Scholar Stories: Ray Leads with Creativity, Entrepreneurial Spirit
2/19/2025 10:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
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 Mya Fromwiller
Tyler Ray, a junior on the University of Michigan men's swimming and diving team, has an entrepreneurial and creative spirit that drives him in his academic pursuits. Although Ray always had a strong interest in business, he uncovered his passion for entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 pandemic when he and his family formulated an idea for a kitchen product.
They began to work on prototypes and although it started as a personal project, Ray decided to apply for a competitive online program that helps entrepreneurs design and license their products. After putting together materials for the application, Ray and his family were selected as participants and as a result, they received assistance with designing prototypes and filing patents. This program allowed him to participate in the process of creating a product from start to finish, one he thoroughly enjoyed.
"We took this idea that we had on a napkin and did all the research and marketing materials for it," said Ray. "They helped me design prototypes and sales sheets. We filed a provisional patent on it, and that was something that was really cool. I just loved the process of it."
This interest led him to apply to the Ross School of Business to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, which would allow him to receive a holistic business education and combine his passion for entrepreneurship with other areas in the business field. While he still holds a strong interest in entrepreneurship, Ray has decided to concentrate on marketing throughout his time at Ross and has taken classes such as Consumer Behavior, Marketing Law and Retail Marketing to explore different focus areas.
Although he has enjoyed all of these classes, he names the Living Business Leadership Experience course to be his favorite class that he has taken at Ross because it allowed him to gain hands-on marketing experience through a client project. In this class, he worked with five other students on a project for Beilein Basketball, a venture run by former University of Michigan men's basketball head coach John Beilein. Throughout this project, he met weekly with Beilein and assisted with product launches, marketing initiatives and social media strategy.
Ray has participated in several professional experiences and, most notably, has worked as an intern with a New Orleans-based software company. In this role, he could apply what he learned in his classes and school projects and contribute to the work done by the company's marketing department. As the summer approaches, Ray hopes to look for another internship and is exploring ways to combine his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for marketing, such as working at a start-up.
In addition to his BBA degree, Ray is pursuing a minor in Real Estate Development through the Ross School of Business. Although marketing and entrepreneurship are his biggest academic interests, he describes real estate as a big personal interest. While his research and reading about real estate development has been helpful, he wanted a more formal education on the subject.
Ray has learned a lot through high-caliber academics and experiences provided by Ross but also has learned from the students there. Last semester, he underwent the Ross Integrative Semester, a requirement for all junior BBAs, where students participate in group work for three required classes and an additional entrepreneurial venture project. Although this work created a busy semester, he felt that he learned a lot from the people in his group projects.
"I enjoyed that whole semester and thought the classes were challenging," he said. "They emphasize a lot of group work and working in teams, which is something I genuinely enjoy. I've had a great experience at Ross because everyone at Ross is so smart, and that's something I learned very quickly. It's equally intimidating and exciting."
Through these opportunities to work in groups with other Ross students, Ray describes the positive social atmosphere he has found in the program. Meeting other Ross students has allowed him to form friendships and has given him the opportunity to connect with other students, especially ones who are not student-athletes.
"You naturally form these connections and relationships that you know you can take with you after you're done with school," Ray said. "I've made a lot of friends that I don't know if I would have had I not been in group projects with them, and a lot of them aren't athletes. I think that's something that's unique and something that I've really enjoyed."
When he is not in the classroom, Ray spends most of his time in the pool, training in the sport he has loved since he was a child. He started swimming at age 5 by taking swim lessons through a community program in his hometown of Pinckney, Mich. Although he started the sport recreationally, he began competing just a few years after at age 8 in local meets and continued until age 13.
During these years, Ray was also playing competitive baseball, even competing in an older age group, but ultimately, he decided to focus on swimming and compete in an intensified program. As a result, he joined Club Wolverine, a prestigious program in Ann Arbor with several notable alumni, including Michael Phelps. As he began to compete in a more intense environment, he knew that he wanted to continue swimming at the collegiate level.
"I never considered going to college and not being a student-athlete, college athletics has always been a dream of mine," said Ray.
As a competitive athlete, Ray always dreamed of attending a Power Five school but was open to all options if it allowed him to continue swimming. However, swimming for a program in Ann Arbor gave him some visibility to Michigan's coaching staff, so when he received an offer from Michigan, he was thrilled.
"They offered me a spot, and I was so excited," said Ray. "I took it literally that same day. My heart was all in on Michigan."
Three years later, Ray finds himself as an upperclassman on the team. Throughout his time at Michigan, he has excelled in the sport, competing in some of the country's most prestigious meets during his first two years at U-M. As a freshman, Ray competed at the Big Ten Championships, earning first in the 100-yard butterfly and second in the 50-yard freestyle. As a sophomore, Ray placed in the top 10 in the 50-yard freestyle, 100- and 200-yard butterfly at Big Tens and in the top 20 in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly at last year's NCAA Championships. He also competed at the international level and participated in the Olympic Trials last year for the 2024 Olympics. As he moves into his junior season, Ray reflects on his journey and time at Michigan so far, recalling his first Big Ten Championships meet, which was hosted by Michigan at Canham Natatorium.
"It was my first time ever seeing what a Big Ten Conference meet is like and watching the relays and seeing the guys get behind each other was so infectious," said Ray. "To be able to improve a lot that next year and then find myself in a position where I'm on some of those relays now is really cool for me."
Although improvement as a swimmer is something that Ray has appreciated about the program, he would not have had the same experience without the tight-knit community he has found on his team. He expresses that regardless of grade, everyone on the team is very close and provides a good support system for each other. His teammates have significantly shaped his experience and helped him succeed.
"I've got really great teammates who push me, and I push them," said Ray. "They're super fun to hang out with and we have a really good time at practice. It makes most days a pretty good memory. I am always going to be really thankful for that."
He expresses that this sense of community also has been essential to his academic success. Although managing priorities as a student-athlete can be challenging, Ray said having people to hold you accountable and support him is critical.
"Lean on your teammates and friends, especially when things get hard," said Ray. "You can help each other through everything, and it becomes a lot less overwhelming."
This advice has carried Ray throughout his career at Michigan, and in just two years, he has proven he can balance the demanding schedule of a student-athlete. As he continues through his junior year, he is excited to see what opportunities await him academically and athletically and how the rest of his time at Michigan will unfold.
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