The fact that she came to Gustavus to be our president after all she’d already achieved in her career, that just says a lot.”
—Tenzin Choenyi ’18
TENZIN CHOENYI ’18
THEN Gustavus Investment Club, Student Senate finance chair, Gustie Entrepreneurship Club, student-at-large within the Gustavus Endowment Fund; major in Financial Economics with lots of History Department courses
NOW Senior Associate, Golub Capital
Choenyi immigrated to Chicago from Nepal when he was 16. Shortly after, he received “a random email from Gustavus,” he says. “I applied, and got an offer with a very generous scholarship.” He flew in for the weekend—his first fl ight alone, and his first time in Minnesota. “As soon as I got there, it felt just like a home.” He knew he was headed into finance, so he joined the burgeoning Entrepreneurship Club, which had just started the Gustie Cup competition. As the Student Senate finance chair, he helped decide how the College is governed. Walking around campus recently for the first time since graduation, “I saw the sustainability initiatives we worked on,” he says. “Students really do determine the big stuff, stuff that has a real impact.” While at Gustavus, he spent two summers at a small commercial bank in Chicago. After graduation, he joined their commercial banking training program and learned all things related to commercial credit. It was a stepping stone to commercial lending. When the COVID-19 job market, “went bonkers,” he moved to the growing industry of private lending. Deciding whether something is worth investment means looking for the wins for everyone. He was prepared. “Gustavus got me thinking more about the community itself, about what someone else is going through, about their perspective. I carry this community feeling wherever I go.”
When we consider President Bergman, she made her time at Gustavus count.”
—MJ Johnson ’18
MJ JOHNSON ’18
THEN Class of 2018 Commencement speaker, Fulbright Award recipient, two-time state speech champion, co-editor of the satirical Fourth Crown, Gustie Greeter, Gustie Ambassador; majors in English and History, minors in Japanese Studies and Comparative Literatures
NOW Legal Conflicts Analyst, Fager Drinker
Johnson remembers sitting behind President Bergman as a nervous first year at Convocation on Move-In Day. “She had a warmth to her. I remember thinking, some people adopt the role of president ceremoniously. She came here with a mission and an idea for what she wanted to do. She had a legitimate plan.” Johnson did too, though in typical liberal arts fashion, it morphed as her time at Gustavus went on. She planned to study speech and rhetoric, then switched to English and History. She threw herself into the things that brought her joy, including the satirical Fourth Crown, which poked fun at President Bergman—at one point invoking Beyonce and cheekily outing President Bergman as “Becky with the good hair,” which President Bergman brought up to Johnson. They had a good laugh. “It was great to say to her, ‘Thanks for being really cool about this.’” Johnson went on to earn a Fulbright Teaching Award to Vietnam, then a master’s in the Study of Law and a paralegal certificate from Hamline University. She works as a legal conf icts analyst, advising attorneys of potential legal and ethical conflicts. From Gustavus, she carries, “a persistent need to be curious about the world around me as well as an understanding of the value of community.” And a model for warm and confident leadership. “Becky with the good hair. Becky with the good plans. She can do it all.”
That’s the identity I have with my class—that we were ‘Becky’s class.’”
—Connor Myhre ’18
CONNOR MYHRE ’18
THEN President and social media director of Campus Activities Board, through which he often worked with President Bergman, Gustavus Choir, in which he toured the country and sang with her; major and teaching assistant in Communication Studies, minor in Scandinavian Studies
NOW Corporate Communication and Marketing Manager, U of M Physicians
“We did some crazy stuff,” Myhre says of his time in CAB. “Homecoming and President’s Ball [a favorite of President Bergman and her husband, Tom Bergman] were a big blur. Big concerts with Hunter Hays and 3OH!3, too. We sold out Hunter Hayes, which was a really fun thing.” And then there was G Choir—touring across the United States, and every Christmas in Christ Chapel he sang in. “Even G Choir rehearsals with Dr. A. [conductor emeritus Greg Aune] were some of the most fun experiences I had.” In fact, his Spotify Wrapped still includes Gustavus Choir and Dr. Aune. All that fun (and a National Communication Association Top Paper Award on JFK’s inaugural address) has led to big things. Myhre’s first job out of Gustavus was with Heroic Productions, which produces Christmas in Christ Chapel as well as the Nobel Conference, and is owned by Gustavus music alumni and philanthropists Jon and Anita Young (both Class of 1977). “I learned a lot and got to work with so many Gusties,” he says. He then worked for a health care public relations agency, “the biggest communications bootcamp you can go through.” This was during COVID-19, so it meant crisis communications, research and development around COVID-19 treatments, and rapid FDA authorizations. “We had research and science we had to get out there,” he says. He is now with U of M Physicians, and still constantly reminded of how deeply Gustavus is ingrained in him. “The experiences with professors and the lessons I learned—how to work hard and be successful at hard work, even when things don’t go the way you thought they would. That’s something really special.”
Gustavus is small, but it is also big.”
—Hubert Ngarabino ’18
HUBERT NGARABINO ’18
THEN Co-president of Student Senate, where he met regularly with President Bergman, Pan African Student Organization, Prepare Ministries, French tutor, CF in Uhler and International Center, and Homecoming King; major in Political Science
NOW Senior Real Estate Coordinator, Ryan Companies
He showed up in Spring semester of 2015 from his home country of Burundi. “It was very cold,” he laughs, referring to the moment he stepped on campus. Still, “I remember thinking that I was so lucky to be at Gustavus.” His luck, backed by his hard work, has not run out. Since his arrival at Gustavus, his joyful (and savvy) networking skills have endeared him to hundreds of Gusties around the world. They’ve helped him get scholarships, travel opportunities, and jobs. One of his student-employment supervisors even taught him to drive. “I can’t believe she trusted me with her car!” he says. It wasn’t all luck. Partly, it’s just who he is—charming, fun, curious. Partly it was Gustavus. “To have all of these students from other cultures converging here, learning so much so fast, my mind was so opened,” he says. “Gustavus made me realize I’m an ambassador for my home country. It is a community that values that.” Partly, he says, it was “seeing how President Bergman was approachable on campus. It liberated me to approach anyone.” In his first year as a student, he met her in her office after scheduling a meeting to get to know her. As student senate co-president (along with Solveig Svendsen ’18, currently a medical resident at the University of Minnesota), he worked with President Bergman monthly on policy issues related to students’ needs. After graduating, he worked in ministry and youth development, got an MBA, convinced his sisters (Bella Nduwayezu ’23, Martine ’26) to be Gusties, and got married. In 2024, his son, Louie, Class of 2045, was born. When he joined Ryan Companies in November of 2021, “one of the leaders challenged me to meet 10 people every month,” he says. Challenge accepted, obviously. “I love making connections. I carry that from Gustavus.”
