WATCH - RISE: Beyond the Jersey - Blueprints and Finish Lines

My running journey began with competitive meets in seventh grade after joining the junior high cross country team. Before that, I used to do 5Ks and mile fun-runs with my mom. I kept running throughout high school and enjoyed it, but it wasn't my main focus. I was in the band and I was taking hard classes, so I just ran and didn't think too much of it. I began getting recruited by Toledo during my senior year of high school. Once I started looking into the university, I noticed the College of Engineering and was immediately interested in trying to major in engineering while running collegiately.

My woodworking journey began during my time at Bryan High School. Each class at the school makes its own float each year and my class would constantly go above and beyond during these competitions. One year, my class decided to build a huge pirate ship out of wood pallets which is when I was introduced to woodworking after using lots of tools to bring the pirate ship of our dreams to life.

When quarantine happened during the COVID-19 pandemic, my brother and I began to spend time in the woods and build small forts. We started with bushcraft, and after building it out for about a month, we began to sleep out there since it was almost like our own little cabin. We then built a treehouse, but once the weather turned and I couldn't spend much time out there I had to find something else to keep busy with.
  I decided to clean out the garage and started carving spoons and making knife handles. This is when I began watching YouTube videos about woodworking, and everything took off from there. I started with my dad's project tools, an old circular saw and a messed up miter saw. The next summer I began making small items, such as coasters and soap trays, and displaying them on Facebook. I was able to sell items locally to friends, families and people in the community.

This allowed me to build up a profile and create a direct line of communication so people could reach out directly if they needed anything. I was able to grow my business from this which allowed me to save up money and purchase new tools. With the growth of the business, I was able to use my free time to build two big commissions -- a dresser and a bed, as well as a handful of smaller items -- to pay for my freshman year of college.

I entered my freshman year of college as a construction engineering technology student. My major was pretty demanding in addition to being a student-athlete on the men's cross country team. I tabled woodworking; it was just a hobby and I could use the makerspace on campus to create laser art if I wanted to.

After my freshman year of college, I had a co-op with a construction company. It was a really hard position. I ended up working on a four-mile stretch of I-75 and was immediately thrown into the field where I was a laborer for the entire summer. I was living alone for the first time and all I would do was run, go to my co-op and then run again. After that summer, I decided to switch my major to business. The switch allowed me to manage a job and fully commit to woodworking. I am now studying entrepreneurship and innovation with a minor in digital marketing, and I'm also receiving a graphic design certificate. I've also taken a lot of visual art courses, like sculptural design and drawing, just for fun.

 

After switching my major, I also started to focus on my Instagram account that I began in 2020 that was dedicated to woodworking and my projects. During the summer between my freshman and sophomore year, I saw the most growth on my channel. After changing my major, I was able to put a larger emphasis on my social media content this year compared to actual building of projects. The account has seen a lot of organic growth thanks to my consistent posting. Every day for four years, I've posted two videos a day which has created a really strong community and great connections with my followers and brands. I've ended up working with multiple companies because of my social media. The brands will send me tools, and even clothing and boots to promote. While working on my current projects, I will record videos of the process to create each piece. When the project is completed, I will then edit and post videos on my social channel and tag the company for their tools or gear in the final video. Due to these videos, I've been able to do some really cool builds with a variety of brands. Being able to focus in on the content creation has allowed me to have more freedom when it comes to building because client work is hard.
  My main workshop is back home, but I've been working on a big project on UT's campus for the past year. I've been in charge of building a woodshop for the College of Engineering. Throughout my time on campus, I have been involved in the Makers Society. When I heard about the renovations coming to the College of Engineering and the new Paul Hotmer Makerspace, I wanted to get involved. Upon hearing that the school was interested in adding a woodshop, I immediately began to get involved. I ended up writing a 10-page proposal that included budgeting, designing and the best ideas for the space.

I proposed my ideas to the College of Engineering Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Matthew Franchetti, and we began working on the project together. We started with the build-out and preparing the space, which then became my summer job. I worked on the layout and created renderings with 3D models of the space. I compiled a whole list of tools and the priority of each – Phase I, Phase II and Phase III. I then began outreach to companies I had relationships with from my content creation. I ended up getting a lot of donations for the shop in turn for some videos that were posted on my social media channel.

 

In the Fall 2024 semester, the tools began showing up on campus. I began setting them up and created a well-thought-out plan. These were many of the nicest tools in the woodworking world for the size of that space. In the spring, I began working on the cabinets, tables and everything else while still being in contact with various brands to see if we could get any more donations. One brand reached out to me about a computer numerical control (CNC) and I told them if they could gift it to the woodshop, I would be able to work on content for them, so they did. This has been my job for about the last year. We hosted our first class in March of 2025 and I was able to teach the class. All of these opportunities have allowed me to stay involved at UT and grow my passion while also being the best student and athlete I can be. The marketing side of things and getting people trained and able to use the makerspace is the next step.
  I'm still busy in my home workshop back home in West Unity, Ohio when I'm not being a Division I cross country student-athlete or helping create the makerspace on campus. I enjoy focusing on high-end furniture and custom builds. I like to turn woodworking into an art form and look to have that show up in my work. Some of my favorite and most creative builds include epoxy river tables, my own bedframe and a coffee table and media cabinet.

Social media has helped me grow my business to the next level, but I am really excited to compete in my senior season with the men's cross country team and work towards another Mid-American Conference Championship. Once my competitive running days are over, I know exactly where I can end up  – my work bench.
 
"RISE: Beyond the Jersey" gives University of Toledo student-athletes an opportunity to reflect in their own words on their experiences as Rockets. R.I.S.E. is an important component of the Toledo Athletics' Strategic Plan and stands for our values of Resilience, Integrity, Servanthood and Excellence.

For more information on the Toledo Strategic plan, please visit risetogethertoledo.com.