Name: Curtis Bommer

Field of Study: International Economics and Finance

Status: Undergraduate student  

Graduation Year: 2023

Hometown: Franklin Lakes, N.J.

Why did you choose Catholic University? The campus atmosphere and community of friendly and caring people

"[I] hope to use my specializations in sales and big data to land a career doing what I love in this amazing city."

What activities have you been involved with? Student Government Association, Cardinal Red Cross, Orientation, WCUA, Student Philanthropy Council, Colleges Against Cancer, Investment Club

Impact of CatholicU's D.C. location: Our D.C. location allows for fun and engaging ways to make friends and pursue what interests you. Our location has led to plenty of visits to new restaurants, learning in museums, monumenting, and jobs throughout the area.

Favorite course: One of my favorite courses that I've taken has been Finance 226 - Introductory Finance with Professor Michael Piemonte. His understanding and knowledge of the material as well as passion and willingness to engage with his students to help them learn made it feel as though I was cared for and that my understanding of the material was more important than whatever grade I received.

What are your goals for the future? Although I would like to say that I have my whole life planned out, I am open to whatever is offered to me. I have a keen interest in economics and data analytics, and hope to use my specializations in sales and big data to land a career doing what I love in this amazing city.

Is there a faculty or staff member who has made a significant impact on you? Dr. Gallenstein is a professor who made a unique impact on me. He taught me that learning difficult and often dry things does not have to be as boring as it tends to be. He also prioritized showing real life examples and experiments as a way of teaching the class.

Awards and recognition: I have won student leadership and student org excellence awards, as well as Dean's List the past three semesters.

What do you like most about Catholic University? I love the community the most at Catholic University. The friendships and bonds that I have formed with the people here are truly unbreakable, and each of their personal experiences has impacted me to better myself and bring something new to my community.

Proudest accomplishment: I am most proud of my SGA executive election campaign and its successful race and the accomplishments that it made and actions that it will continually make. The process was a long and arduous one, but was extremely rewarding and allows me to give back to the Catholic community by serving them.

What Catholic University means to you: I think the most striking experience to me at Catholic was the first time I stepped on campus as a student. I was nervous and my family had left almost an hour into my move-in. Unsurprisingly nervous, I mustered the courage to talk to my roommate and a few people who lived in my residence hall, I was relieved that I was not the only one in this position. After running around campus trying to meet as many people as possible I finally felt like my campus was my home. I dove into every event and student organization I could, and I still attend every meeting I can. The campus community became my family, and Catholic felt more like a home.