Lives in: Southport, CT 

Major: History 

Current position: Co-Founder of Gells Apparel  

What work looks like: “We are a premium accessories and apparel brand with licensing partnerships with the National Hockey League and several NCAA institutions (including UVM), plus three partner charities whom we support in several ways. As an owner of a small business, my responsibilities are “soup to nuts.” There are days where I will have a meeting with an executive at a Fortune 500 company and others where I handle tasks like inventory management and accounting.” 

What he loves about it: “There is nothing more rewarding to me than putting down a vision on paper— for a new product line, new channel of distribution, or process improvement—and watching it come to fruition. It’s hard work but it’s also extremely rewarding.” 

What he gained from a liberal arts education: “I wear many hats as a business owner, and I think a liberal arts education is one that forces you to wear many hats as a student.  I took different courses at UVM in different fields such as economics, architecture, philosophy, and (of course) history. This required me to be open to learning different materials in different settings on a daily basis, and I had to pivot my mindset from class to class. Today, I am constantly having to pivot in a similar way. One moment I am addressing a supply chain issue and the next I am working on a marketing presentation. Having a well-rounded education helped me become a more well-rounded person inside and outside the classroom.”