By Adriana Betancourt
Success in business often begins with the habits built long before entering the professional world. For Michael DeHaan, those habits were developed through years of dedication as a student-athlete and strengthened during his time at NIU’s College of Business. A former member of the Huskie Football program, DeHaan balanced the demands of athletics and academics while discovering a passion for business that would ultimately shape his career path.
During his time at NIU, DeHaan earned undergraduate certificates in professional sales and digital marketing before continuing his education to complete his Master of Science in Digital Marketing. Through hands-on learning, collaboration with professors, and real-world coursework, he built a strong foundation in communication, sales and leadership. Those experiences prepared him to step confidently into the corporate world.
Today, DeHaan serves as an enterprise renewal sales specialist at Adobe, where he works with major retail clients and continues to grow in a fast-paced, highly competitive environment. He credits much of his success to the discipline, coachability, resilience and time management skills he developed as both a Huskie student and athlete.
Q: Why did you choose the College of Business at Northern Illinois University, and how did it support both your academic and athletic goals?
A: Like many, I was undecided on my major when I enrolled as a freshman. I took one engineering class in my first semester as well as a class in the College of Business. After just one semester, I had made the decision to continue taking classes within the College of Business before narrowing my major down in the coming semesters. Looking back, I am grateful that I chose the College of Business because it brought out the best in me, and its curriculum prepared me for my career at Adobe. I learned so much from the competitiveness from the sales program, the focus on real-world business challenges, meeting industry experts from massive organizations and the constant collaborative environment.
Q: How did balancing academics and athletics shape your experience as a College of Business student?
A: Balancing both academics and athletics gave me a lot of structure in my day-to-day life. At times, it was truly a grind between the early morning workouts and the late nights studying. These circumstances also forced me to become a clear communicator with my classmates and professors — a skill that I am grateful for. I learned to be transparent with classmates on the group assignments, and, most importantly, I set expectations with professors throughout the semester about missed classes and making up missed assignments. This also led to many of my strong bonds with professors.
Q: Looking back, what was one of the most impactful opportunities you had within the College of Business?
A: The most impactful experiences that I had within the College of Business came from the professors. In my first College of Business class, although it was being held in the Barsema Hall Auditorium, I felt that the professor was extremely passionate about the curriculum, did a great job engaging with the large class and made an effort to teach valuable lessons that fell outside of the standard course material. This was the type of stuff that set us up for a successful four years at NIU and helped us to truly hit the ground running as young professionals after graduation.
Q: What skills or lessons as a student-athlete have translated most into your professional career?
A: Coachability. Being in sales, I am consistently receiving feedback on the various aspects of my role. Because I support Adobe’s largest retail customers, there is a lot of executive visibility in my work, which means a ton of feedback. Being able to act on this feedback quickly has been a true differentiator for me. Also having the ability to accept negative feedback and not take it personally is another key skill in the corporate setting.
Q: Can you share a defining moment or challenge at NIU that helped shape who you are today?
A: A defining moment of my time at NIU comes from the first sales class I took with Jenny Redisi. At the time, she was the professor of the introduction to sales course, which was a requirement for most College of Business students. Up until that point, I was a pretty quiet and reserved person. I hated the thought of public speaking and never saw myself going into a sales profession. I dreaded taking the course as soon as I learned that it entailed dozens of roleplays with a handful of scenarios where we role played with actual sales professionals. I quickly learned that selling is anchored in being a good listener and is an extremely popular field for retired athletes because of its competitive nature. This quickly became one of my favorite classes and by the end of that semester I was already enrolled in two other sales classes with the intention of getting a sales certificate.
Q: How did your time at NIU prepare you for your transition into the professional world, particularly at a global company like Adobe?
A: I honestly felt more prepared than most of the other new graduates that I started with at Adobe. Many business schools do not have dedicated sales programs, and this set me up to make an impact quickly. Even if you have no interest in going into sales, the skills that you learn in this program are invaluable for any new graduate. Beyond the sales-specific skills, I felt like many of the College of Business courses that I took as an underclassman really emphasized certain soft skills that are essential in the business world. The example that comes to my mind is one of the most overlooked skills in the business world — being a strong communicator. Being able to communicate with customers, internal teammates and upper leadership in a clear, and concise way is vital.
Q: What advice would you give to current College of Business students who are balancing multiple commitments?
A: Stick with it! It will all be worth it in the end. College was the busiest time of my life, while balancing student-athlete life. You are developing crucial skills that will carry with you for the rest of your professional career.
Q: What advice would you specifically share with student-athletes preparing for life after graduation?
A: Do not undervalue your athletic experience when interviewing early on in your career. In many situations during my internship or during the first couple of weeks of onboarding as a full-time employee, I felt imposter syndrome comparing myself to my peers who had an abundance of business experience. Adobe’s sales organization and many other companies recognize the value of your athletic experience just as much as an internship or something similar. Coachability, time management and grit are all key traits associated with being a student-athlete that are crucial in any job you apply for post-graduation.
Q: Looking back, what does being a Huskie mean to you today?
A: I have immense pride being a Huskie. I often think of a story from one of my favorite professors, Tim Aurend, who is now retired. He had experience teaching at several universities around Illinois, with some having more national recognition for being ‘prestigious’ institutions. He said that in his experience as a professor, by far, the most hardworking, gritty and resourceful students come out of NIU. This reputation holds true at Adobe as well. I personally know eight other Huskies who work here and have strong personal brands, are considered extremely reliable and some even have won major sales awards. This is very similar to the reputation that our football team has nationally. Although we are not in a Power Four Conference, we are a team that is strong, tough and never going to go down without a fight.
Learn more about the NIU Professional Sales Program.
