Strauss Mann , BBA '22
As the recipient of the 2019 University of Michigan Student-Athlete Rookie of the Year Award, Strauss Mann has demonstrated that he is no stranger to hard work. This award is given to the top, first-year student-athlete at U-M who has excelled both academically and athletically. Strauss also received the 2020 Carl Isaacson Award, which is presented each season to the U-M hockey player who best combines high scholastic achievement with their athletic ability. Strauss is the goalie for the U-M men's hockey team and has been playing the sport since he was seven.
Strauss shares that there are transferable skills he's gained on the ice rink that he's been able to bring to the classroom. “A big part of my position is managing nerves, and going into a game very loose and trying to stay as present as possible so that I can just react in the moment while trusting my training. I've actually found that it's helped me a lot in taking tests and exams at Ross, just going in and letting go of the nerves inside so that in the exam I can be as efficient and logical as possible. I think sometimes people can get so nervous and start overthinking things that you can't just focus on the question and can't just focus on the puck and reacting to it.”
Though hockey is an important part of Strauss’ life, he expresses that he enjoys the community that he has also found at Michigan Ross. “It can be hard to create those connections when you're so busy at the rink every day with the same guys. Ross has created a smaller community for me, given me a niche outside the rink, where I can feel comfortable and find some people that are similar to me in other ways.”
Strauss enjoys the cohort experience that Ross provides, as he is able to get to know his peers more by working in different group projects. A group project that stands out in particular was for Strategy 290: Business Strategy. Students were tasked with providing a recommendation for their assigned company in the fast-fashion industry. “We had a really cool group of unique people. It was just a lot of different people and we just clicked. Everyone brought something different to the table, but we all became, by the end, great friends. And I think our project went really well because we just all played off our strengths.”
Strauss elaborates:
Getting to know a lot of people, especially in those group projects, meeting and collaborating and learning from each other and playing off each other's strengths ...I think that's something that's awesome about Ross. It helped me identify my strengths but also improve my weaknesses.
Strauss’ future career goals include becoming a professional hockey player, as well as using his BBA degree to pursue becoming an entrepreneur.