The newsletter provides information on upcoming fall events for alumni of the Minnesota Evans Scholars program, including a tailgate for a football game and a career night. It also highlights a scholar, Josh Romportl, who studied abroad in Singapore and traveled extensively in Southeast Asia. Finally, it features the alumni-founded business Swannies Footwear, which creates versatile golf sandals and has found early success through competitions and exposure.

1. Save the Date: Fall Events!
Alumni Newsletter
Minnesota Evans Scholars
In this issue:
- Fall Alumni
Events
- Scholar Spotlight:
Josh Romportl
- Alumni – Scholar
Mentorship
- Alumni Spotlight:
Swannies
Footwear
Note from the President
Hello all,
So far the year has gotten off to a year start. Everyone has
moved into the house and our new scholars are getting
acclimated. They're settling into their rooms and growing
accustomed to all the new changes that come with a college
lifestyle. We have high hopes for them as they strive for the
freshman grade trophy, as well as high hopes for the house
after our performance last year. We're looking forward to
another great year and bringing the grade trophy back to
where it belongs. Thank you as always for your continued
support of the house and the scholarship.
-Charlie Bulger
Michigan Game
Tailgating!
Oct. 31st
1pm
Career Night!
Nov. 16th
8pm
Come offer insight into your
career for the scholars! See
below for details.
F A L L 2 0 1 6
- Evans House @ 1pm
Lunch
- 3pm Tailgate in St. Paul

2. MINNESOTA EVANS SCHOLARS FALL 2016
2
Scholar Highlight:
Josh Romportl
Studied abroad Spring ‘15 in Singapore, at
Singapore Management University
School Highlights
Josh studied at Singapore Management University
(SMU) in the heart of the city. He took on 16 credits in
classes of marketing, accounting, and international
economics and finance. Josh had the unique
opportunity to start a business as a part of the
coursework at SMU, the proceeds of which went to
mistreated individuals in Singapore. “I learned how to
analyze site traffic and grow a customer base, things I
had little knowledge of previously,” said Josh, “It was
great to get ‘hands-on’ experience in an international
setting.”
Travel Highlights
While he was not involved with coursework, Josh
traveled to 9 different countries! These ranged from
China to the north to Indonesia to the south. “If I had
to pick a favorite, I couldn’t; each country brought a
different experience to try.” Some of the locations he
traveled to were Mui Ne (Vietnam), Siem Reap
(Cambodia), Gili Islands and Bali (Indonesia), and
Beijing (China). “I saw many people and cultures, the
first-hand experience showed me just how
interconnected they are. I would back in a heartbeat!”
Some of Josh’s takeaways from being abroad were
learning to value independence, gawking at the
Singaporean cleanliness, and appreciating the ways that
the South Asian countries are different.

3. MINNESOTA EVANS SCHOLARS FALL 2016
3
Alumni – Active
Mentorship Program
Take part in a brand-new WGA initiative!
For more information about the
program, contact Amy Lillibridge at
lillibridge@wgaesf.org
Who: All current Actives and Alumni!
What: A mentorship opportunity!
When: Ongoing, new mentorship matches
each year!
Where: Meeting in-person and virtually
around the country!
Why: To foster a learning opportunity for
scholars and a way for alumni to give back. To
give scholars an opportunity to explore
different careers and get real advice on desired
career paths.

4. MINNESOTA EVANS SCHOLARS FALL 2016
4
Alumni Spotlight: Swannies Footwear
2
Kickstarter, winning the Carlson School “Biz
Pitch” competition, and participating in a Shark
Tank audition.
All this success can be credited a lot to the
founders’ background with the Evans program.
“Without the Evans Scholarship, building the
company would not have been possible.” Said
Hau.
With product set to be released in early 2016,
Swannies is bound to make a splash! The
versatile sandal is making the game more
friendly…and fun! More information can be
found on the Swannies site at
swanniesfootwear.com
Upcoming Event:
Career Night
Monday November 16th
- 8pm Start
- Introductory Speech from Featured Alum
- Break out groups with scholars with
relevant majors
- Contact Josh Kelley at kell1155@umn.edu
to sign up!
1
One of the recent success stories to come out of
the Minnesota Evans chapter in the last few
years is Swannies Footwear, a small business
dedicated to bringing consumers “Golf Wear
For Anywhere”. This is a world-class sandal for
golf. Founded by Matthew Stang (Class of ‘13),
Joe Hau (Class of ’13), and Sam Swanson
earlier this year, Swannies has already seen
success this year. “The whole idea behind the
product is that you as the golfer don’t have to
go out and dress up to play. Comfort is key.”
Said Mike Hau, Swannies’ marketing guru.
The new company was voted “Best New
Product” at the 2015 Minnesota Golf Show as
well as receiving full backing from a successful