[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2021\/04\/MIchaelDesch1280.jpg” title_text=”MIchaelDesch1280″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n
For Michael (<\/span>Mike<\/span>) Desch<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0the finish line sometimes felt far away.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout his college career, which began in 2013,\u00a0<\/span>Desch<\/span>\u00a0struggled with his mental health, which didn\u2019t make the college experience easy. At times he failed classes and once took a semester\u00a0<\/span>off\u00a0<\/span>from<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>school, but he never gave up.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Desch<\/span>\u00a0continued to push through anxiety and depression during his time at WSU and never lost sight of the finish line — no matter how far\u00a0<\/span>away\u00a0<\/span>it felt.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI never gave up despite the past and present struggles with mental health,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Instead of barraging himself with negativity, he accepted the harsh semesters and told himself the next one would be better.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n Because of\u00a0<\/span>his<\/span>\u00a0determination\u00a0<\/span>to<\/span>\u00a0focus on his own mental wellbeing<\/span>\u00a0and continue his steps forward<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Desch<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>will be\u00a0<\/span>graduating this spring<\/span>\u00a0with a degree in Applied Computer Science-Bioinformatics<\/span>. He w<\/span>as<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>selected as\u00a0<\/span>the Spring Commencement Speaker\u00a0<\/span>for\u00a0<\/span>the virtual cerem<\/span>ony<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 a\u00a0<\/span>well-earned<\/span>\u00a0honor in recognition of\u00a0<\/span>his hard work and success.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am incredibly proud of myself<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0Desch\u00a0said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_testimonial author=”Michael Desch” job_title=”Spring ’21 Graduate” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n “It is a life-defining truth to me that, for as long as we live, our potential is infinite.”<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_testimonial][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n He added that\u00a0<\/span>it\u2019s important for students\u00a0<\/span>who are\u00a0<\/span>struggling to seek help.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cToo often we distance ourselves\u00a0<\/span>from others<\/span>\u00a0to a negative effect,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Desch<\/span>\u00a0said. \u201cWe would do ourselves a favor to realize we are all human and we all need help from others.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For\u00a0<\/span>Desch<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>his<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>help and support came\u00a0<\/span>from a few sources. One was from\u00a0<\/span>weekly counseling sessions through a local\u00a0<\/span>resource\u00a0<\/span>in Winona<\/span>\u00a0\u2013<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>which<\/span>\u00a0he\u00a0<\/span>forced himself to go to\u00a0<\/span>even\u00a0<\/span>when he\u00a0<\/span>wasn’t feeling like it<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Other sources\u00a0<\/span>of support\u00a0<\/span>came\u00a0<\/span>in forms of\u00a0<\/span>morale boosting from the Warrior Success Center<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>emotional\u00a0<\/span>support from those around him<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Throughout it all<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>Desch<\/span>\u00a0was able to solidify his passion and journey forward.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before choosing\u00a0<\/span>to pursue\u00a0<\/span>Applied Computer Science<\/span>, he went through a range of other majors<\/span>\u00a0f<\/span>rom Spanish\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>Chemistry\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>B<\/span>iology,\u00a0<\/span>finally\u00a0<\/span>land<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0on\u00a0<\/span>computer science. He\u00a0<\/span>knew<\/span>\u00a0he would be able to build off that degree in the future, whether it was in deeper exploration of computer science or in exploring math or science.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n Desch<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>further explored the field while\u00a0<\/span>work<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0at\u00a0<\/span>WSU\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0Digital Learning Commons (DLC) where he provid<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0direct technical support\u00a0<\/span>to students,\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>s well as<\/span>\u00a0configured laptops<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>His role at the DLC\u00a0<\/span>also served\u00a0as\u00a0<\/span>a starting point for his internship at Mayo Clinic, where he<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>worked as\u00a0<\/span>an IT Intern in 2019<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0became familiar with a handful of common enterprise environments in the industry.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As he further explored where his future career could take him,\u00a0<\/span>Desch<\/span>\u00a0worked with biology professor Dr. Amy Runk\u00a0<\/span>on\u00a0<\/span>a research project for the Ramaley Research Celebration where he\u00a0<\/span>learned more about<\/span>\u00a0interpreting and\u00a0<\/span>calculating<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>biological data sets.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis research was incredibly fun, and the best kind of frustrating,\u201d he said. \u201cI learned so much in the process.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After college,\u00a0<\/span>Desch<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>plans to gain<\/span>\u00a0a footing in the\u00a0<\/span>computer science\u00a0<\/span>industry for a few years and then\u00a0<\/span>head\u00a0<\/span>back to graduate school for a topic within computer science, math, or bioinformatics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2021\/04\/MichaelDeschVertical.jpg” title_text=”MichaelDeschVertical” _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.1″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n It may have been a struggle at times, but Desch is proud to be walking across the finish line and toward the next big adventure. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI want to share my potential with the world and connect with others who are seeking to do the same; it is a life-defining truth to me that, for as long as we live, our potential is infinite<\/span>,<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0Desch said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For Michael (Mike) Desch,\u00a0the finish line sometimes felt far away.\u00a0 Throughout his college career, which began in 2013,\u00a0Desch\u00a0struggled with his mental health, which didn\u2019t make the college experience easy. At times he failed classes and once took a semester\u00a0off\u00a0from\u00a0school, but he never gave up.\u00a0\u00a0 Desch\u00a0continued to push through anxiety and depression during his time at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":256,"featured_media":1675,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[24,116,305,359,153,335,20],"tags":[282],"class_list":["post-1672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","category-cose","category-commencement","category-community","category-science-tech","category-twitter","category-featured-stories","tag-commencement"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2021\/04\/MIchaelDesch1280.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb2ffS-qY","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/256"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1672"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1672\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1689,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1672\/revisions\/1689"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1675"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/academics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}