Hometown: Aurora, Ill.

Ma[Danny H]jor/minor: International Relations and Russian; Russian Studies minor.

Getting involved on campus: Soccer player; former baseball player; Russian Club president; tour guide; Dean of Students liaison.

Why he was drawn to Beloit: The atmosphere. I knew it was somewhere that I would belong. People were very inviting and helpful when I was a prospective student. Study abroad and internships were also important to me.

What makes Beloit the right place: The people. Everyone comes from a very diverse background; one in 13 students is an international student. The way that people treat other people is very important.

A very Beloit moment: One moment that sticks out is when we came back from a soccer tournament and went straight to Folk ‘n’ Blues.

Why Division III athletics made sense: I did look at a couple of Division II schools for baseball. After meeting the coach and seeing the good balance between academics and sports, Beloit fit the best. I just planned on doing baseball initially. I didn’t plan on playing soccer. I contacted the coach, and he said that I could play.

Lessons from being a student athlete: You learn how to manage your time very well. There isn’t a lot of downtime, but you see yourself improving by being constantly on the clock. Professors are also very accepting of student athletes.

Piquing his language interest: I wanted to learn a language that I hadn’t before. I got involved with Russian Club last year and currently live in Russian House. I am planning to continue Russian in the Center for Language Studies program this summer and by studying abroad in Moscow this fall. I was also interested in Russia because they are hosting both the Olympics and the World Cup in the next decade, and I’d like to go back for those events.