Choosing to come to Whittier College was a leap of faith for Gregory Carlson ’15.
“I didn’t even see what the campus looked like in person before I applied or when I decided on Whittier,” said Carlson. “Coming from Weston, Massachusetts, I knew I wanted to be close to my Godfather, who lived in San Diego at the time.”
After receiving his acceptance letter and great financial aid from Whittier, Carlson made the decision of coming to Whittier without ever stepping on campus.
“Although it was a big risk, I can tell you it was well worth it.”
Throughout his four years at Whittier, the business major has been heavily involved on campus. He’s a member of the William Penn Society, was the treasurer for Associated Students of Whittier College (ASWC), and he worked as phonathon caller for the Office of Advancement helping the raise funds for the College and is a member of the Senior Class Gift committee.
“Being a part of a society has had a great impact on my skills and me as a college student,” said Carlson. “I have learned a great deal from a group of guys who always encourage its members to do their best academically and being professional in any work environment.”
In the classroom, Carlson was inspired by Professor of Finance Fatos Radoniqi ‘06 and is considering a career in financial analysis thanks to Radoniqi’s teachings and advice.
“Fatos is such a great professor because of his ability to display his knowledge on a great vast of subjects in the world of finance,” said Carlson. “Fatos has been nothing but great when advising me. He has cleared up my schedule, recommended me great classes and even told me about a summer class that is still today the best course I've taken here at Whittier, called Finance and the Brain. It combined psychology, a little neuroscience, and finance.”
As far as future plans go, Carlson is also considering a career in advancement. “I may want to work for a higher education institution as an assistant director for their annual fund.”.
His advice for future Poets? Take advantage of all opportunities that are presented.
“If you want to learn more about your degree, take more upper level courses,” said Carlson. “You want to get a different perspective of the world while you are studying, study abroad. Don’t have enough money to do a full semester abroad? Study abroad during Whittier’s JanTerm and get the full experience during the month of January. Want to increase your professional skills as a worker, go to all the workshops that Whittier has to offer such as Backpack to Briefcase, Career Center for resumes/cover letters and interviews, etc.”
“You get what you put into it,” said Carlson.
