STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Evan Schultz ’19 Finance Major, ROTC Army Cadet Evan Schultz ’19 VSB has his eyes firmly focused on the future, while taking advantage of every opportunity that comes his way here in the present. Evan is currently studying Mandarin in Shanghai on a Boren Scholarship. This is a return trip for Evan, who also spent the summer of 2016 there as a Freeman scholar. The summer of 2015 was spent in Jinan and Beijing, China, in the Army’s Project Global Officer (Project GO), which focuses on countries and languages of the Middle, Central and Far East; Africa; and South America. Evan came to Villanova from San Jose, Calif. because his family is from the East Coast. “My family has a bit of an East Coast bias when it comes to higher education. I was eager to move East—I wanted to see other parts of the country,” Evan says. He chose Villanova University because of its Catholic roots and the opportunities he’d have here. Evan started out in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, set on a military career. “I come from an Army family. My uncle is a lieutenant colonel, and my dad did a four-year tour before moving to the private sector and a business career,” Evan explains.
Evan is one of 35 ROTC Army cadets at Villanova and one of the seven in VSB. Major Michael J. Repasky, of the Villanova ROTC and an assistant professor of military science, had this to say about Evan: “I am extremely proud of Cadet Schultz and this unique opportunity for him to study abroad after being awarded the Boren Scholarship. As he progresses in his Army career, he will bring knowledge and understanding that will enhance international cooperation, broaden the dialogue between countries concerning national security and, most importantly, build relationships.”
His dad is the reason, in part, why Evan is in Asia learning Mandarin. “I took Mandarin in high school on the advice of my father,” he said. “My dad suggested I focus on China because he felt it’s the future—they’re surpassing us economically and they have four times our population.” But that first class didn’t go very well. “I never intended to study Mandarin ever again, but then the officers in ROTC at Villanova asked me to pick it back up.” After a year at Villanova, Evan’s goals began to change. He transferred to VSB at the end of his freshman year, majoring in Finance. “I like the strategic focus of finance. In finance, you can influence the outcome and get things done.”
So what will be next for Evan? He’s busy learning Mandarin in the mornings and interning at a tech startup working on education apps for Chinese students, but he still has time to research additional ways he can spend time learning overseas. He’ll be applying for a Fulbright and maybe a Schwarzman Scholarship. He wants to learn as much as he can, though his activities after graduation will be up to the Army, as he is obligated to serve for four years. He values his military training and is grateful for the time ROTC has given him to figure out what he wants to do in his career. “Our military has begun to put emphasis on cultural experience to help reduce tension. My experience on the ground in other countries will be valuable,” Evan says.
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Villanova Business Winter/Spring 2018