Ben Thelen
Class of
My hometown is
My major(s):
I'm involved in:
president of Entrepreneurs In Action, vice president of Zeta Sigma, formerly involved in the Student Alumni Association and Student Athletic Advisory Committee, sprinter/hurdler on track & field team, on men’s golf team
After I graduate I plan to
pursue a career in corporate hospitality, potentially out on the east coast. I am also very interested in entrepreneurship and innovation and would like to franchise a few business ventures I have.
My favorite place on campus is
Some of my favorite professors include
So far, my favorite class(es) has/have been
My greatest accomplishment at Alma is
helping to take Entrepreneurs In Action to our first Enactus nationals appearance since 2012 this past spring. We barely squeaked in there, but we made it! There was a lot that went into that equation that helped us to turn things around and make it back to the national competition. When you can see your hard work be rewarded in ways like this, it makes all the late nights and long hours worth it.
I'd advise an Alma freshman to
I’m a transfer student. If you’re like me, don’t feel uncomfortable about transferring to a small school. Within the first week I was here, I had twenty-five people who I knew on a first-name basis who also knew me. There’s a reason Alma is called home for students and alumni.
I'd tell a student considering coming to Alma
Come to campus on a full day visit. Sit in on an intro level class of a subject you are interested in pursuing. Take a tour. Ask about the clubs and try meeting with leaders in different student organizations — there are many students who would love talking to you! Meet with a coach of a sport you’ve played in high school. Even if you don’t think you want to play, you might find that a student manager position would be fitting for you. Don’t try to figure out Alma from afar — come to campus and get the full experience of what we are like. You can’t see that from a computer screen!
What I like most about studying at Alma is
Of course, the small class sizes. It’s something we talk a lot about, but there’s a huge difference being one in a room of fifteen rather than one in a lecture hall of five-hundred.
My favorite part about living on campus is
Seeing people every day. I love being involved and you can’t get the same college experience by living off campus.
I went to
China during Spring Term of my junior year. It was an experience unlike any other. We traveled all over the country, starting in Hong Kong and ending in Beijing. Everything in China is so fast paced compared to the U.S. Because there are so many millions of people, it is expected that you are always alert and on the move, and not just on the streets or in traffic, but in life, too. Everyone is battling tooth and nail for work, and because there are so many people, you must obtain high education and truly stand out to be considered for a prestigious position.
After traveling to China, it is clear that the United States strives to be like China in a variety of ways and soon will look to be just as competitive as China so that we can be a step above other nations in many facets. Without this Spring Term, I could only understand the hearsay that I get from what other people think China is like. Since I was able to see it first hand for a whole month, I can speak to the culture and the way of life and feel more empowered as a person because of it.