Recent grad Avlok likes to stay in touch

From the moment he first set foot on campus as a student in 2011, Avlok Sharma wanted to soak up the full Spartan experience.

He came in as a freshman during the spring semester, and his dorm room was on a hall full of graduate students, whose work ethic and dedication to their studies he admired. He imitated it, finding his niche as an economics major and digging into the world of statistics and data analysis.

He moved into a house off campus with friends. He went to football and basketball games. And he found a great on-campus job as a student caller for MSU Greenline. All things that, he says, helped him truly feel like he was a part of something larger 
than himself.

After graduating in 2016, Avlok headed to Detroit to work as a data analyst with Quicken Loans, and it wasn’t long before his alma mater came calling.

He made his first gift as an alumnus right then and there and found the experience of making both the gift, and a personal connection with the student caller at the same time, to be very gratifying. Since then, he has continued to support MSU through MSU Greenline—with gifts to MSU Safe Place, the MSU Student Food Bank and the College of Social Science’s discretionary fund, which the college can use to help students in need.

The College of Social Science is so proud of young alumni like Avlok, who enter the world not only with the skills they need to pursue successful careers, but with a strong understanding of how they can transform the human experience. I am thankful for all of our donors’ generous contributions to the College of Social Science, which allow us to address our greatest areas of need, and provide assistance to the next generation of students.

RACHEL CROSON
Dean, College of Social Science

To Avlok, giving back just feels like the next step in the Spartan experience, and he has made it a priority despite the many other financial demands he faces as a recent graduate. “Humans learn by repetition,” he says. “If you make giving back, even a little bit, one of your priorities right away, it becomes a habit.” 

It’s a habit that he hopes to carry with him for life.

But most importantly, he hopes that his habit of giving back will help make someone else’s Spartan experience as wonderful as his was.

“When you become a part of the MSU community, it becomes your responsibility to help take care of it. Not everybody has all the money in the world, and students should be able to come to MSU and have all these great experiences, and get a great education, but they also shouldn’t have to worry about how they’re going to afford the things they need.”