Interview with Sid Layesa, Macalester College

Interview with Sid Layesa – Macalester College

Interviewer: It’s amazing to have you on the blog, Sid. You’re joining us from Macalester College and I know, like most students that are working really hard and who are very ambitious, you are busy, so I really appreciate the time. We are really here to learn about how you ended up at Macalester and all the things you’ve been up to since you’ve joined the community on campus.

So, let’s just open with where you’re from and how you found your way to such an amazing school out in Minnesota.

Sid: Sure, absolutely Will. I am originally from the Philippines, so I grew up there and I lived there for 17 years and when I was 17, I came across this opportunity to study at an international boarding high school abroad called United World College (UWC). So, it currently has 18 campuses worldwide. I applied, put all the applications together, and you know, was selected from applicants all over the Philippines to attend one of the schools. So, I was selected to go to UWC Red Cross Nordic in Norway, and my classmates are also coming from the different parts of the world; it’s an international boarding high school on the West Coast of Norway, and everyone’s selected based on merit, right? So, you’re selected regardless of your financial status. So, most of us are basically based on merit, and then we’re given the scholarship, right after you got selected. Um, UWC has a lot of partners university partners across the United States through the Shelby Davis Foundation, and one of which is McCallister College, including all most liberal arts colleges in the nation, and somehow there’s just a pipeline from my UWC campus in Norway to McCallister as well as um, the admissions visited our campus in Norway, and we had a great time, and then Really got to know the school really well, I think there’s two things that stood out to me. Number one is its location, and number two is emphasis on internationalism. So maybe I could start get started with number one which is location. I think to me, I’d never lived in a city when I moved to Norway, my school was also in the middle of nowhere. I lived in the province in the Philippines right, so I just wanted something new out of my college experience and get out of the traditional rural area that I’ve been used to all my life and that’s what attracted me to Macalester; it’s among the few liberal arts colleges in the nation that’s located in a metropolitan area which is Saint Paul and Minneapolis. And that came with a lot of opportunity. I’m so happy I came here, such as you know. Opportunity to connect with people, internships, that’s just a couple of miles away among others, restaurants as well as concerts. I’m seeing Charli XCX in a couple of weeks so that’s very exciting. I guess the second part is the emphasis on internationalism. To me it’s important to go to a school with a lot of international students as well as establish support systems for international students and Macalester is just that. It has a lot of international students, I think last year was a record number in terms of admission of international students at Macalester. I think it was 100 out of the 500 admitted students who said yes to Macalester were international students. And most of my friends are international students here at Macalester also from the same school United World College, and I think it’s just valuable being surrounded with folks who come from diverse experiences not only financially but also culturally.

Interviewer: Sid, you’re one of the most thorough and driven students I’ve met, and so again any insight and any depth is perfect and exactly what I’m hoping to hear more about, so no it’s very exciting but from that process, you establish your commitment and your drive around getting an education. And the international conversation is on the forefront of the industry in terms of higher education, but while we are focused on these international connections…

…were there other schools that caught your eye? Or was it just Macalester?

Sid: I think for me I did not in my entire life think about applying to the United States until I got into Norway International Boarding School. I came from a first-gen background, my parents did finish college in the Philippines and none of us in my family ever thought of sending one of us to college in the United States so to me when I was applying to colleges, I was very lost and was just basing it on my friend’s experience at United World College, and many of them go to Macalester and told me ‘Hey Sid, you should apply, it’s a great opportunity, it’s a great school for international students.’ So, for me, my college admission process was – I mean we had an admission counselor but it was just overwhelming to think about it within such a short period of time, so I was just really applying based on my friends’ experiences and was not really a lot of thought around talking to folks who are more experienced than most of my friends or folks who do this for a living. I know admission consultants is a thing, right?

Interviewer: Yeah, yeah.

Sid: So, to me, that that was the process for me. I was just really applying to where my friends were applying and the college is one of those schools where it worked really well.

Interviewer: And I think that’s some good advice, and myself coming from a different kind of process. My parents signed me up for a college advisor through a family friend. It was a 1-on-1 experience, and I always joke that in that whole process over multiple months, the school I ended up at was one that was not included on my list of schools I should look at because I was told I wouldn’t be accepted. So, however the process works, you end up where you’re supposed to in one way or another and again it’s amazing that you ended up at such a great school and you have so much access and so many experiences that are different from your background like you said.

So okay, so you get to Macalester and just to confirm for the audience what year are you in?

Sid: I’m currently a senior.

Interviewer: Okay, so again, you’ve had a majority of your experience as an undergrad and just from getting to know you, I know you’re planning big things for the future.

But to arrive in Macalester, what do you do to get settled in? As you said, you had a ton of friends that ended up on campus with you, what was the first thing that made you feel you could be at home in a new place?

Sid: Absolutely. Well, you know as I’ve said there’s a pipeline for my school so even before I got into Macalester I already had so many friends who I knew would be coming here and those were my first friends when I was here. I think in my current cohort there were like six or seven of us from my campus in Norway who ended up going to Macalester. So, even before I came here, there’s also our upper years who were at my school in Norway, but who were currently attending Macalester, so they were a great resource before coming in. So, I think really relied on that immediate connection. But then you know my school has my high school has like 18 campuses worldwide, and most of them send students to Macalester. So, so I always fall in love with their students because know I started with friends from my campus in Norway but then we have these friends from also other campuses. For example my best friends right now who have been my best friends since day one came from UWC in Isak, Japan. The other one came from Tanzania right, so I really relied on those common connections. I think secondly, Filipinos, right, I’m a Filipino, and there’s so many Filipinos who grew up in the United States and are here also at Macalester. There’s a Filipino association and that was my first, I guess, second, group of people that I got really close with, and then, as I took more classes during my first year, I just got to know more domestic students who I’m also you know friends with up until this point.

Interviewer: Oh, very nice, yeah, that’s great. And then the next big thing, once you kind of getting your friend group established, for me a lot of it was baseball, you can then branch out from there. Some students have clubs, they have organizations or friends that they bring with them, like you, you had a whole posse before you even showed up on campus.

So as students are looking to make the most of their experience in undergrad would you say that a group of friends and connections is another way to access different resources and events? Did it help you to always have someone to go with?

Sid: Yeah, for sure, I mean we have this center at Macalester called ISP (International Students Program), whose role is to help international students like me navigate what it’s like being a student in the United States or being a student in a liberal arts college here in the US. And a couple of my friends also work there, so anytime there’s an event they would just let me know, and we would go there all together, and meet other international students and at the same time, there’s also opportunities to get to know domestic students. For example, when I was a first year there was a program here at Macalester called Lives of Commitment. So, before everyone came in from my class, they brought us all in earlier than most students and we had a retreat in a center here in Minnesota where we got to know everyone in the cohort who’s passionate about being part of a community and things like volunteerism. So it’s also one way that I got to immerse myself in the United States, joining these immersion programs specifically for the first years at Macalester. So, my first year I volunteered for a local library, Rondo Community Library, where I did some homework help with some local kids coming from American backgrounds and to me that was just a big part of my experience getting acclimated and immersed in the US culture as well as learning what it’s like growing up here as a kid. Those two things: friends from international student backgrounds as well as programs like Lives of Commitment.

Interviewer: Oh, that’s amazing, yeah, it’s nice that they have those resources from day one because you have this hierarchy of upperclassmen and lower classman that are coming from some places similar to you whether it’s your high school or somewhere else across the 18 campuses globally, so I think that’s amazing for the transition to undergrad and being able to figure out what you can access at Macalester in order to create community connections.

So, how do you manage all of that? That’s what I always come back to. There are all these great things you have on your schedule, your friends texting you about events. Eventually, you’re going to have so many friends saying that, there’s going to be 10 events per day. So how do you structure it? How do you pick and choose? And is it just based on interest? How does it fit in your schedule as an undergrad student?

Sid: Yeah, I think, you know, at least I’m glad that I learned about Google Calendar earlier in my education, in high school specifically, that was a big thing. So even before college, I was using Google Calendar. And, you know, most of my friends started using it in college too. So, the way we find time is we just put the email of the person you want to meet with. And then right away, it tells you a time that works for both of you, right? So, I think to me, Google Calendar is my best friend. But at the same time, you know, weekends, I try to make that as free as possible where I could just be spontaneous and make plans with friends without planning in advance. I think having a structure to Google Calendar is important, but at the same time, being intentional with allocating time for friends, specifically on a given day, in a given week is also incredibly important. Relationships take time to build, and it takes intention to cultivate those for the long term. And that’s just from my experience in the last four years at Macalester, you really have to become intentional and committed to building those relationships. And it’s through that, it’s really making time for these people.

Interviewer: Yeah, and it just keeps you organized, hopefully. So again, kind of leaning on some of your expertise as a senior in your final year off undergrad…

…has there been a shift in what you prioritize with all those events and organizations and things you do from your first year or sophomore year? Have you shifted more to projecting for your goals, short-term goals or looking into opportunities in the job market?

Sid: Yeah, I think when I was a freshman I was the one who was attending an event, I guess now as a senior, it has switched where I’m the one who’s organizing the event. And, you know, I think I’ve been incredibly grateful for many folks at Macalester who have helped me navigate career exploration when I was a sophomore or freshman. And now that I am a senior or junior, I try to pay it forward and give back to the community and allow them to also have this opportunity that my seniors from freshman year had given me. So now I’m active in Macalester Investment Group, where I organize a lot of networking events or career exploration events and invite alums on campus. So definitely there’s been a change. And I think it helps a ton now that I have a job lined up to somehow change my priority. Before it was thinking about finding a job, but now that I have something lined up, it has allowed me to take some pressure off of school and then put more emphasis into doing things that I truly enjoy. So that brings me motivation as well as inspiration. And those include, you know, helping kids navigate career exploration as a sophomore or a freshman through Macalester Investment Group, right? So, I do think, you know, your current state and where you are in your college journey has really a big impact in terms of what’s important to you. And for me, I feel like I have come to a point where I could start to give back to the community that I’ve been part of for a long time.

Interviewer: There is so much to unpack there. I just wrote down ‘job lined up.’ I obviously want to go back. I’ll say that now so you can kind of start thinking about how you made that possible. Because in some ways, it’s the dream to have a job lined up in your last semester. Because like you just said, you can give back. But I really just want to hear more about the investment group, and you have the behind the scenes perspective now as you’re saying you’re organizing these events. So two-part question,

First, we’ll focus on this: What are the best places on campus at Macalester to host events and do these things and welcome campus partners?

Sid: Yeah. I mean, I’m currently just organizing one right now, it’s a five-week intro to biotech seminar series. And this is something we thought about when we were putting this together. I think the best place to do that is where it’s accessible to everyone and it’s known by everyone. And for us, that’s the library. It’s in the middle of our campus, right? So, for Macalester, it’s our DeWitt Wallace Library. And we have this room dedicated just specifically for hosting external events. It’s called the Harmon Room, where it has all the technical amenities as well as it has windows and people who are passing by outside could see what’s happening inside. So, I think for us, the best place is one that is accessible as well as convenient for people to go to. And at the same time, having that space that’s welcoming for everyone, and that it meets the needs for organizing this event, such as tech support, ss well as just the ambiance. And the organization of the room is incredibly important. So yeah, that would be Harmon Room here at Macalester.

Interviewer: Okay, that’s great. Yeah, and facilities are a huge draw for students while considering college applications too, as you know. And hopefully, we can reach some high school students and they hear about campuses with great libraries and great facilities like those at Macalester. And that just makes it easier to host different events and that kind of thing, which I think is so important.

So aside from how busy you are with that, what you’re working on now, let’s go back to the second part of the question, the investment group. What else are you doing to gain experience and build your career?

Sid: I think I am building my career, you can never be sure. You know, I love networking, and I was glad that I was introduced to that early in my undergrad career, sophomore year. So, within Macalester Investment Group, it has been keeping me busy. And what brings me so much joy is mentoring the next generation of Macalester kids who want to break into the industry, right? So that’s something I’ve been doing ever since last year when I got my offer to do investment banking. And right now, we’re in the middle of recruiting. So, every single week, there are always some mock interviews that I am doing with other Macalester folks who are currently in the process. To me, I enjoy that. That brings me so much joy. It consumes a lot of my time, right? But I see why my upperclassmen were doing that with me. I see why my mentor was doing that to me because there’s no – I’ve never felt so much joy in my entire life than hearing my mentee get accepted into an investment bank and them telling me, ‘Thanks for your help.’ It really means a lot. So that’s one. I think secondly is I’m trying to put myself more outside into the city. So now I’ve made a commitment to go to as many events as possible, be it a concert or a Broadway show or restaurants, right? So, I try to find some balance with some professional mentoring as well as with some personal relaxation that I could do during my downtime.

Interviewer: Yeah, and hopefully, that trickles into your first job when you hit the market upon graduation. And you can have that nice mix of laid-back connections and then also professional ones through some more formal events, like you’re saying. So really exciting. Congratulations! I didn’t know. We just haven’t connected in a while. I didn’t know you had a job lined up until today. It’s amazing. Huge relief in some way. I’m sure you had other offers too.

I would just love to hear what the opportunity is moving forward and just kind of how you – obviously, there’s an interview process. But was that a connection through Macalester or another friend? How did that work?

Sid: Yeah. So, I’m going to be an investment banking analyst at a middle market bank called Baird. So I’ll be in the Milwaukee on the Equity Capital Markets team. And I think I was first introduced to the world of investment banking when I was a sophomore here at Macalester. They host an annual New York trip where they select a couple of econ students to go to New York City and meet our alums who are working in an industry, and that got me excited about it. I come from a science background I never knew that biotech or healthcare investment banking were a thing, and I was just excited that I could still bring this expertise that I’ve been building since high school as well as the first two years of my college experience into the finance world. So that introduced me to the world of banking, specifically the intersection of science and business, which is something I’ve been interested in. But I think to me, what cemented my interest in investment banking was when I took this class called DEALS with a professor at Macalester, Joyce Minor. And she teaches investment banking as well as other business courses. But the idea of the class is that she would bring in an alum to the class for one night. They would take over the class, share their career journey, as well as what they’re doing right now. They would discuss how Macalester was important and pivotal in them securing that job, right? And one night, Professor Joyce Minor brought this vice president at the firm, Katrina Smith, who’s a Macalester alum, also an international student, and I was introduced to Baird. And that’s how I got to know Baird. I didn’t know a lot about investment banking, what the firms are coming from the Philippines, right? I just knew Morgan Stanley, you know, all those big banks, but didn’t know that middle market investment banking was a thing. But then after that class, anyway, yeah, I reached out to Katrina. And it was Katrina who really helped me navigate the process as well as made a referral and she connected me to some folks at Baird. And I felt like developed a great rapport with her during the call. And the rest was history. So, you know, we have a great pipeline to investment banking here at Macalester. It’s continually growing year after year. And our alums are the ones who are really helping us get these internships because we’re not a target school, right? So, we’re really relying on these alumni connections to break into the industry.

Interviewer: Yeah, that’s an incredible story. And just, again, that emphasis that you’re aware of through my current role at Tuck and trying to connect the classroom to the job market, to career opportunities. And sometimes it just happens in the classroom. So, again, I always go back to that buzzword of networking. You and I have talked about it over and over again where it comes from faculty, networking comes from staff, other students. And, again, you never know who you’re going to make a connection with. And that’s kind of the beauty of it. So, I think just starting with the beginning of our conversation, hearing where you’re from, what you were or weren’t seeking out at a young age, your family background, and then all the way through to this point. The skills you developed, all the things you’ve done just within the community at Macalester. It’s amazing. And you should be proud of it before you even have your first job after college, which is so cool. So, for the sake of time, we have a few more minutes, I’ll only ask a couple more questions. We’ll kind of shift to advice you would give to undergrads that are hoping to make the most of their time, not just at Macalester, but in undergrad. And I think you’re a good example of someone who’s accomplished that in a lot of ways.

And so, what is the biggest tip or biggest piece of advice you have for students that are either in high school and choosing where they want to go for college, and how do they make the most of their time in undergrad?

Sid: Yeah, I think the number one is you just get comfortable with reaching out to people, grabbing coffee. In other words, you know, just hopefully we have early exposure to the value that comes with developing your network as early as maybe freshman or sophomore year for college or even before that. And I think to me, I was just lucky I was introduced to that through mentors. So, I think for me, the value, I would just emphasize the importance of having mentors. And that could be a professor. That could be a fellow student, an upperclassman. And as you enter college, that’s something that you realize is actually something that’s normal. That’s something that people actually do, and could have ripple effects in your career. And to me, I think I’m just a perfect example of that. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have great mentors, both professors as well as students in my time here at Macalester. So, find ways you could find those mentors. I mean, in a lot of schools, there are opportunities and systems in place to make that possible. But if not, you know, a random just reaching out over LinkedIn or over cold email could lead you to someone who could give you advice and make sure that you don’t commit the same mistakes as they did. And so that’s the advice I tell to everyone. It’s just developing those mentorship relationships early on and having been comfortable with talking to people and getting to know what they’re about.

Interviewer: That’s amazing advice. I think something that’s been somewhat consistent in these discussions is that students need to put themselves out there, figure out how to get comfortable reaching out if they’re not currently comfortable. And the more people you meet, the more amazing connections you make. And that brings me to my last question, specifically for you and for Macalester, maybe for current Macalester students.

What’s your absolutely absolute favorite thing about Macalester now that you’ve been there for almost four years?

Sid: Yeah, definitely the alumni connection. I am just blown away by how everyone’s willing to help, how people are willing to move mountains for you. And that has been the case for me specifically in my time here. Be it exploring my interests in sciences or econ. A lot of the jobs that I’ve ever had, ever since freshman year, were all made possible through Macalester connections. This current five-week seminar’s introduction to biotech series. All our speakers are either Macalester alum or were introduced to us through a Macalester connection. So, I think that’s what I love is, you know, I think that’s just a recurring theme among all liberal arts colleges. That since we’re small, people know what it’s like to navigate this and therefore are really willing to pay it forward and help each other.

Interviewer: Yeah, I think trying to find that at any college you end up at is the number one. Just surrounding yourself with people in your shoes, people moving forward that you’re hoping to be like someday in some capacity. And that is an amazing note to end on. So, we’ll pause there, and Sid, thank you again for your incredible story and for sharing it with all of us through Campus Overload. I think there are so many students who will benefit from your insight, and who will become super interested in applying to Macalester.