A Xavier alum took a trip down memory lane as he returned to Xavier for an internship with Activities Director, Mr. Andy Umthun.

Although Mr. Brendan Miller (X13) was no longer involved in his own Xavier activities, he still wanted to continue being a part of them as much as possible. With the new A.D. Certificate offered at the University of Iowa, Miller’s curiosity and interest were sparked. He chose to return to Xavier as an intern to relive his experience as a student and to continue the schools legacy of success.

“I was very indecisive about what my true passions were during my years in college,” Miller said. “This experience came at the right time, and was the reassurance that I want to be involved in this profession. I understand I need to get some more experience in this field, but am eager and ready to begin my journey as an activities director.”

Umthun stated that Miller was hardworking and owned all the opportunities he was given while completing his internship from August to December. Miller had the opportunity to run some  underclassmen and JV events for each sport by himself, which he deemed both nerve-wracking and exciting.

There is a lot of behind the scenes work that goes into being an activities director. Whether that be updating MVC Conference by law manuals or entering schedules, Umthun was grateful to have a helping hand while also teaching Miller the ropes to the profession.

“Anytime you have someone working with you in an intern capacity, it forces you to self-evaluate yourself, your practices, and techniques,” Umthun said. “Having Brendan work with me this past semester really helped to force me to look at things differently and see areas that I can improve on to better help and mold someone trying to learn from my experience and skill sets, while also improving myself.”

Whether one is trying to find a new hobby or figure out their profession, Miller expressed that passion is needed to truly enjoy anything in life.