What sticks out are the relationships I’ve formed. Every new opportunity opened the door to another opportunity.
There’s no such thing as a typical day in the office for Michael “Mickey” Howard, ’09. Or even a typical office, for that matter.
As senior manager of creative for Franklin Sports, Howard will go anywhere to produce content for the sporting goods manufacturer – from the inside of Fenway Park’s Green Monster to The Edge, an observation deck 100 stories above New York City.
And Howard never shies away from an opportunity, a character trait he traces to his time as a Bridgewater State history major.
“What sticks out are the relationships I’ve formed,” he said of Bridgewater. “Every new opportunity opened the door to another opportunity.”
Early in his freshman year, Howard successfully ran for class president. That led him to fill many roles in the Student Government Association including student trustee. He also served as an orientation leader, interned for the Massachusetts governor, and joined and eventually led the Sigma Pi fraternity.
“I knew I wanted to get involved and get involved early and often,” he said.
Howard intended to become a high school teacher but discovered a passion for advising students outside of the classroom. With support from Dr. Cindy Kane, who worked in Student Life at Bridgewater State at that time, Howard realized he could turn that interest into a career.
“She was the one that kept putting a bug in my ear,” Howard said of Kane, who encouraged him to apply to become an orientation leader. “To this day, I still stay in contact with her pretty regularly. She gives me sound advice.”
Howard earned a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of South Florida. He worked for a decade in student life at the University of Florida, where he took on marketing tasks that prepared him to move back to Massachusetts and a new job at Stoughton-based Franklin Sports.
He brings a sense of humor, energy, and innate leadership skills, said Kane, who is now assistant provost for strategic initiatives.
“He had a really good aptitude for meeting new people and helping new people,” she said. “I always knew he was a creative person. Now he’s putting that forward in his profession.”
As an orientation leader, Howard was among the first to welcome students to campus.
“You get to be the first person to make a difference in somebody else’s life, and that is huge,” he said, comparing it to welcoming a new employee into his company. “You get an opportunity to create culture every day.”
Today, Howard leads a team that promotes Franklin Sports’ products for games as diverse as baseball and pickleball (the latter took him to the NYC observation deck for a photo shoot). He hopes his efforts encourage kids to be physically active.
Howard lives in Bridgewater and often walks across campus with his wife and children while telling them stories about his college experience.
“I feel like Bridgewater State cares about the community,” he said. “It’s very much a feeling of being home.”
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