{"id":8018,"date":"2023-04-26T09:50:06","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T13:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/?p=8018"},"modified":"2023-04-26T09:50:37","modified_gmt":"2023-04-26T13:50:37","slug":"class-of-23-valedictorian-found-a-home-at-detroit-mercy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/2023\/04\/26\/class-of-23-valedictorian-found-a-home-at-detroit-mercy\/","title":{"rendered":"Class of ’23: Valedictorian found a home at Detroit Mercy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"KaraTo mark the graduation of the Class of 2023, Marketing & Communications is profiling several students who were nominated by staff and faculty for their contributions to the University and their potential to make a difference after graduation.\u202fClick here<\/a>\u00a0for more information about 2023 commencement exercises.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Kara Wolfbauer isn\u2019t going to remember every detail of her college experience, from class projects to softball games, internships or trips home to St. Clair Shores to be with family.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But what she will remember is how University of Detroit Mercy made her feel.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a life mantra for Wolfbauer, Detroit Mercy\u2019s Class of 2023 Valedictorian.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m blessed to have found all of these experiences and I\u2019m going to remember how the University made me feel that way,\u201d Wolfbauer said. \u201cI\u2019m not going to remember what awards I got or what grades I got in class, but when I look back now it doesn\u2019t really matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven thinking back to when I was a kid, maybe I don\u2019t remember why, but I remember how people made me feel and that\u2019s important. That\u2019s a big aspect of my life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The mantra goes back to when Wolfbauer was 11 years old, and lost her hair due to Alopecia areata, a condition that occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, that may be brought on by severe stress.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA big part of who I am is because I was bald,\u201d she said. \u201cI was an anxious child. I had a really happy childhood with my family, but I had a lot of things to learn. I was very stressed out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What could have been a frightening and terrifying moment ended up being a life-defining few years. Instead of being bullied by classmates, she found the opposite experience, like one where after parting with her wig for a softball tournament, all of her teammates matched her with bandanas.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll I remember is people being nice to me,\u201d she said. \u201cI didn\u2019t have any issues. I\u2019ve never had issues with it and that\u2019s because I remember how they made me feel. I had something unfortunate happen<\/span>,\u00a0but I learned a really, really big lesson from it. It\u2019s a big part of who I am.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt made me very confident in who I am.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That confidence was at center stage during her time at Detroit Mercy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only did Wolfbauer, a walk-on for the Titan softball team, dedicate herself and earn a starting role, scholarship and spot as a captain by the end of her athletic career, but she found her voice both in the classroom and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a Communications Studies major, Wolfbauer immersed herself into her studies and gained valuable experience as an in-arena host during Detroit Mercy basketball home games. She hosted the majority of men\u2019s and women\u2019s home games during her junior and senior years.<\/span><\/p>\n

It also led to an internship with the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL) at Jimmy John\u2019s Field in Utica, where she accepted a full-time job following her college graduation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Different parts of Detroit Mercy, from the College of Liberal Arts & Education, the Center for Career & Professional Development and the Athletic Department were instrumental in forging the connections that would help define her career path.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI went to Tracey Knowles in (CCPD) and she looked over my resume with me and I told her what I wanted to do with my life and she knew there had been a student who had done an internship with the USPBL,\u201d Wolfbauer said. \u201cP.J. Gradowski in the Athletic Department had a connection to the USPBL. Professor (Cynthia) Langham has always been helpful to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI got to explore and understand what I really liked. I\u2019m not sure I would have gotten this opportunity anywhere else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The opportunity to find her voice as a host during college was also instrumental for Wolfbauer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first started, I was very nervous,\u201d she admitted. \u201cI remember I would get scripts for basketball games and would memorize the heck out of them. But I learned how to be more personable on camera. I was just trying to figure it out. Once again, if I had gone to another school, they may not have been as patient with me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBetween Detroit Mercy and the USPBL, I\u2019m very comfortable now. I felt at home with the Calihan Hall crowd. The fanbase, from the people at Detroit Mercy and Jimmy John\u2019s Field, it all helped me find my voice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Wolfbauer initially had no set college plans as she neared the end of high school. And then her mother convinced her to attend Accepted Students Day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Wolfbauer\u201cWe walked into the Communications Studies department and we didn\u2019t go anywhere else after that,\u201d she said. \u201cProfessor Langham\u2019s son showed me around the department that day, showed me the Varsity News and all of this different stuff. My mom just kept looking at me and I said, \u2018I love this.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just big on feel. I walked in here and I stopped looking at all other schools and ended up here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The way the University embraces its students along with the people on the McNichols Campus have made Wolfbauer feel at home since she arrived.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I love genuinely about Detroit Mercy is that people come here from so many different religions and it\u2019s all inclusive and it\u2019s beautiful,\u201d she said. \u201cComing here, it\u2019s so different, it\u2019s so inclusive here. To me the Jesuit and Mercy values are about being a servant and being there for other people, it\u2019s not just about your religion. That\u2019s what I love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She\u2019s enjoyed the tight-knit community feel as she walks the campus each day.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve just been comfortable here,\u201d she said. \u201cOne of my favorite people on campus is Miss Cynthia, one of the workers at the (Titan Dining Room), there\u2019s just so many people here that I just love. The Wellness Center has been great, Mike Miller in Athletics. It really just is the people and the culture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Langham, chair of the Communication Studies department, has watched Wolfbauer flourish as a student from day one.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was exciting to watch Kara discover and take advantage of the many opportunities that were available to her,\u201d Langham said. \u201cEarly in her academic career, she recognized the importance of networking and took advantage of opportunities for internships both on campus and off campus. Kara’s kindness, genuineness and positive attitude will serve her well no matter where her path may lead her.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to being named Detroit Mercy\u2019s 2023 Valedictorian, Wolfbauer, who is also getting a Psychology degree from the University, received a plethora of honors at the 2023 College of Liberal Arts & Education Honors Convocation. She received several leadership honors and was named the John Daniels Student Leader of the Year Award, for showing outstanding growth throughout her undergraduate career and committing herself in the role of servant leader. She was also bestowed with the Communication Excellence Award.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wolfbauer is the seventh Titan student-athlete to earn the Valedictorian distinction at the University and second in four years, following Sarah Hirschmann in 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Wolfbauer delivers her commencement address on May 13, she\u2019ll be delivering it to more than the family, friends, classmates and others sitting in the Calihan Hall seats.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her grandparents, who were a second set of parents growing up to Wolfbauer, will be smiling down on the ceremony. Wolfbauer\u2019s grandmother knew she was going to apply for Valedictorian, but never found out that she was named the recipient.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both her grandparents passed away in the last year, her grandma just last month.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy family means everything to me,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything that I am is because of my mom and my grandparents. My grandma\u2019s goal was to make it to mine and my cousin\u2019s graduation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I think it\u2019ll be one of those things where it\u2019ll be sweet now, she missed my grandpa. I think they can watch together now. That\u2019s how I like to think of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really sweet that it was something that she was excited about and it worked out.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To mark the graduation of the Class of 2023, Marketing & Communications is profiling several students who were nominated by staff and faculty for their contributions to the University and their potential to make a difference after graduation.\u202fClick here\u00a0for more information about 2023 commencement exercises.\u00a0 Kara Wolfbauer isn\u2019t going to …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":8020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[22,4,29],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/88\/2023\/04\/wolfbauer-side.jpeg?fit=770%2C578&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Kcng-25k","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8018"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8018"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8021,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8018\/revisions\/8021"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.udmercy.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}