Alumnus Jaylyn Boone went to extraordinary lengths to deliver the keynote address at Michigan Tech's 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on January 15, 2024. The 2018 graduate, who earned his bachelor's degree in finance, shares why the challenges were worth it.
"Seventy-two hours without luggage, 38 hours without sleep, 18 hours in airports, eight hours on planes, five hours in a rental car, 300 miles in snow, one night in a hotel and 20 minutes on stage—a lifetime of memories worth every moment," wrote Boone in a Facebook post after his family's saga, endured with wife Kaija Boone, who was expecting their second child, and daughter Eliyanah, then 14 months old.
The trip included lost luggage, canceled flights, and an early morning trip to the Houghton Walmart to get fresh outfits after three days in the same clothes.
"It's not hard to be dedicated to Michigan Tech. Michigan Technological University changed my life," said Boone, who challenged audience members to consider the complexities of both King's dream and their own. "Is the dream you have worth the journey it takes to get there? Does the importance of the dream make the complexity of the journey worth it?" he asked. "Today you can commit to living the dream, from this day forward."
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
