Hi there! This is Mike. He has a Story to Tell & an Impact to Leave on This World. Join Him on This Crazy Journey We Call Life.

* The 🔗 is to his Strava profile.

Who is he?

A poor millennial college student, struggling social media influencer, aspiring motivational speaker & disability/LGBTQ+ advocate. Whenever his funds are not as tight as his muscles, he enjoys traveling the world & experiencing new cultures/adventures. So far, he has traveled to Arizona, Calgary, Canada, Utah, & West Virginia. His goal is to travel to many more states, countries, & continents.

A more in-depth bio written in the first person

Read!!!

From being born with cerebral palsy, living in an unstable household with unfit parents for the first 11 years, having DSS (Social Service) get involved, being moved to various foster homes before landing legally into my forever family, undergoing two major surgeries (the first one to get my feeding tube which I had since I was an infant, closed, the second one was for major corrective ankle surgery), dealing with the rehab of those surgeries while simultaneously learning basic things that one would learn at an early age, and catching up academically for the next 12 years. At the age of 23 moving into my first apartment, learning how to navigate the world, learning how to deal with people who don’t know how to interact with me due to a speech impediment, getting my GED, establishing my own world views, traveling alone domestically to Utah and Arizona and then internationally to Calgary, Canada. Attending two years of community college which required me to ride the bus for two hours every day, getting into running and working up to a half marathon in 3 2/1 years, and now entering my 2nd year at UNCW studying communications.

Even though, I am extremely proud of what I have accomplished, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without every single person who has come into my life no matter how long they were in my life for. For that I am extremely grateful to everyone who has contributed to my success. It truly takes a village to live a fulfilling life. Sometimes, I forget how far I have come.

Finally, I don’t share this to elicit sympathy but rather to show that regardless of your life circumstances, you can achieve anything. However, this does not mean you won’t feel like giving up. I have had plenty of those moments. Without the struggles, you can not properly enjoy the successful moments.

Cerebral Palsy AKA CP. 101.

Cerebral Palsy is a neurological disorder that affects the muscular function of the human anatomy. Most commonly known signs of cerebral palsy are the gait of an individual, a speech impediment, lack of muscle coordination, & the tightness of the muscles. There are three levels of cerebral palsy mild, moderate, and severe

Cerebral Palsy is not, in of itself, a cognitive disorder.

 

Resume

Below is an exhaustive description of his current & former education, academic awards and nomination, the different speaking opportunities he has had, special appearances in productions, ads, etc, volunteer experiences, the various strengths/abilities he possesses, his academic writings, & his running resume.

Education

Associates in Arts
Cape Fear Community College
Fall 2018 to Spring 2020

Bachelors In Communications
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Commencing In August 2020

Homeschool
La Nichee Christian School
2002-2014

Received His GED
Cape Fear Community College
April 2016

Academic Rewards, Acknowledgements, & Nominations.

  • Was CFCC’s Nominee For The Dallas Herring Achievement Award in 2019

  • Received Special Recognition at CFCC’s Award Ceremony

  • Made it on the Dean’s & President’s Lists

  • Was invited to join the PTK Honors Society At CFCC

  • Is a member of the PTK Honors Society At CFCC

  • Finished his CFCC career with a 4.0 GPA

  • Is a member of The Society of Collegiate Leadership and Achievement

Speaking Opportunities

  • Expounded on different religious topics during LDS church services

  • LDS Missionary Christmas Zone Conferences

  • Lamplighters ToastMasters Club

  • Senior Luncheon at Winter Park Baptist Church

  • Williston Middle School Track Meet

  • Masonboro Baptist Church Youth Group

  • Fellowship meal at Covenant Church

  • UNCW’s Nursing Association

  • UNCW’s Recreational Therapy Class

  • Several Academic Presentations

Special Appearances in Productions, Ads, Etc.

Volunteer Experiences.


Host Team
PC3Overflow
Commenced In October 2019

Builder
Habitat For Humanity
Several Occasions through the LDS Church

Contributing Writer at The Seahawk
Commenced In March 2021


Buddy/Event helper
Access of Wilmington
March 2017 to present

Food Prep/Server
Good Shepherd Center
Several Occasions through the LDS Church

Production Team
PC3Overflow
Commenced In October 2019

Builder/Paint
DaySprings Camp, West Virginia
June 11-18, 2011

Disaster Relief Aid
Mormon Helping Hands  
Several Occasions through the LDS Church

  • Photography

  • Editing abilities

  • Articulative

  • Empathetic

  • ASL (American Sign Language)

  • Dependable

  • Outgong

  • Website Designing

  • Persistent

Click on the Buttons Below to Read Some of Michael’s Adademic Essays on a Broad Range of Topics.

Click the Button Below to Watch Videos Michael has Worked on During his Academic Career.

Click on the Button Below to View Which Races Michael has Participated in, his times,& his personal best for a 5K,10K, half marathon, etc.

Click the Button Below to Read The Articles Michael Has Worked on at The Seahawk, The Student Run Newspaper At UNCW.

As a Social media Influencer Michael Looks Up To a Number Of Fellow Influencers. Below is Him Manifesting into The Universe His Desires To Meet & possibly Collab With His Idols and Heroes.

Have any Connections With These People? Help Him in Achieving His Dreams.

Ellen DeGeneres

First of all, meeting her would be an incredible privilege & honor in of itself. As a gay southern man, Ellen is an inspiration to him. Secondly, just as she advocates for LGBT+ civil rights, Mike is advocates for civil rights within the disability community & educating people. So, being able to get on a well established platform would boast his advocacy within the disability community by helping him get the attention of companies such as Uber/Lyft.

Raymond Braun

Mike loves Raymond’s stellar advocacy within the LGBT+ community. Raymond’s poise & grace is admirable & praiseworthy. As a disability advocacy within the LGBT+ community, Mike knows partnering with Raymond on a project highlighting the disability community within the LGBT+ community & their struggles would be invaluable & greatly needed.

The Boys From Yes Theory

(Thomas, Matt, Ammar, & Bobby)

Mike loves their message of constantly pushing oneselves outside of their comfort zones. He binge watches their vlogs of various insane challenges. As his social various media handles, @potentialfulest, demonstrate he is all about his fullest potential in everything he attempts. Collabing with them would bring their message to constantly “seek discomfort” & his message together. As Mike has said in various messages to them, he would say yes to any challenge they come up with for their collab.

 

Mike loves Roman’s authentic moments where he opens up about the struggles in his life as he did in his Ted Talk & his vlogs. Mike is a die heart fan of his “Smile More” brand owning several of their products. As someone who believes in always challenging himself, Mike knows spending a day with Roman where they’d be sure to do something new would be in accord with both of their brands. He’s hoping to get a brand sponsorship.

Quotes

“Sometimes the cards we’re dealt are completely unfair when compared to the majority of society. We’ve two options, we can either let those speed-bumps prevail or we can deal with them in order to pursue our dreams & build a reputation . I choose the latter. ”
— Michael Friant
“Constantly advocating for rights and simple courtesies is exhausting. Always having to be on the defensive and pushing back on ignorance and ableism is frustrating and drains one’s soul. It also creates unnecessary tension between friends because of “norms.” ”
— Michael Friant
“Regardless of your limitations or abilities, always challenge yourself.”
— Michael Friant
“Don’t judge or limit me based on a preconceived notion of a medical diagnosis.”
— Michael Friant

Looking to connect with Michael?

Well, you have come to the right place! Fill out the required information & he will get in touch as soon as possible.

 

His most recent Instagram posts: 

@potentialfulest