Troy Saruna, BBA ‘21
Growing up in Ontario, Canada, Troy Saruna always held a soft spot for The University of Michigan. “Even though we lived in Canada, we were U of M fans,” he recalls. “My two older brothers went through U of M schooling, so Ross was somewhere that I'd always dreamed of going to.”
Troy and his family moved to Michigan from Ontario in his freshman year of high school, but when he was in his senior year another dream took precedence. “All through high school, I was a varsity athlete. I played baseball. Fortunately, I was able to play for Wayne State University as a Warrior.”
If you have the initiative you will have the ability to do so much. It’s the best possible place to be.
After two years at Wayne and the experiences he gathered running his first business, Troy had a change of heart and decided to apply to Ross as an external transfer. “I didn't apply anywhere else. I talked to a few students who had already gone here, including some close high school friends. After hearing about the benefits, there was no question in my mind.”
Now that Troy has experienced the benefits of attending Ross himself, there is one that really stands out: the relationships that he has built with faculty and members of the administration team. “At one of my sophomore orientation events Dean DeRue spoke to all of us and said, ‘My door's open. Whenever you want, you can just pop in.’ After he said that, I went straight up to him and asked if we could meet to talk about an idea I had for our community. A week or two later, I found myself in his office brainstorming and identifying ways I could work alongside administration to help serve underrepresented high school students and ultimately tighten the opportunity gap.”
What sticks with Troy from the experience is that, “The dean wasn’t just saying something on the stage, he really meant it and took the time to meet with me.”
Troy has also been involved with optiMize, a student-led organization that offers workshops, mentorship, and funding for students to create self-directed projects that make a positive impact. “They help you create your ideas and actualize them through a mentorship process,” Troy explains.
Troy believes having these kinds of experiences while he’s at Ross will help him be more successful once he’s an alumnus. “Just having the know-how and experience within these walls helps you become very fluent in certain topics that you may not have been comfortable with before.”
The fact that Ross’ key benefactor, Stephen Ross, is a real estate mogul is something that has had an influence on Troy. “Pursuing commercial real estate is something that is greatly shaped by my experiences here. I came in knowing that I liked residential real estate, but commercial is a whole different world,” he says. “I’ve talked to a lot of experienced students who have had internships and work experience within the industry. This has really opened my eyes, and I’m not sure it would have happened anywhere else.”
While real estate is one career track that Troy is interested in, he is also freely exploring other avenues. “Before I came here, I was interested in marketing. I'm an artistic and creative type of person. The school is a great place to explore those things, too.”
Now that he’s not playing baseball, Troy has time to indulge another passion—
photography. “Since moving to Ann Arbor, I’ve worked with a friend and colleague to create a photography business. We love doing our own thing with it and building a brand we believe best depicts the student body: Bold! It’s something that fits really well into Ann Arbor.”
For prospective students, Troy sums up his experience so far at Ross this way, If you have the initiative you will have the ability to do so much. It’s the best possible place to be.”