Scholar Stories: Dunlap Has Embraced Process of Personal, Professional Development

Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each week MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By Danielle Hersh
University of Michigan senior running back Tavierre Dunlap knows that he wants to take football as far as possible in life, but he does not know for certain what he wants to do once it is finished for him. Before he came to campus, Dunlap sat down to look through the Michigan major offerings and ultimately chose to study sport management in U-M’s School of Kinesiology.
“I came across sport management and I was like, ‘Alright, this makes a lot of sense,'” Dunlap said. “I love talking about sports. I play football. I knew I wanted to be around sports when I was done with football, but I really wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do at the time.”
During his time studying sport management at Michigan, Dunlap has done his best to combine his learning on and off the field, and his 2022 Academic All-Big Ten accolade is a testament to that. Dunlap feels that he can translate his personal experiences with football into the classroom by offering his point of view in class discussions.
“I think I bring a unique perspective to the classroom because I am a football player, and I can speak to things in class from a first-person perspective,” Dunlap said. “I can tell people, ‘OK, this is what I’m going through.'”
Dunlap also credits his experience as a Michigan football player as an influence on his career aspirations. Speaking with Michigan alumni at career networking events hosted by Michigan football has led Dunlap to greater clarity about what he hopes to pursue once his football career ends.
“They kind of gave me more ideas,” Dunlap said. “Just talking to them made me realize I can really go out and do anything. A lot of them used the block M to get to where they are now.'”
Another key factor that has helped his professional development is the completion of unique internships. One recent internship with Wellington Electric led Dunlap to Iowa, where he was affirmed that his experience as a football player is also translatable to the professional world.
“A lot of the people that I’ve interned for, they run their business like a football team. It’s weird, but it makes sense. There’s a sense of urgency in the office. People aren’t just lounging around,” Dunlap said. “The people who run the businesses, they want a sense of urgency everywhere.”
Dunlap has considered one business idea which would keep him within the realm of sports while fostering the work environment that he admired in his internship experiences.
“There’s a lot of retired athletes who are done with football and other sports, and still have little injuries lingering. I thought about building some sort of rehab facility to get those nooks and crannies out, so they can start feeling like themselves again because the longer that lingers around, the worse it gets,” Dunlap said. “My big thing is taking care of your body so you can feel just as good as you did when you came into playing sports when you leave.”
An athletic rehabilitation facility is one idea that Dunlap has. He is not 100 percent certain as to whether or not this idea will be the one he uses to enter the business world. However, thanks to the insight he has gained in conversations with business professionals and in firsthand experiences during business internships, Dunlap now knows what his long-term career goals are.
“I think being self-employed, working for myself, would be the goal,” Dunlap said. “But I feel like I’m a giver in a way. I can see myself starting a business and hiring a bunch of my friends and people I trust, then turn that business into a family.”
Regardless of what his future holds after football, Dunlap trusts that everything happens for a reason. He knows that he will reach his goals in football and business with time.
“Don’t feel like you have to reach your goals at a certain time. Be patient. Don’t rush the process, fall in love with it,” Dunlap said. “Fall in love with getting up every day, coming into your place of business. If you have something to do at 6 a.m., don’t be negative about it. Come in, be positive, and just embrace it.”
In the meantime, Dunlap will finish out his senior season on the Michigan football team. He hopes that by the time he leaves the football program, his legacy will be positive.
“If I left here today, I just want everybody to know that I was a good person,” Dunlap said. “I just want to be known as a hard worker. Whatever I needed to get done, I did. I didn’t cut corners or anything like that. That’s the positivity I want to bring to my name.”
Dunlap’s commitment to his personal and professional development at Michigan is sure to leave a positive legacy with the football team. He has always felt supported in pursuing multiple opportunities to act on this dedication throughout his tenure as a Michigan student-athlete. That support embodies the reason he chose to attend Michigan.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Obviously, it’s hard work. You knew this was going to be hard work when you committed. But, embrace the process, trust the process,” Dunlap said. “(You) get to be at a great school, take advantage of all the opportunities that they offer you.”
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