Michael Kruszka’s graduation from The University of Toledo on Saturday has been a journey 32 years in the making.
Kruszka started his college journey at Grand Valley State University in 1991. This week, his collegiate experience will end with his bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary studies from University College.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS: UToledo recognizes the Class of 2023 with a series of stories featuring students receiving their degrees at spring commencement.
After walking away from his formal training to be a machinist when he received an offer from Chrysler, Kruszka slowly worked his way up the ranks in the automotive industry.
The next 30 years offered numerous opportunities for growth and development, but in 2017, Kruszka hit a roadblock.
“I realized that all my career options had been exhausted and my opportunities to move up were being severely limited by not having a bachelor’s degree,” Kruszka said. “I decided that it was time to finish at one of the three degrees that I had started over the years.”
Following months of research, he chose UToledo to to finish his education and to pursue an Interdisciplinary Studies degree, with a focus on human resource management, organizational development and project management.
Balancing schoolwork, his full-time job at Chrysler and taking care of his family was a difficult feat.
It was made even more difficult last spring when Kruszka suffered a heart attack.
“The cardiac event on St Patrick’s Day was not a surprise to me or my doctor — I was burning the candle at both ends since 2018 when I went back to school,” he said. “My family was really giving me a hard time and had concerns about my health, but I just wanted to push through, graduate and then focus on my health again.”
Michael Kruszka, who is graduating Saturday from University College, poses with his wife and their children, all of whom will be attending UToledo in fall.
His will and determination to complete his degree pushed him to the end, but reflecting on his experience, he realized he may have pushed himself too far.
“I almost made it, but looking back, your health is everything, I would have done some things differently to stay a bit more healthy,” Kruszka said.
Kruszka isn’t the only Rocket in his family. His eldest daughter started a semester after him, and in fall, all three of his children will be studying at UToledo.
“I think we helped each other through our transitions to higher learning,” he said. “They will have each other to lean on for support.”
Even before finishing his studies, Kruszka’s work towards his degree afforded him more opportunities to further his career.
“The auto industry is transitioning from internal combustion engines to electrification,” Kruszka said. “So, there are a lot of different jobs with the company that I work for that didn’t exist just a few years ago.”
He will spend the first few weeks after graduating focusing on applying for a few of these positions.
His other priority? Spending time with and helping his family.
“The other top priority will be to start attacking the list of things that need to be done around the house that I have neglected over the last five years,” he said, “which will make my wife very happy.”
