UM-Flint NOW UM-Flint Now: News and opinion for University of Michigan-Flint
News & Happenings

UM-Flint Homepage University of Michigan-Flint brand logo
Skip to content
  • ✕
    🔍
    Search
  •  Topics
  •  Archives


Post navigation

  • Previous Post

    UM-Flint English Students Reassemble Shakespeare's "King Lear" in Flint

  • Next Post

    UM-Flint Nominations for Michigan Campus Compact Awards

James O'Dea Named UM-Flint Winter Commencement Student Speaker

By UM-Flint News On December 3, 2013 9:47 pm
Skip to Article Text Share or print this article Facebook 🐦 ✉ ⎙
2013 UM-Flint Winter Commencement Student Speaker James O'Dea

James O'Dea originally planned to attend culinary school. Instead, he changed his mind and enrolled at the University of Michigan-Flint in hopes of growing as a writer and an intellectual.

O'Dea was proud to get an education in Flint, a city that has been tied to his family for generations. His great-grandfather participated in the famous Sit-Down Strike, a fact he used as motivation as he sought to make his city proud. Before graduating high school, he told his teachers that he wanted to help lead Flint's revival.

At UM-Flint, O'Dea quickly discovered a new love and aptitude for philosophy. He became an avid student of the subject, working as a research assistant, presenting papers at undergraduate conferences, and helping to reinstate the Philosophy Club by serving as its co-president for several semesters. Philosophy provided O'Dea with an outlet for what he calls his "obsessively analytical mind," and taught him how to see the world and himself more clearly.

His newfound passion helped further inspire him as a writer. During his sophomore year, O'Dea began contributing to the university's literary magazine, Qua, which provided an outlet for his creative work. Thanks to Qua, he has been able to share his writing with a wider Flint audience, and has gotten to feel what it is like to impact people with his art. Reading his work at a Qua launch party in Buckham Gallery provided O'Dea one of the most cherished moments of his undergraduate career.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and a minor in creative writing, O'Dea plans on returning to UM-Flint to pursue a master's of business administration degree. While this might seem unexpected given his undergraduate studies, he believes that becoming an entrepreneur gives him the best opportunity to help Flint grow. Nonetheless, he plans to continue writing for the rest of his life.

Related Posts

No related photos.

  • Commencement
  • Community
  • Philosophy
  • University News
  • 🐦
  • ☺📘
  • ⎙

UM-Flint News

The Office of Marketing & Communications can be reached at [email protected].

Suggest a Story
Share your ideas for UM-Flint News stories with Marketing & Communications.
Other Campus News
Ann Arbor
Dearborn

Connect With Us

  •  Facebook
  •  x
  •  Instagram
  •  YouTube

© 2025 University of Michigan–Flint
🔍

  • 📚 Topics
  • 📥 Archives
  • 🕒 Latest
  • 📈 Popular
  1. Police officers treating the mock patient on the stretcher.

    (SIMULATED) CRASH COURSE

  2. A photo from behind of a young african american woman sitting at a table in a coffee shop. She is wearing a graduation cap and looking at a laptop. there are neon cloud icons above her.

    Amazon Web Services provides UM-Flint students with university-first cloud computing certification

  3. A diverse group of students building a robot with a teacher present.

    UM-Flint researchers Donaldson and LaCosse bridging the gap in STEM education for Flint's children

  4. A student works on a robotic arm.

    Learn more about studying smart manufacturing and automation at UM-Flint

  5. An exterior view of the UM-Flint Pavilion with the UM-Flint clock

    UM-Flint's 2025-26 budget increases financial aid by $2M

  6. The city of Athens with the Mediterranean Sea in the background

    UM-Flint's Karlichek receives US Department of State Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship

  7. A steamroller rolling over a covered print of art

    UNDER PRESSURE (Printmaking block party video)

  8. Program manager Luke Rimarcik poses in the UM-Flint Esports Gaming Lab.

    UM-Flint esports: A breakout season and a run to the national championship

  9. A woman with long, wavy dark hair and dark lipstick is seated at a desk smiling directly at the camera. She is wearing a navy blue t-shirt with the word "Michigan" in bold yellow letters above a large yellow "M," indicating the University of Michigan. In front of her is a large desktop monitor with a computer tower and keyboard partially visible. The setting appears to be an office or classroom with neutral walls and additional workstations in the background.

    UM-Flint's School of Management webinars help students considering business degrees

  10. Police officer and department social worker arrive to the scene of a call.

    Bridging compassion and community: UM-Flint welcomes first co-responder social worker

  1. Police officer and department social worker arrive to the scene of a call.

    Bridging compassion and community: UM-Flint welcomes first co-responder social worker

  2. A black and white photo of two actors during a theatre rehearsal

    UM-Flint's 'The Laramie Project' examines a community's healing response to tragedy

  3. A woman is wearing white headphones and using an engraving on a large wooden stamp

    UM-Flint Artist in Residence McCoy curates larger-than-life printmaking event, May 10

  4. A student receiving his diploma on stage, shaking Chancellor Laurence Alexander's hand. Interim Provost Yener Kandogan looks on in the background.

    UM-Flint to host spring commencement ceremonies, May 3-4

  5. A group of volunteers standing in front of a tent on a grass field for Officer Friendly Day 2024

    UM-Flint's Officer Friendly Day, April 26, offers virtual reality experiences for the autistic community

  6. A group of students holding art and posing for the camera in Havana Cuba

    UM-Flint's Wyatt Exploration Program connects students with Cuba's people, culture and history

  7. Chancellor Laurence Alexander shakes hands with a School of Nursing student on stage with the photo subjects in graduation regalia.

    Graduates encouraged to cultivate adaptability, lifelong learning during UM-Flint's Spring 2025 Commencement

  8. Tyeena Neely. Maize & Blue Distinguished Scholar. Winter 2025

    UM-Flint's Neely overcomes tragedy to be named Maize & Blue Distinguished Scholar

  9. Lina Azeim. Maize & Blue Distinguished Scholar Winter 2025

    Maize & Blue Distinguished Scholar Azeim learned to get comfortable with being uncomfortable

  10. A digital graphic of the outline of the state of Michigan incorporated into a motherboard.

    UM-Flint receives $746K grant to operate as a regional hub for digital resources and education