Great Starts: Barry Applewhite ’26

Barry Applewhite ’26 

Psychology and business administration double major 
Financial advisor at Voya Financial in Milwaukee
Accepted at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Northern Michigan University for sports psychology master of science program

What is your ultimate career goal?

I want to be a sports psychologist, working with professional athletes, professional sports teams, traveling with them, getting to know their mind a little bit, working out those mental blocks. The game is so mental these days and the mental health side of professional sports is starting to turn into fruition. I think being a sports psychologist and then later having my own firm, combining that psych and business degree and having my own firm with other sports psychologists, that would be the best case scenario for me.

How do you feel your involvement on campus has impacted your SNC experience?

I feel like the main job that I’ve had this year is the S.T.A.R. (Students Taking Academic Responsibility) mentor. It really kind of catapulted my whole evolution as an SNC student because I was in that program as a freshman. Then as a sophomore, I got to lead other freshmen and kind of show them what I went through. Then junior and senior year, I came to be that head S.T.A.R. coordinator. So I got to lead the mentors who led the freshmen. I think it was kind of cool seeing the freshmen that I mentored, seeing them progress and seeing them mature. It just really made a difference in how I view things as well.

What will you miss most about St. Norbert College?

Other than the cafeteria, it really is the community. The people you make these connections with that you never thought you would make stepping on a campus your first day. You make these long-term connections and I made friends here that I know will be lifetime friends. We’ll do those yearly trips to Mexico or Florida or whatever. Making those connections with people, they never really stop.

In one or two sentences, can you say how St. Norbert has impacted you?

I would say St. Norbert has taught me how to be a professional. I came in as someone lacking those organizational skills, those time management skills, but I came out as a leader, as someone who can impact any community he sets his foot in, who will leave a lasting impact wherever he is. I’m glad I chose SNC.