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A place like UConn provides the perfect grounds to explore and advance our diverse individual interests. That’s exactly what Trevor Sanchez did. The junior came to Storrs with a background in Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, and MMA. He immediately joined the Jiu-Jitsu club on campus and then took one step further to found UConn’s Mixed Martial Arts Club, the first collegiate-affiliated MMA program in Connecticut. Due to a horrible car accident in January 2011, Trevor broke his back and was forced to give up his passion for these sports. Even after hearing no reliable answers about his recovery time, Trevor did not simply give up. Instead, he decided to take an administrative role in UConn’s Jiu-Jitsu and MMA programs and still enjoys being involved.

Furthermore, he was able to rediscover his second passion, music. Trevor started his own DJ company, Tre Midi & Co., and is one of the main sponsors for this year’s HuskyTHON, UConn’s biggest philanthropic event. It is a dance marathon that raises money for the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Tre Midi & Co. will be donating their services to the cause and will be present for the majority of the 18-hour function. It’s inspiring to see Trevor’s drive lead him to build a company from scratch and within a year make such a sizable donation to a great cause. He believes that even when times are tough, there’s always something to thrive for.

To donate to HuskyTHON, visit http://huskython.uconn.edu