godin’s gem on how to become indispensable has good advice for you, wherever you may be on the career ladder. In a world where there are always dozens of competitors for each opportunity, you’ll learn how to consistently set yourself apart from the crowd, whether you’re looking for a gig or working your way up the ziggurat.

For those of you who attended, thanks for sharing a part of your day with me! Here’s a 2 minute recap of the key points from our time together from the MSUAA YouTube channel.

Got questions? Want to talk? Write to wsw@msu.edu.

Editor’s Note: Noshir “Nosh” Amaria or @supernosh on twitter doesn’t blog. Nosh has been prepping for the medical boards and wanted to share some gratitude to those of you out there who have provided energy throughout this adventure. We’re happy to provide the web space!

To my fellow Spartan Friends, both in real life, and those I have yet to meet off of Twitter,

Most of you who follow me know that I like to keep things pretty light. I am not your typical type-A, self-absorbed, anal-retentative med-student. I like to take a big-picture approach to life and make people smile, even if its at my own expense. Yet, these past few weeks, I have had to focus my attention on my Step 2 Medial Boards, which is really the last big board exam for me before graduation in May. I have had to do this not because I wanted to, but because I really had no other choice but to do so. However, I did this not for the obvious reasons you might think. I am not motivated by being head of the class, I am not motivated by attaining great exam scores. The things that motivate me are more simple and big-picture. I am motivated by dreams, by family & friends, and by the people I wish to spend my life serving.

I got accepted MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2006, after 4 great and successful years as an MSU athletic trainer. I have lived in Michigan nearly all my life, yet most of my immediate family remains in Mumbai, India. When I got accepted to med-school, the first thing I did was get on a plane to India and tell my then 94-year-old grandpa that I had succeeded in that goal. I then promised him the next time I go back to visit him, I would achieve a higher goal. I told him I would be a doctor the next time he saw me. His english being so-so, he looked at me and smiled, also giving me a small subdued look, as if to say “I hope I will still be here then”.

I chose to take this board exam Wednesday, August 18th, 2010. I did so because it will be exactly one year from August 18th 2009, the day he left this Earth (He was 98, pretty strong guy ; ).

Most of you who have “met” me on Twitter, do not know what the process of medical school has been like for me. It has been a little different for me than my other counterparts. It has been a struggle, it has been a fight. I have failed exams, classes, I have failed more than I ever have in my entire life. I have been beaten down to the ground over and over, not knowing if I have enough strength, heart, and perseverance to keep getting up. Yet through all of the setbacks, heartache, and failure, I have found strength I never knew I could possibly have. I found these reserves of strength from the same sources that motivate me; family, friends (both old and new), grace of God, and of course….. dreams.

I am now closer to my ultimate goal,…… May 5th, 2011 (Graduation Day) than I have ever been. It brings tears to my eyes to daydream about what that day will be like. These past few weeks, whether you knew it or not, you all reminded me of how and why I have gotten to this point. Whether it was a funny tweet, a supportive gesture, or a courteous acknowledgment, you were true Spartans…….blindly helping and supporting others. I will always look to do the same for any of you, any time.

Tomorrow, August 18th, 2010.I look to keep a promise to keep to a great man. I promised him he would see his grandson be a doctor, and I know he will be watching.

We are proud. We are one. We are Spartans. And we will always help each other achieve our dreams. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Noshir “Nosh” Amaria

Noshir Amaria, ATC, CSCS
Michigan State University
College of Osteopathic Medicine
amariano@msu.edu