Campus connection

“Our alumni want to help you succeed.”

Smith heard it at Olivet College, Oakland Community College and Oakland University.

The accounting senior heard a similar message when he arrived at University of Michigan-Dearborn.

But as he boarded a plane to California, he quickly realized that UM-Dearborn delivered on its promise.

Smith recently wrapped up a sales internship with Tangram Interiors, a successful California-based furnishing company owned and operated by UM-Dearborn alumnus Joe Lozowski (’81 B.S.).

“The network seems to be doing pretty well for me,” Smith said.

At Tangram, Smith developed relationships with key industry leaders across southern California, including those working in hospitality, health care and higher education. Smith also matched furniture with clients’ design requests.

“I got to use a lot more creativity than I expected to, which was totally awesome,” he said. “They call it work, but it’s a dream job. And Joe is the greatest. He would take me out to lunch every week and if I ever had a question, he would always help me out.”

Smith admits it was tough for him to leave California in April, especially when the ground had yet to thaw in spots across Michigan. But Smith is driven to complete his final year of school at UM-Dearborn because, upon graduating in April, he plans to return to Tangram as a full-time salesman.

“Andrew was offered a job because he really stood out when he got here,” said Lozowski, who praised Smith’s work ethic. “My being an alum didn’t have anything to do with giving him a job offer. We put him out in front of customers to see how he did and he was amazing.”

Smith’s successful internship experience inspired Lozowski to consider offering an internship to a UM-Dearborn student once a year.

“In general, we want to give students an opportunity to succeed,” he said. “It’s the right thing to do and I’ve seen how it can dramatically change their lives in a positive way.”