At 29 years old, La'Ray Bush is the first sibling in his family to receive a bachelor's degree. He is the second oldest and is taking responsibility for paving the way and setting the example.
He struggled to figure out what he wanted to do after high school, so he began working an assembly position in a warehouse. There, he met a mentor who inspired him to start classes at Ivy Tech Community College in the mechanical engineering technology program. He completed his associate degree in 2017 and worked his way up to be a mechanical engineering technician at the warehouse. While at Ivy Tech, a friend in a study group suggested he apply for the Bowen Scholars program, which provided life-changing support.
Bush transferred to IUPUI and received one of the few Bowen scholarships available to Ivy Tech transfer students.