Montana State senior Whitney Vralsted goes above and beyond for her community

BOZEMAN - Whitney Vralsted, who will finish this month at Montana State University with a degree in business finance and minor in accounting, said her time at MSU has helped her make lifelong friends, learn valuable real-world skills, gain a passion for travel and find a love toward helping others.

After graduation Vralsted aspires to move to New York and work in investment banking or wealth management to follow in her dad's footsteps. One of the reasons behind going to New York is inspiration from a trip she took through The Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship in a travel class taught by Gary Caton, a professor at Jabs. The class went to New York City in October 2022 to visit iconic financial institutions.

According to Caton, Vralsted has shown many characteristics of being an exemplary student, including her GPA and participation and curiosity in his classes.

"In New York, she was fearless in learning about the real world of finance and about herself," Caton said. Vralsted said a big part of her experience at MSU has been her involvement with the sorority Chi Omega. She serves as its treasurer and, this past January, helped start Chapter 61, a campus Christian ministry for Greek life students. Her involvement there provided her the opportunity to go on a mission trip this December to Havana, Cuba, where the group will provide water filters to those in need through the organization, Filter of Hope.

Vralsted said her faith is a big part of who she is and mentioned how symbolic the trip to Cuba will be. "The illustration of dirty water being made clean is a powerful illustration of what Jesus does for those who believe in him: he makes us pure and transforms us into a new creation," Vralsted said.

Another trip that made an impact on Vralsted was a six-week visit to Florence, Italy, through MSU's study abroad program. She went on this trip without knowing anybody and saw it as an individual experience for growth and learning more about herself.

Vralsted said that with every twist and turn in traveling there is an opportunity for growth. "If you're wanting to try something new, just go for it." Two of the role models Vralsted has had at MSU are Angela Woodland, a professor at Jabs and Brian Gillespie, dean of the business college. Vralsted said the pair made an impact on her during a faculty-led accounting and marketing trip to Germany. During this trip, both Woodland and Gillespie taught the visiting MSU students about the different cultures and traditions in Germany as they took educational tours. She said their support and encouragement helped her become truly immersed in the culture of Germany.

According to Woodland, Vralsted showcased knowledge, capability, leadership and a joyful personality on the faculty-led Germany trip. "She made sure that others were included and she set a great example," Woodland said. "With her experience in multiple banking internships, I expect Vralsted will have a successful and impactful career in finance."

Vralsted said that in addition to travel opportunities and her business classes through Jabs, she also learned many valuable life skills, including having a positive outlook, seeing opportunity in everything, organization and time management, teamwork and public speaking.

One of the things Vralsted said she gained throughout her time at MSU has been a love and passion for helping the community around her. One of the ways that she has done this is becoming involved with Community of Aspiring Business Leaders her freshman year, a program through Jabs developed to ensure a smooth transition from high school to college by helping students form a community where they support each other and grow together throughout their time at MSU. She also spent time as a camp counselor at Clydehurst Christian Ranch in Mcleod, Montana, which she said allowed her to be a role model and have good conversations with girls exploring Christianity.

Vralsted says she is grateful for her experience at MSU and wouldn't be where she is today without the support from her mom.

"My mom has taught me to take on challenges with grace and gratitude," Vralsted said. "There are not enough words in the dictionary to describe how amazing she is - she is my best friend."

When asked what advice she'd give to future MSU students, Vralsted said that college is your chance to embrace new challenges, make unforgettable memories and discover who you are.

"Keep an open mind for your future because the journey you start at MSU will shape your future in the most incredible ways," Vralsted said. "Make every moment count and never be afraid to try something new."