Tim Ahlberg C’13, a business and economics alumnus, shares why he chose North Park.
Tim chose to attend North Park because he wanted to be in a big city, but at a college that felt personal. 鈥淚 wanted to have relationships with my professors and mentors, and to live in a close-knit community where I could get to know other students from all different backgrounds,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd coming from a Covenant Church family, I knew I wanted to attend a Christian school, to be surrounded by others that shared my faith and would help me build and sustain my own faith throughout my formative college years.鈥�
Maybe most important, Tim wanted a college environment that placed focus not just on finding a career, but living a life of significance and service. When he came to North Park, he got that environment鈥攏ot only in the classroom, but in experiences around the campus and city. 鈥淭here鈥檚 really nothing else like the community there that I鈥檝e experienced before or after North Park. Students and faculty really all-in for your success, both personal and professional.鈥�
He loved taking part in Chapel and College life services; was voted president of the student body; served with homeless ministries; and was captain of the men鈥檚 soccer team his senior year, being named an Academic All-American. 鈥淣orth Park is such a personal university that, no matter your area of study, your background, or your future pursuits, the entire campus feels like one community that exists because of and for each other,鈥� Tim says. 鈥淚 met amazing people who were so different than I was, and we learned so much from each others鈥� experiences and life stories.鈥�
A business and economics major with a concentration in accounting and a minor in Spanish, Tim got to know his faculty members in North Park鈥檚 small class sizes. They encouraged him to study abroad in Guanajuato, Mexico, where he became fluent in Spanish. In his senior year, Tim received a Fulbright Binational Business Exchange Grant, which allowed him to complete a business internship and take MBA classes in in Mexico City. 鈥淣one of this would have been possible without the support of the faculty and staff of North Park,鈥� he says.
鈥淏y the time I started my full-time job in the United States, I was not only prepared with specific business acumen and skills gained through curriculum, but armed with a global perspective and bilingual capabilities that really set me apart in today鈥檚 competitive workforce,鈥� Tim says.
As an assurance associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, he focuses on accounting solutions and business operations improvements. 鈥淭his includes traveling to business all over the country, and to Mexico, where I have been able to use my fluency in Spanish. I feel like North Park has prepared me beyond my peers for entering the global workforce.鈥�