Q & A: UM-Flint Alumnus Clarence Sevillian

Alumnus Clarence Sevillian talks about how his UM-Flint experience helped prepare him for success as President and CEO of McLaren Bay Region Hospital.

Why did you chose UM-Flint?

I chose the University of Michigan-Flint because of its excellent reputation. Being born and raised in Flint gave me the exposure to what the UM-Flint had to offer. After doing my undergraduate work and having family living in the area, I immediately thought of returning to UM-Flint because I knew what it had to offer. Upon doing the research and wanting to go back to school to get my master's in physical therapy, UM-Flint was highly recognized. The school's diversity had expanded tremendously, and has great efforts to continue to do so. UM-Flint was and is constantly investing in improvements to its facilities, it ensures that the students benefit from state-of-the-art equipment and continuously invests in and cares about its students. I was convinced that UM-Flint had a commitment to developing its graduates by having connections with area organizations, as well as those out of state. The teaching staff came from and maintained links with the industry. We benefited from their insight and knowledge. I didn't feel like I would be "just a student," but a part of something that was family, and that my interests were their interest. The University of Michigan-Flint was affordable and from a location standpoint, had everything to offer for me.

What did you enjoy most about attending UM-Flint?

I thoroughly enjoyed my entire experience at the University of Michigan-Flint. The reasons that I chose to come to UM-Flint held true throughout my experience. The teaching staff was excellent. They took a personal approach to every situation and made it a real life situation. They showed that they cared and had a vested interest in seeing students succeed. The learning experience equipped me for post-graduation licensing and employment. The educational experience was more than "books," it was real life experience. In addition to the faculty, my peers became my family. The teamwork and partnerships created are lifelong. UM-Flint, for me, was convenient and worked well for my family life. At the time, I had a young family, and the class schedule, location, and costs were all important factors that were essential to my graduation and success.

How did UM-Flint help prepare you to reach your professional goals?

UM-Flint's curriculum was top-notch. The instructors were well-equipped to not only cover the essentials in the book, but provided real-time/real-life situations that made the learning experience fun, inviting, and meaningful. They provided the outside clinical connections that allowed us to get experiences in different environments. The continued pursuit of excellence and attention to detail by every instructor allowed that to happen. They were able to establish those relationships with each of the clinical environments to ensure that the core was followed and the essentials were held as a standard. They continued to work "outside of the normal" to ensure that each student was keeping on pace with the industry standard. Even after the core classes were covered, summary classes that gave additional input and support were conducted to allow additional thoughts to come forth. What this speaks to is that the faculty and university is not just interested in having bodies within the university, but truly cares about the success of their students and views them as a family.