Entering Rodman Hall at John Carroll University and seeing a crowd of tour guides strolling past with visitors and employees scampering between meetings, Mike Andelbradt still stands out with his big Cheshire grin and JCU gear.

As director of Admission, it’s his job to sell the university to prospective students, though the passion he does this with is not part of his sales pitch. “I am someone who is passionate and bought in—to a fault at times. I’ve always cared a lot,” said Andelbradt.

Chad Harpster ’26, a tour guide in the Office of Admission, describes Andelbradt as a genuinely kind and energetic presence. “He brings energy, he’s always excited to be here,” said Harpster, “He always works hard to make others’ jobs easier and he’s very approachable.”

Andelbradt said passion and loyalty are the two values most important to him. He thinks he inherited the former from his mother, who he said is “the most excited person to ever start any conversation.” The passion his mother had for life was contagious, “she was so excited about everything from such a young age that it became the expectation.”

“To a fault,” Andelbradt repeats, “I just really care about the places I’m a part of.”

His father taught him the value of loyalty from a young age. “He instilled in me that you have to do the right thing for the right reason,” said Andelbradt, and “quitting was never an option.”

Andelbradt is a Chicago native. He attended St. Francis High School, played football and wrestled on top of being student body president and being involved in student ministry. He believes his time there gave him the skills and maturity to go six hours away from home to a small Jesuit school in Cleveland, Ohio that he had never heard of before. Going from Chicago to Cleveland is a big change but he does not seem to fear change.

Starting his journey at John Carroll in the fall of 2014, Andelbradt was a chemistry and education major, hoping to become a high school chemistry teacher and wrestling coach—though he was more excited about the latter.

He loved JCU and it “clicked right away” for him. However, his heart was not in his degree programs.He felt that he could do it but he also felt called to be somewhere else.

“I was able to do both of them and find success in both, but there wasn’t that inherent level of joy I think I was hoping for,” said Andelbradt, “but I still wanted to work with people”.

“It was less about not being able to do it and more about just wanting to do something else.”

Andelbradt focused on making the best choice for himself.

“Taking the time to really step back and figure out what that would be is how I ended up doing a pretty big 180 from the hard sciences to sports studies.” He was one of the first members and graduates of the program.
Andelbradt credits fellow student Adrianna Gradisek ’17 as a pivotal figure who helped him grow as a person in his journey at John Carroll. She encouraged him to join an immersion trip to Ecuador, and this experience opened doors to new connections, including the campus ministry retreat program, and ultimately led him to greater self-discovery. “I don’t think I went to Mass once my freshman year, but Adrianna kind of pulling me into the immersion program was this gateway to a whole different group of people outside of athletics that were so caring and passionate.”
After switching majors, his passion took over as he worked tirelessly to prove wrong all those who told him he was making a mistake. He went from a part-time intern at the then-Cleveland Indians to receiving a full-time offer upon graduation in 2018. He recalls, “I was finding success in an industry that a lot of people would kill to be a part of—sports, this big, exciting thing. Why wouldn’t you want to work in professional sports?”

However, the same feeling he had his sophomore year crawled back into his mind. He came to realize that it was time for a change. “My favorite part was just showing up to the ballpark every day,” Andelbradt recalls, “and I realized that wasn’t enough.”

“I got into sports because it brought me joy, and it wasn’t doing that for me anymore.”

After more discernment, he went from a management position at a major league baseball team to an entry-level position in admissions at that same small Jesuit college from his youth.

Andelbradt’s loyalty and passion for JCU are what drew him back to the place that gave him so much. After all, beyond all John Carroll did for him academically and professionally, he also met his wife, Tainne, while he was an undergraduate.

He hopes that “students and faculty remember my impact as an ultimate advocate for John Carroll. I believe this is such a special place, and I’ve witnessed firsthand what it’s done for me and those around me.”

Ryan Mann ’18, a senior assistant director of admission at JCU, works closely with Andelbradt. The two star in a marketing video series about places to visit and things to do in Cleveland. He said Andelbradt “is always willing to go above and beyond for others.”

“His passion for JCU is infectious and can be felt in every interaction. He cares deeply about this place, our history, our mission and our people,’ said Mann.

“Even though things here aren’t perfect, everything is done for the right reasons,” saidAndelbradt, echoing the values instilled in him by his parents, “And when you do things for the right reasons, with passion and energy, good things will follow. I want to help share that message.”

He quips that the best and most direct piece of feedback he ever received is “simply to ‘give a s—. Success, finding mentors and building relationships all become easier when you genuinely care and pay attention.”

In the end, Mike Andelbradt’s journey from a student seeking his path to the passionate advocate for John Carroll University that he is today underscores his belief that loyalty and passion are crucial aspects of building a strong legacy.
“I may not be the most creative or the smartest, but I know that I will always care as much, if not more, than anyone else,” he remarked.