Student-Athlete Spotlight Series: Balancing Academics and Athletics at the University of Michigan

Balancing life as a student-athlete at the University of Michigan is no easy task. In this series, U-M football players who are getting their business done on the field and in the classroom are spotlighted as a credit to their work ethic and organization. Get to know them better as students by learning what subjects, experiences, teachers, professors, and lessons have impacted them most during their academic careers in this Student-Athlete Spotlight Series.

Q. As you consider your time remaining as a student-athlete at the University of Michigan, what do you want your legacy to be off the field and on?
Caden Kolesar: I try to think more about being in the present since I can’t control what other people think, hence what my legacy will be. So, as I said, for me, it’s more about staying in the present and working as hard as I can. My goal at the end of the day is to be an example of what a Michigan Man is supposed to be, on and off the field.

Q. Outside of your athletic achievements, what are you most proud of during your time at the University?
CK: There are social and academic aspects at this university. Socially, I’m proud to have made a great group of friends and met a bunch of people from all over. Academically, I’m proud to have twice received the Big Ten Distinguished Scholar award and to be a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Although I don’t let these awards determine my success, it’s nice to be rewarded for the hard work I put in.

Q. What has been the important skill that you have developed in your time at Michigan and in achieving your academic goals?
CK: Time management is definitely a great go-to skill, but I would also say leveraging your networks and the skills you have developed outside of the classroom. I’ve personally found that I can take a lot of the skills I’ve learned on the football field and translate them into my academics. Because of my time on the team, I’ve been able to develop a unique approach to certain skills such as collaboration, teamwork, and, most importantly, the ability to simply put my head down and get to work.

Q. What is your biggest goal for the academic year?
CK: Being a graduate student, our work is mainly group work and collaborative, so my main goals have been around making genuine relationships with my fellow classmates and the professors at Ross. I’m not really focused on grades as much as I used to be because I’m no longer an undergrad. I’m mainly prioritizing those relationships and learning as much as I can.

Q. What’s some advice you would give an incoming freshman, or someone interested in attending the University of Michigan?
CK: A piece of advice I’d give is to branch out. I’ve realized that when you’re on campus, it’s easy to be in your own bubble. Especially when you’re on the football team, there are 130 or so guys; that’s more than enough friends. I would tell freshman to expand their horizons, make new relationships, and get involved in as many different things as they can. Be open to every new experience that you can have, because there are so many here. I will be honest, it’s sometimes hard to go after the unfamiliar, especially when you can stay in your own comfort zone. At the end of the day, stepping out of that comfort zone, meeting new people, and being more open to new experiences will be what’s most rewarding. I’d also suggest to everyone that they set their goals and priorities straight at least twice a year. It’s important to remind yourself of your benchmarks every day. Know what your top two or three priorities are. Spend your energy and give your attention to those things. Otherwise, you will run yourself too thin. I usually write them down and put them on my door. Obviously, there’s time for things outside of your priorities, but if you’re really set on being successful, then you have to make the main thing the main thing.

Q. What was the best school field trip you ever went on?
CK: This past summer in graduate school, we went to the Henry Ford Museum, which was pretty cool. The trip was structured around innovation. We went to both the main museum and the River Rouge factory, where they make the F-150. We were able to sit in on their company presentation and public announcement of the new F-150, which was super unique and memorable.

Q. What is your favorite memory from elementary or middle school?
CK: My favorite memory from elementary school was from the third grade. It was winter; we were out at recess on the blacktop, and it was snowing. I was a big soccer player back then; I hadn’t played football yet. My friends got me involved in their football scrimmage right before recess was over. The game was coming down to the wire. My best friend was playing quarterback on the other team, and just as our teacher was blowing the whistle to go inside, I intercepted my best friend’s pass and ran it back for a touchdown. That’s what made me want to play football. I came home that day from school and told my parents, “Mom, Dad, I want to play football.” What’s also funny about that story is that my best friend, the quarterback on the other team, is still my best friend to this day and plays as a middle linebacker and team captain at Ohio State.

Q. Are you involved in any extracurricular clubs or leadership activities?
CK: I was involved in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, SAAC, in my junior year. With graduate school and football being my top priorities, I’m not involved in additional extracurricular clubs at the moment.

Q. In addition to your professors, who have been the most influential person in your academic career?
CK: My mom has been the most influential person in my academic career, especially when I was younger. She helped me form a lot of the important habits that I have today and has always supported me in all facets of my life.

Q. What has been your most memorable academic experience?
CK: My most memorable academic experience was this past semester in ENVIRON 391. The course covered the environment around the campus. We were paired in one group for the whole semester, and each group was assigned a different final project. My group’s final project was to build a student board for the Arb and the Botanical Garden. We basically had to start from scratch and ended up spending the whole semester building it out. At the end of the semester, we had the opportunity to present our board structure to leadership at the School of Environment and Sustainability. That entire experience was super rewarding and formative for me.

Q. What has been your favorite class or two and why, what professor has had the greatest impact?
CK: Everyone already knows about this course, but I loved The History of College Athletics, EDUC 212, with Professor John Bacon. That was a sick class. Since I grew up a huge Michigan fan, with both my grandpa and dad playing here, I already knew a bunch of the information, but it was cool seeing it from a different perspective as a student. That’s a pretty basic answer, so a more unique class that I really enjoyed was AMCULT 374, History of the 60s. I’m a big fan of classic rock, which we got to cover in a section of the course.

Although a lot of my professors have had a big impact on my academic career, the most influential instructor and overall person in my life was my Social Studies teacher, Mr. Sullivan, back in middle school. To put it quite simply, he set me on the right path. At that time in life, there were two paths I could have gone down, and he noticed that in me. He saw me starting to go down the wrong way, and he stopped me, making sure I went the right way. He was the track coach and athletic director for our middle school, so before I went to practice, he would make me do three nice things a day. So, for a whole year, I would have to go to his classroom after school and report back on the three nice things I did that day.

Q. What is your favorite book and podcast?
CK: My favorite book is “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho. My favorite podcast is “Huberman Lab.” Huberman is a neuroscientist who covers mainly health-related topics. Super interesting guy with a lot of great advice and knowledge.

2023-11-02 14:41:42
#Football #StudentAthlete #Spotlight #Caden #Kolesar