My father and I were traveling back from New York City to our home in Indiana when we needed to take a break from driving and eat while coming down I-71. We stopped at the Denny’s near the highway and noticed a fair amount of college-aged kids in the restaurant. After a short discussion with our waitress, we found out there was a university in the small town of Ashland. We decided to drive into town to see the campus. I was currently attending Purdue University, but my sister, Kayla Ray (AU, ‘14) was in the middle of trying to find the right college. After we got home, Kayla (who was not with my father and me on our initial discovery) decided to take the four-hour trip from Indiana to tour the campus. Kayla immediately fell in love with Ashland and decided to attend after taking a campus tour. Little did we know, this was just the beginning of our family’s Ashland journey. Through my sister, I ended up meeting my wife Abby Leboza (AU, ’15), who also attended Ashland and was a part the university’s swim team. The summer immediately following Abby’s Ashland graduation, we moved to Florida together so Abby could start her master’s degree at Nova Southeastern University to become a physician’s assistant. Seeing Abby continue her education inspired me, so I decided to go back to school as well. In the fall of 2015, I enrolled in Ashland University’s online MBA program. I am proud to write that, as of the spring of 2018, I too am an Ashland alumnus. Our family’s ties to Ashland far exceed the boundaries of Ashland County. Kayla, Abby and I continue to develop and maintain the relationships with the fantastic people we met at Ashland as we all grow our careers across the country.
