During his first year, the aspiring Music major balked at the cost of Music Theory textbooks, then spent almost the same amount on a camera.
He loves choir. He loves sports. He loves photography. He didn’t turn his back on any of them.
He didn’t have to. Because he’s a Gustie, there was never an “either/or” situation. He graduated this past spring as a Communication Studies and Psychology double major, having been a Tenor II in the Gustavus Choir, a photographer in the Sports Information Office, and a student researcher on athletes and mental health.
The sports photography epiphany happened like this: Stuck in his dorm room his first year (the “COVID” year), watching German soccer on his phone, “I realized how much happens around sports,” he says. By spring semester, he’d emailed every Gustavus coach offering to take photos. Men’s Soccer coach Tudor Flintham answered first.
The next step was an internship. Enter: The Gustavus Center for Career Development. “They were the reason I was able to start applying,” Bui says. “They helped me with my resume.” He found a random posting for a Minnesota Vikings internship and messaged every Viking communications employee he could find. A few months later, he was a Gameday Communications intern.
“The internship reinforced my belief in sports as a career path,” he says. He and other interns set up PR booths, aided media in locker room interviews, and sent out post game reviews (among other duties). “I got close to the business of sports, and to the athletes, walking by Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson. It was cool to be behind the scenes and see the working cogs that make game days come to fruition.”
Big takeaway? Professional sports are systems with access points to multiple careers. “It’s a very cool experience. Everybody cares about what they’re doing.”
And: He wants to be closer to the field. “My passion lies in capturing the action. Feeling the energy from the players. The insane athleticism.”
And: “It’s a big world.”
And: He still loves singing in choirs.
Community is a core value at Gustavus. The Gustavus Center for Career Development has been integral as Bui sets himself up for a career in professional sports. “They connected me with other sports professionals who studied at Gustavus. You can chat with anybody if you both studied at Gustavus,” he says. See page 13 for Gustie alumni who’ve made careers in sports.
