The art of living a courageous life

If someone doesn’t know how to swim and a friend suggests a white-water rafting trip, the answer is likely going to be a resounding no. Unless you’re UM-Dearborn alum Sheri Hunter. 

In 2009, Hunter was busy raising her two children with her husband Mannard and staying active in their church. Despite this active life, Hunter was looking for some adventure and community. So, when Hunter’s friend suggested the rafting trip, she, the friend and one other pal packed up the car and headed to West Virginia. On the banks of the Gauley River, the group tightened their life jackets, grabbed an oar and plunged in. Literally. 

It was the start of their many adventures together. The trio christened themselves the “Dare Divas” (and even trademarked the name) and embarked on trips that would push their comfort levels, pump up their adrenaline and solidify bonds that only form when tackling scary things. Along the way, Hunter embraced the recognition that getting through tough moments and giving yourself the space to work through your fear can be a powerful catalyst for personal growth. 

Adventure Speaks in Many Ways

The rafting trip was the start of many adventures with the Dare Divas and the beginning of deep friendships. The women have tackled skydiving and race car driving, and even hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. But in 2012, tragedy struck. Hunter’s husband died suddenly, leaving her in shock and deep sorrow. “I was trying to figure out the path for my children, keeping them well and whole and also managing my own emotions,” Hunter, an accomplished writer, marketer and public speaker, recalls. “I went back to what really gave me some sort of respite, which is my writing.” She journaled through her anger, her fear, and feelings of uncertainty. “Being able to write helped me order my emotions a little bit, and be able to say what I need to do, because so often you don't really know what to do, but you know you have to move forward.”

She also found comfort and support through her faith and her Dare Divas. The group continued their adventures, injecting joy into Hunter’s life amid the grief. “Doing those different activities following Mannard’s death felt surreal, because I shouldn't be laughing and feeling a sense of glee following his death,” Hunter says. “But it was the one thing that allowed me to shake things up and not become so dire.” 

Through it all, she kept writing, chronicling her journey to find joy again. Her experience became a book, “Daring to Live: How the Power of Sisterhood and Taking Risks Can Jump-Start Your Joy.”  The book has resonated with many people, much to Hunter’s delight, and it was recently optioned by Amazon Films.  “I think, secretly, there’s a number of people who want to do similar types of feats,” she says. “The book kind of stirs something up inside of individuals that want to be daring in some aspect of their life.” Doing things that scare you doesn’t necessarily mean jumping out of an airplane, she explains — being daring might mean going back to school or applying for that job that seems like a stretch. 

In addition to the book, Hunter also helps others break out of their comfort zones and fight feelings of imposter syndrome through public speaking engagements and professional meetings. “So often when imposter syndrome arises, it's because some new feat is happening that is outlandish or you've just accomplished something enormous, and everybody is giving you accolades, and you're like, ‘I don't even know how I did that,” she observes.

She says the key to dealing with these bouts of uncertainty is to give yourself a beat and reflect. “There are certain situations that just arise that make you question who you are,” she says. That’s where stepping back is key: “What are the conversations I have with myself? Why am I stymied from moving forward? Why am I allowing these certain situations to impact how I feel and view myself?” While imposter syndrome doesn't necessarily go away, Hunter says taking a moment to comfort your inner self can help you go after the things that really matter.  

Hunter says her first lessons in being open to change — and seeing how that can take your life in a positive direction — came in college.

The Power of UM-Dearborn

There were glimpses of Hunter’s adventurous leanings even when she was a kid growing up in Detroit. Afternoons were spent on her bike, riding around the neighborhood and occasionally tackling jumps off dirt ramps. Family vacations to Cedar Point were a childhood treat, and Hunter relished the mixture of joy and fear she felt riding roller coasters. “I feel like I had a really great childhood,” she says. “I grew up with very little, but I always felt so loved, wanted and cared for.” 

Between bike rides, Hunter was drawn to writing. In the fourth grade, she won a schoolwide writing contest. “That was the first time I felt like I was really good at something,” she says. The writing bug stayed with her in college. “I think you tend to pursue those things which you really feel that you’re good at and that you also enjoy. I went down that trail for a minute, including at UM-Dearborn,” she recalls.

Her decision to attend UM-Dearborn was an easy one. “I always wanted to be part of the Michigan family,” she says. After visiting both the Ann Arbor and Dearborn campuses and weighing the associated costs of both school and living expenses, she says that Dearborn was the winner. “It's a nice opportunity to develop and grow on a smaller campus,” she says. “I just think that Dearborn is so cool — we're close enough to Detroit, so we have that flavor, and we're close enough to Ann Arbor where we can get a taste of that environment.” 

As a first-year student, she was awarded a bank-funded scholarship that provided a four-year tuition award in exchange for interning. Throughout her schooling, Hunter balanced a full class load with 20 hours per week at the bank. The internship made her consider a career in business, but she felt conflicted. “I just didn’t like it,” she recalls. 

While talking with her political science professor, Helen Graves, Hunter confessed that she wasn’t happy studying business but felt like she needed a career that would make money. Graves, who retired in 1995, pointed out how well Hunter was doing in political science and suggested focusing on that. “She counseled me and said, ‘You can go in so many different ways with this: You can go into law, you can go into journalism, if you want to reevaluate and go into business, give yourself a beat to assess what’s really best for you,’” Hunter remembers. That conversation gave Hunter the permission she needed to follow her passion and reinforced the importance of trusting yourself.

After graduation, Hunter thrived in various careers, including journalism and banking, and she eventually made her way back to business. She earned her MBA from Lawrence Technological University and today is a marketing and public relations specialist for the City of Birmingham, as well as the president of Lyons, Hunter Media Group.

She has continued to be involved with UM-Dearborn since graduating. In the past year, she was the master of ceremonies for the Alumni Difference Makers Awards and she serves on the Alumni Society Board. Her gift of service reflects her appreciation for her undergraduate experience.

“I look at all of the values and mission that represent what UM-Dearborn is and what it meant to me, and it just really has shaped who I am as a human being, being on that campus,” Hunter says. “And because I value the programs that they have, I value the professors, the teaching, the knowledge base that is there, I feel like being involved with the board is a form of paying it forward.”

As for her adventures with the Dare Divas, the group is committed to both intrepid, physical activity and thoughtful acts of service. Last year, the group went to Africa and volunteered their time and resources to the children and caregivers in a local orphanage. “Wherever we go, we don’t want it to just be a place where we go there, do an activity and leave,” says Hunter. “We hope that when we leave, we’re leaving something that will be meaningful to the community.”

Story by Sarah Derouin