Gabe Mattick is a senior finance major from St. Paul, Minnesota. Like many Bennies and Johnnies, Gabe was first introduced to our schools by an alum. While a senior at Highland Park High School, he had a chance meeting with Jim Platten, volunteer equipment manager for the Saint John’s football team, and Jim encouraged Gabe to check out Saint John’s. Gabe toured campus and was immediately enthralled by the tight-knit community. “I was amazed at how many people the Admissions rep knew as we strolled around campus,” Gabe said. “Everyone was so friendly.”

Gabe took his first accounting course as a sophomore and was instantly drawn to it because of its relevance to people’s financial lives. “I really liked the board game Monopoly growing up, so I knew I liked finance. Then I went to an info session and thought that this was the major for me,” Gabe said. Not long after, he went to a finance club meeting and met alum Jason Good, SJU 2006, who solidified Gabe’s interest in finance. When Gabe went up to him, he “never had been so nervous,” but Jason was very approachable and Gabe found it “exhilarating” when they had a follow-up meeting over a fall break.

Outside the classroom, Gabe participates in our prestigious e-Scholars program, which focuses on developing entrepreneurs. E-Scholars are encouraged to start a business, and Gabe’s is an electronics reselling business called Mattick’s Buybacks.

When Gabe struggled to land an internship his junior year, he sought advice from his advisor, accounting professor Ben Trnka. Gabe finally landed an internship at Boulevard Wealth Management after attending the Financial Planning Association’s career fair, and this strengthened his interest in personal finance issues. After this experience, Gabe dived into listening to Podcasts, watching YouTube videos, and reading books about financial planning. One of those podcasts featured the CEO of Lifeworks Advisors, a financial advising firm, who encouraged listeners to connect with him on LinkedIn. Gabe did, which led to an introductory phone call, and he followed the meeting with a handwritten thank-you note and LinkedIn post thanking the CEO. The post caught the CEO’s attention, and he met with Gabe in person to offer him a job as an Associate Financial Advisor with Lifeworks Advisors.

Gabe plans to obtain his CFP designation, which will require completing 4,000 hours of work and passing a rigorous exam. He wants to be a holistic financial advisor, able to help clients with cash flow, insurance, retirement, tax, investment, and education plans.

Although he does not have a lot of downtime, Gabe enjoys time with his friends and looks forward to summers where he can play golf. When he thinks about life after Saint John’s, he wants to help people in whatever way he can. “I’ve had a lot of people help me, and I hope I can do the same for others,” Gabe said.

Gabe can be reached through LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabemattick/