"Farming and hockey have a lot in common," says Joel Gasper, who grew up on a family farm in Minnesota's Red River Valley. "You're up early and you work hard."

Joel came to Robert Morris University to play Division I hockey and study engineering. Each summer, he returns to Minnesota, where he puts his engineering and management skills to work for the benefit of the family's farm.
 
"My dream has always been to play Division I collegiate hockey, maybe go pro, and then go back to Minnesota to help run my family's farm," he says. "But now I have a degree in manufacturing engineering, so I have a lot of career options."

At RMU, Joel has earned the Most Inspirational Player Award two years in a row. But Gasper keeps it all in perspective. "I know what my dad does every day to keep a farm going. The way I see it, playing hockey and going to college at RMU are absolute privileges."