Davenport University transfer student was once labeled a troublemaker but is proving everyone wrong

Forty-six percent of Davenport University’s student body are transfer students. Here is the story of one transfer student who committed to turning his life around by focusing on his education.

When Adam Alexander was young, everyone was convinced he would never amount to anything. He even believed it himself for several years. He didn’t know it at the time, but he would one day prove them all wrong and prove to himself that he had potential and was capable of doing great things.

Alexander recently transferred from Lansing Community College to Davenport University to study cyber defense, but college wasn’t always part of his plan. As a matter of fact, school and higher education were the furthest things from his mind for a long time.

Alexander will be the first to admit he was not a great student growing up and that he was in trouble at school on an almost daily basis. He is not sure if he misbehaved to get attention or to fit in with particular crowds at school, but nonetheless, he was labeled a troublemaker.

“I was pretty good at getting myself into trouble,” said Alexander. “But there was more to it. I was also bullied and made fun of in elementary and middle school. Kids called me names and harassed me. I was even punched and attacked. I was a nerdy outcast and I never fit in.”

With no one in his corner except his parents, it’s no surprise that he grew to hate school.

“I never thought I would have a grand future because I never believed I was good enough,” said Alexander. “Once I stopped worrying about how others viewed me and began to focus on myself, things began to change.”

The turning point for Alexander came in the 7th grade when he told himself that enough was enough. He was unhappy with the person he had become and knew he was meant for more.

With the help of his parents, he realized that he needed to learn to understand himself and like the person staring back in the mirror before he could move forward.

“I knew I had to change,” said Alexander. “I wasn’t happy with who I was and realized that I needed to make my life one that I could be proud of and not a life that someone else wanted for me.”

That is when he committed to hold himself to a higher standard and focus on his education. By the time high school rolled around, making and staying on the honor roll became Alexander’s sole mission in life.

“Being told you’d be nobody and that you’d never amount to anything became my motivation to prove all of them wrong,” said Alexander. “Surprisingly, I began to love school and homework. My grades slowly improved, and that made me proud, not only of my grades but also of who I was becoming. My motivation pivoted from wanting to prove everyone wrong to doing it for myself and wanting to learn more.”

He was accepted into two honor societies, earned a Presidential award and dual enrolled at the Capital Area Career Center, where he took computer programming classes.

“Taking classes at the career center allowed me to make tons of fun games and websites and start forming a career,” said Alexander. “It truly made me happy to see where my life was headed.”

After high school, he enrolled full-time at Lansing Community College (LCC) and continued to blossom. The once failing student was now working for LCC’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Center, on the honor roll and often asked to tutor others. Alexander said he loves to help struggling students because he was once in their shoes.

While at LCC, he also became involved with Phi Theta Kappa. He was LCC’s first student to become regional Phi Theta Kappa officer and, later, its president.

He left LCC in the spring of 2024 with an associate’s degree in computer programming and an associate’s degree in criminal justice/digital evidence and set his sights on Davenport University.

He chose to transfer to Davenport for several reasons. He first became acquainted with Davenport in high school through his affiliation with Business Professionals of America (BPA). He made two appearances at BPA’s State competition, both held at Davenport.

“Spending time at Davenport for BPA opened my eyes to how wonderful the school was, and I later came to appreciate its focus on technology,” Alexander said. “Once I learned of the transfer scholarship, I knew the time was right, and I applied to Davenport without a second thought.”

Alexander couldn’t believe how smooth the transfer process to Davenport was. He thought it would take months for everything to become official, but it only took a few hours. He said he owes the painless transition to some of the nicest people he knows, Aimee Boillat, Davenport advisor and Saira Alvarez-Gomez, Davenport admissions representative.

“Adam’s journey to Davenport has been a testament to his resilience and determination,” said Gomez. “From the moment he transferred from LCC, Adam’s positive attitude and eagerness to engage with the community stood out. We were honored to support him during that transition and do not doubt that his hard work will continue to lead him toward success.”

Alexander, a first-generation college student, said his first few weeks as a digital forensics and cyber defense major have gone well.

“My classes are great, and my advisors have been very helpful,” said Alexander. “I hope to be able to join Davenport’s BPA at some point and would love the opportunity to tutor those who need help.”

He said the fields of cyber defense and digital forensics are perfect for him because of the problem-solving aspect.

“I’ve always loved technology, and I love chess, math, science and doing mind-teasing puzzles. With these areas of study, I can take my interests and apply them to real-world applications,” said Alexander.

He hopes to graduate from Davenport in spring 2027 and would love to provide security assistance to a large company like Google or Apple someday.

“Even if no one ever comes to appreciate what I accomplish, at the end of the day, what matters most is what I think, and what I think is that I’ve made a life I can be proud of,” Alexander said. “And I am truly thankful for the love and support of my parents because they were always there for me no matter what.” 

To learn more about Davenport’s cybersecurity program, click here. 

To see how easy it is to transfer to Davenport, click here.