Student Leader
by Kaitlyn Patrick - July 1, 2015
Dylan Carpenter is a student who has done his best to take advantage of every opportunity
that has come his way at Ferris State University. Carpenter quickly became involved
in more than 10 campus student organizations and has taken on a diverse range of leadership
roles throughout his Ferris experience.
“I feel that diversity can present itself in more ways than just those that are usually
thought of … there’s diversity of experience, learning styles and size of organization,”
said Carpenter, a native of Reed City, Mich. “There’s so much going on every day that
students have a chance to get involved with that it can be overwhelming at times.”
Carpenter, a 2012 Reed City High School graduate, is a senior in Business Administration and Computer Information Systems. In a way, his choice of higher education at Ferris seemed obvious since it was so close to home.
His freshman year started in the Honors Program and then, after he joined the debate team, Carpenter discovered his true passion for an organization: Student Government. He started as a senator for his college and continued his membership for two years in Finance Division of Student Government.
Finance Division allocates more than $300,000 to Ferris registered student organizations. The money is funded directly from the student activity fee charged to each student at the beginning of the year. A mentor is required to help the student organization by filling out the required paperwork and preparing them for a presentation to Finance Division. As director of finance, Carpenter governs this branch of Student Government.
“I’ve worked with many great organizations,” he said. “Finance Division has seen all sorts of different events – all with diverse intents and populations reached.”
During the 2015-16 academic year, Carpenter is also developing his leadership as programs coordinator for The Big Event, as well as being secretary and treasurer of his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha.
All of these opportunities have given Carpenter a well-rounded experience at Ferris
and have contributed to a more sophisticated understanding of diversity.
“Diversity encompasses so much more than most would think of and contributes each
day to our experience and improving us as people,” he said.
Kaitlyn Patrick is a News Services student writer in University Advancement and Marketing.
For others featured in the Faces of Ferris series, visit:
https://ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/faces/