Connecting business leaders, academic researchers, experts and alumni.

The Dan Williamson Gift

This fall, Dan Williamson visited his alma mater and spent some time with students in the L.I.F.E. Program. It was a great way to reflect on the generosity of Dan and Saroya that has propelled the L.I.F.E. Program forward. Students shared stories and “L.I.F.E. lessons” from the course and student group, and faculty shared the progress of the program outside of the classroom

Meet Alumni

Hear from Miami University grads who are integrating their faith and work.


  • Class of 2007

    Faith has played a huge role in shaping my career. But, it took me years to hear that call clearly and find a path toward intentionally integrating my faith into my work. A turning point for me was realizing that my desire to pursue excellence in the marketplace was not in conflict with my desire to live out my faith, but, in fact, very well aligned with it.

    I would encourage students to think about your identity, your purpose, and your values. It is these things that make up your why, and for Christians they are inseparable. It only makes sense to use your why to make decisions about the what and the how of your work. While the what, how, and even results of your work are important, without being rooted in your why they will fall short of expectations.

    Exposure to innovation and real-world examples of what living out your faith in the workplace looks like is critical to inspiring young people to pursue meaningful, values-aligned work, and that is a big part of what L.I.F.E. offers.

  • Class of 1992

    My faith has been at the forefront of my leap from corporate to entrepreneurship 15+ years ago and continues to shape how I guide my career. As I progressed through my career with large companies like Procter & Gamble and Deloitte, I felt a growing disconnect between my faith and the impact I was having in the workplace. I longed for more meaning in my work and the ability to better integrate my faith into my day-to-day life. When I shifted my mindset to recognizing that God has gifted me with the business skills and experiences that have benefited me in my career, I was more motivated to use this foundation to forge out on my entrepreneurial journey. I have and continue to seek opportunities to create companies that help improve the lives of others and have an impact beyond the traditional measures of business success.

    I would encourage students that th are not alone in this journey of integrating faith & work. I am constantly encouraged by the stories I hear about entrepreneurs, investors and corporate leaders who are using their businesses to build the kingdom. There are many people in all industries using their God given talents to build businesses of impact and they are more than willing to share their experiences with you to help you on your journey.

    L.I.F.E. is equipping students with skills, confidence and resources early in their careers to integrate faith in their vocation of choice. I am incredibly impressed by the program's mix of challenging curriculum, outside speakers and hands-on learning that is firmly rooted in academic research supporting the value of faith in driving entrepreneurial success. Much of business success comes from one's confidence in their ability to succeed and have a meaningful, positive impact through their work. L.I.F.E. helps instill this in students, which I believe will benefit them throughout their career in both corporate and entrepreneurial settings.


  • Class of 2021

    Founder + Host of the Corporate Catholic Podcast

    My Catholic faith has played an important role in my career and entrepreneurial journey. After being empowered by the L.I.F.E. class, I knew that integrating faith and work was something that I wanted to take seriously and share with others. I created an Instagram account and Podcast called Corporate Catholic to share my personal journey of integrating faith and work as a new post-grad. These social media outlets have impacted so many people and have allowed me to stay accountable in my own journey. Tangibly though, integrating my faith and work looks like inviting God into good and stressful moments during work, getting to know my co-workers on a personal level, and using the company wellness room to take some prayer time—small but powerful things.

    If you are struggling with integrating faith & work, I would suggest coming to work with a posture of giving. Ask yourself “How can I give of myself today in my work?” That might mean anticipating your manager’s needs, doing work that isn’t necessarily your job to help someone out, or giving a co-worker half of your lunch because they forgot theirs. Faith teaches us to give and bringing this mindset to your work will allow you to receive in ways you would never even imagine.

    For me, L.I.F.E. was a catalyst for developing the mindset of integrating faith and work. When I joined the work world, I was able to be proactive rather than reactive and struggling through post-grad life and wondering how to fit faith and work in. The value of L.I.F.E. is introducing this faith and work concept, creating an inclusive space to ask questions, and sending out students to their respective workplaces to change the world.

  • Graduated in May of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Entrepreneurship Co-Major. I am now located in New York, New York working as a Product Marketing Strategist at IBM.

    My faith has played a pivotal role in my career decisions. Whether it's asking God for guidance with choosing my first role or simply asking for discernment when building new relationships with co-workers, I am in constant communication with Him and work towards truly living out His values.

    I would tell students to ask God how He wants them to minister. Everyone's journey and relationship with Christ is different. One person can integrate their faith by leading public workplace initiatives while another person can integrate their faith by simply loving and treating others the way He loves us. Ask God what that looks like for you and your life.

    One thing I learned at LIFE during my time at Miami that has really stuck with me was actually when we visited The Fringe Coffee House and the speaker said "God is bigger than your biggest mistake". Now, whenever I think about stepping out on faith and trying new things, I think about how even in the worst-case scenario, God will still continue to love me, keep me, and cover me which gives me the assurance I need to be bold, take risks and embrace change.

  • Class of 2022

    Having a bedrock of faith on which to build my career has enabled me to build a life with eternal perspective. My faith has given me identity, purpose, and the ability to give myself and others grace in the workplace. Additionally my faith has served as a way to connect with others, and to seek understanding and camaraderie with coworkers that are different from myself.

    Understanding how faith and work integrate (beyond just a Christian perspective) shifts your understanding of the workplace radically. You start to see that your office is to some people what your church is to you. That understanding allows you to find a way to communicate with people who have different beliefs than yourself.

    I took a lot of notes in a lot of classes in my time at Miami. I can't tell you where many of those notebooks are today, but I can tell you that the notes I took from the 15 classes in the LIFE program I reference at least once a month. This class represented an inflection point for me to go from "how do I work for me" to "how can I view my work as a broader part of the kingdom". Within that the individuals and lessons that were brought in week over week are full of wisdom that gets better each time I review it.

    The biggest quote that I often look to came from a talk on sabbath - "Sometimes as we go down the river of life it is important to pull over and not just to look at how much farther there is to go, but to reflect on and appreciate how far we have come.“