KU News Release

Graduation stories: 48 hours as a homeless person was ‘life changing’ for KU student

Max Stettner

LAWRENCE — Since he was a young boy, Max Stettner has had two passions. Like many young males, he is a sports fanatic. His second love, helping people, may be what sets him apart.

Stettner has held on to both interests in his academic pursuits. This month, he will graduate from the University of Kansas with a bachelor’s in American studies and a minor in business with an emphasis in race and gender.

His love for all things sport and service has taken Stettner from coast to coast in his young life. Born in Tucson, Ariz., he spent part of his youth in the San Francisco area before moving with his parents, Todd and Shirley, to Overland Park, where he graduated from Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy. When it came time to pick a college, he wanted to get away from home. A lifelong Arizona basketball fan, he enrolled at the University of Arizona but eventually transferred to another college basketball mecca — KU.

“I just didn’t find myself happy there (Arizona),” Stettner said. “Plus I’d been paying out-of-state tuition, and my brother was at KU, so I decided to transfer here. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Stettner flourished at KU, vigorously pursuing his love of service to others. He was elected to Student Senate and joined Hillel, a Jewish-student organization. Through Hillel, he had what he called a “life-changing experience.”

He initiated a trip to Washington, D.C., to examine issues relating to homelessness. To truly understand the problem, they dove in headfirst.

“We were actually homeless, on the streets, for 48 hours,” Stettner said.

Participants were given only a sleeping bag, a pack of cigarettes to use as currency and the address of a safe location where they could sleep.

“We were completely on our own,” Stettner said. “We had to find cardboard and pens to make a sign to ask for money for food. You find out how far a dollar can go. I found out how the dollar menu at McDonald’s can be a good thing.”

Those on the trip also took the opportunity to speak to as many homeless people as they could. They met some with college degrees who had lost their jobs and others who had lost their homes to fire or foreclosure. The experience taught him to look past stereotypes regarding homelessness and to appreciate the things in life that are often taken for granted.

After experiencing homelessness first hand, Stettner also took part in an alternative spring break to help people reclaim their homes. On a trip to New Orleans, he was part of a team that helped people to rehabilitate their homes after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. The group gutted homes that had been flooded, removing carpeting, wallpaper and anything else covered in mold after the floodwaters receded.

“All of us were really affected by how high their spirits still were,” Stettner said of New Orleans residents. “These people’s houses were completely ruined, but the fact that they still had the energy to keep going was incredible.”

Stettner also found time to help in Lawrence. Along with a pair of fellow KU students, he arranged a date auction that raised about $1,800 for ACT Caritas, an organization that sends nurses, teachers and humanitarian help to the Darfur region of Sudan.

Throughout his academic and humanitarian pursuits, Stettner held onto his love of sports. He co-hosted a sports show on KJHK, KU’s student-run radio station, and now has an internship at Sports Illustrated. In the role, he is involved in marketing on college campuses.

All of the work has netted Stettner a few job offers, including one with a nonprofit group that organizes activist training on college campuses and marketing with the Washington Capitals hockey team. Although he’s not sure exactly what his job will be after graduation, Stettner has a pretty good idea of the field he’ll be in.

“I feel like I really need to do something to help people,” he said.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.