Senior Financial Economics Major Bethel Seyoum is enjoying her third consecutive year as the Co-President/Class Officer for Class of 2019. She is also involved in the Gustavus Student Senate, the Interfaith Leadership Council, the International and Cultural Education Center, the Martial Arts Club, and the Gustavus Mentoring Program.

Seyoum comes from the busy and lively metropolitan Addis Ababa of Ethiopia, the country of the first cup of coffee.

Based on thorough school research and communication with Gustavus Adolphus College, Seyoum decided to join this welcoming and caring community to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Financial Economics.

“I didn’t know about Gustavus until I started searching for different schools in the U.S. Gustavus was highly responsive whenever I had any questions. I sensed a welcoming and caring environment from the interactions I had with the staff even before I arrived at Gustavus,” Seyoum said.

Entering the fourth year of her study, the Senior Financial Economics Major has further developed her knowledge and skills in finance while still retaining her passion for the field of analyzing and predicting economic trends.

“My love for finance extends beyond just working with numbers. While I appreciate numerical calculations, it is really the big picture that fascinates me the most,” Seyoum shared.

The senior’s intern experience with Deloitte during the summer of 2017 has reaffirmed her about this passion. As an intern for one of the Big Four (the four biggest professional services networks), Seyoum had get the chance to connect what she has learned in the classroom with an elite real-life working environment.

Beside her summer internship with Deloitte, Seyoum enriched her professional experience by studying abroad in London over the summer of 2018. She took a marketing course where she reached out to the world with the Gustie perspective.

The senior really appreciates the opportunity as it has opened up to her a broad aspect of professionalism as well as new relationships.

Seyoum feels lucky to come across this opportunity during her work at the Center for International and Cultural Education (CICE). The senior has been working as a student assistant and Intercultural Partner at CICE for the last three years.

At CICE, Seyoum has greatly contributed to communicating with current and new international students who are at or coming to Gustavus. Not only coordinating their arrivals, Seyoum herself as an Intercultural Partner picks them up at the airport and accompanies them during the International Orientation which takes place a week before the official Orientation for all Gusties.

As an experienced international Gustie, Bethel has befriended and helped new international students with their radical transitions to life in the United States.

Jeffrey Anderson, Assistant Director of International Student and Scholar Services, referred to Seyoum as “someone [he] can always rely on.” Welcoming Seyoum to Gustavus and witnessing her growth over her work at CICE, Anderson very much appreciates her presence and the great impact she has made at Gustavus.

“She has been a great resource in her work here at CICE. She is also a wonderful person who is soft-talking and very thoughtful,” Anderson said about his first impression of Seyoum.

As a student assistance at CICE, Seyoum also contributes her perspective as a student towards CICE’s programs.

“We’ve also been planning on creating the first study abroad to Ethiopia which might happen in the next few years,” Seyoum said.

Striving to making others’ voices heard, Seyoum has represented international students as the International Student Representative in the Student Senate and her class as the Co-President and Class Officer of the Class of 2019.

As the International Student Representative, Seyoum frequently tabled and collected international students’ opinions about the Student Senate’s plans and decisions and later she represented these voices in the Senate meeting. She find it important for international students’ concerns to be voiced, especially in the decision-making process of the largest student organization on campus.

As the Class Officer of the Class of 2019, Seyoum also prioritizes her role in making all the voices heard. Due to her thoughtful nature, Seyoum listens very well to the voices from a diverse range of students and make sure they are taken seriously. Exemplary in her work of representing the student body, Seyoum is also involved as the Co-President of the Multi-Faith Leadership council.

As a spiritual person, Seyoum believes that faith in all shapes and forms should be equally represented and appreciated at Gustavus, a campus that regards faith and community among its Five Pillars. In addition to her involvement on campus, Seyoum is also known among her peers as a highly self-motivated and overachiever in her academic career.

Junior Financial Economics Major Mahrukh Khurram said: “[Seyoum] is a really, really hard-working person, and she knows how to manage her personal and academic lives very well. She sets goals for herself. She’s a high achiever and very self-motivated.”

As an experienced Gustie, Seyoum advises Gusties who are new at Gustavus, especially international Gusties, to reach out to the many resources available to them on campus to make the most out of their experience. as Gusties.