Last month, Michael Ferrer showed his appreciation for one of his MSIM instructors in a unique way—by inviting him for an insider’s look at his work as a reservist in the Illinois Army National Guard. For the ILARNG BOSS Lift, which took place on June 18 at Camp Atterbury, Indiana, Ferrer selected Michael Wonderlich, iSchool adjunct lecturer and senior associate director of business intelligence and enterprise architecture for Administrative Information Technology Services (AITS) at the University of Illinois.
The BOSS Lift is a special event that is usually reserved for employers who support their National Guard reservist employees. It is an opportunity for employers/mentors to fly in a helicopter and oversee training events that their employees/mentees perform as military reservists. Since Ferrer, who serves as a captain in the Guard, is currently a student, he was given the option to invite a faculty member instead of an employer. For this honor, he chose Wonderlich, his instructor for Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence (IS 525).
"I selected Professor Wonderlich as my guest for the BOSS Lift because of the great experience I had in his class last fall," said Ferrer. "His assignments were challenging, but he was responsive to students when they needed help. He also made accommodations for my military schedule."
During the BOSS Lift, guests had the opportunity to interact with Engineer units that operate military versions of construction vehicles, such as bulldozers, backhoe loaders, and motor graders. They also observed traditional military units, like Field Artillery and Infantry, to see the how they train and deploy their platforms.
"I felt privileged to join Michael at the Boss Lift event," said Wonderlich. "He was letting me into a part of his life that matters deeply to him. As someone whose father-in-law served in the Army Corps of Engineers, I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about its work and mission. Not to mention, the helicopter ride was a thrilling experience!"
Ferrer has served in the Guard since 2010. His military occupation specialty (MOS) is Signal, which deals with using IT and radios in a tactical capacity. As a traditional National Guard reservist, he does not serve full time unless he is placed on active duty. Ferrer credits the Guard with giving him the opportunity to pursue his military career and higher education at the same time.
"Even though I am a full-time graduate student, I am also a leader in the Guard. It’s not easy at times balancing coursework with other commitments, but my instructors in the MSIM program have been very understanding," he said.