University of Michigan Student Uses Michigan Online Courses to Realize New Opportunities
When Felix Lahann first joined the Center for Academic Innovation in June as a summer intern, his initial assignment was to take a Michigan Online course. The open online course, “Purpose at Work: A Course for Employees and Leaders,” was part of a pilot cohort Lahann, as an intern for the Barger Leadership Institute, was helping design and manage for the center’s Student Fellows program.
What Lahann, a University of Michigan junior studying cognitive science and economics, did not foresee when he logged into that course was the path he would follow. In addition to using online courses to feed his appetite for knowledge and self-development, Lahann also applied those lessons to his work at the center.
“When I started the summer internship, they wanted me to take the Michigan Online course they were giving to the cohort, just to get a background on what they were doing,” Lahann said. “Whenever I found time, I set aside 20 minutes or so, and it started to spiral from there.”
Over the course of a few months, Lahann completed six Michigan Online courses, including three Google Career Certificates courses. His initiative was noticed, and while his summer internship wound down, Lahann’s time at the center continued when he was tapped for the fall CAI Student Fellows program.
“No one told him to do those things, but he knew this was what was needed to get ahead,” said Roderick Simmons, student experience and engagement lead at CAI. “I would consider Felix an above-and-beyond student.”
Flexibility of Online Courses Fits Learning Style
Lahann is familiar with a packed schedule. In addition to his classes, the Ann Arbor native is a member of the Michigan Data Science Team, a research assistant in the Belief and Decision-Making Lab, and part of the Barger Leadership Institute internship program. He is an avid runner and also likes to create dance and electronic music.
Since Michigan Online courses are self-paced, Lahann was able to use the brief breaks between his many activities to complete the “Purpose at Work” course.
“It’s just like watching Netflix, but getting a certificate,” Lahann said.
After completing the first Michigan Online course, Lahann sought out courses he found professionally and personally interesting. They included “Leading Teams,” “Generative AI: Forecasting Disruption,” Google's short course, “Prompting Essentials”, and the introductory courses in two Google Career Certificate series, “Foundations of Project Management” and “Foundations: Data, Data, Everywhere.”
What he’s learned from the online experiences helped direct Lahann toward his study of behavioral economics and gave him the skills needed to apply those lessons in the classroom as well as the workplace.
“Taking Michigan Online and Google courses has really shaped the way I approach both my academic work and my internships,” Lahann said. “My biggest takeaway has been that structured learning can translate directly into practical skills that make me more effective on a team.”
Creating Connections And Opportunities
Lahann’s journey to the center actually began at the Barger Leadership Institute, which is directed by Dr. Ram Mahalingam. Mahalingam worked with CAI to create his course “Mindfulness, Dignity, and the Art of Human Connection,” and helped connect Lahann to a summer internship opportunity.
“We were gifted Felix,” said Ben Anderson, strategic partnerships lead at the center. “So as we looked at Felix’s background and also imagined the opportunities that we were hoping to explore this summer, it was a perfect fit.”
Lahann was charged with helping develop the cohort experience, which guided Student Fellows through the “Purpose at Work” course with supplemental activities, such as posting on LinkedIn or interviewing a professional about their purpose at work. Lahann created goals and a timeline for the cohort assignments, and also engaged with the Fellows through discussions and by recording input on their experiences.
“Felix knew the success of his work required him to connect with others, and he understood his work was for all of the Fellows,” Simmons said. “He needed to build this community, and that’s where he was really strong.”
Impressing Upon The Future
Lahann’s charge as a Student Fellow is to continue contributing to the development of cohort experiences and improving engagement, including being part of an upcoming partnership with the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan.
He’s also continuing to squeeze in online courses that interest him and contribute to his goals, which include landing a business analytics internship next summer. Lahann is currently working through all of the Google Data Analytics courses in pursuit of a certificate.
“I think that it does add benefits because it shows recruiters that you take initiative,” Lahann said. “Earning the certificate will give me a stronger foundation in using data to inform decisions, which I know will be valuable in both academic projects and future professional roles.”