Choose Your Own Adventure: First-Gen Graduate Found His Way Trying Many Paths

The glitter of Silicon Valley first enticed Liam Schaepers to consider the United States for college, but the beauty and welcome he found at The University of Alabama won him over.

In his early teen years in Munster, Germany, Schaepers fell in love with coding. The U.S. seemed like the right place to have the tech career he imagined.

As he got older, college in the U.S. attracted him because of its options. In the German university system, students lock into a career path early.

“I wanted a liberal arts program because you can take whatever you want the first two years and figure things out,” he said. “My first semester, I took the most random classes possible.” He started with political science and economics classes, switched to psychology, and then moved over to management classes.  

The freedom to find his path by trying new things has been key to finding a major he loves.

“I don’t think I would have ended up in operations management without being able to just try things I thought were cool,” he said. “In Germany, I would have had to drop out after every semester and restart with a new major.”

Schaepers is graduating this spring with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in operations management after completing the Accelerated Master’s Program. He also completed a graduate certificate in supply chain logistics.

Embracing Campus Life

Schaepers didn’t only sample the academic menu; he threw himself wholeheartedly into campus life.

“I didn’t want to stay in a bubble,” he said, “which was good since there aren’t many Germans who came to UA when I did. But I wanted to hang out with Americans and have that cultural experience.”

Extracurricular involvement is another thing Schaepers said is uniquely American, and an experience he would never have gotten at home. Events like Get on Board Day let him try out clubs and organizations in much the same way he sampled classes. 

He surprised himself by participating in Greek life, something that was virtually unknown to him before arriving at UA. Through his membership in an honor fraternity, he networked with other organizations across campus as a member of the United Greek Council executive board.

Another organization that has helped shape his time at UA is the Blackburn Institute. “I never thought much about civic engagement before applying to the Blackburn Institute,” Schaepers said. After three learning experiences across Alabama, Blackburn Institute students propose a project intended to benefit a rural Alabama community. His team installed outdoor fitness equipment in Vance as a public health project.

Last year at Honors Day, Schaepers was inducted as the first international student into Jasons Senior Men’s Honorary and the Anderson Society.

Southern Hospitality

Schaepers is a first-generation college student, and his parents have wholeheartedly supported his journey. He admitted his mother might have preferred him to be closer to home, but both of his parents encouraged him to spread his wings.

Schaepers had pictured himself at a tree-lined liberal arts college in a small town. After touring the schools where he was accepted, UA was the clear winner. It wasn’t only the campus beauty and liberal arts faculty at a R1 research university that made the choice.

“At the other school, the tour guide didn’t show up,” he said. At UA, where Schaepers had been accepted into the Honors College, a whole day of activities had been planned, including a conversation with a German professor for his father. “I just felt like they cared about us here.”

This first impression became a theme. “Everyone has been so open and friendly,” he said. “People are so open you say, ‘Why don’t you come over for dinner? My family would love to meet you.’”

Anytime he learns of someone back home who is applying to college in the U.S., he encourages them to consider The University of Alabama.

“My journey at the Capstone has allowed me to live my American dream at the place Where Legends Are Made,” he said.