ABF Student Profile – Colby Bermel

After graduating from Principia College, Colby spent six years working as a journalist, diligently chronicling the politics and policy of climate change. He decided to pursue an MBA at the University of Texas in Austin (McCombs School of Business) because he wanted to make a more direct impact on the climate crisis by pivoting from just reporting on energy to working in energy.

Colby has found the graduate program to be an “incredibly transformative experience professionally, personally, and spiritually.”

During his first year in the MBA program, Colby took advantage of the many energy-related opportunities offered. He served as vice president of education for the CleanTech Group, a student organization; planned a curriculum for incoming first-year MBAs; and participated in an international competition. He also completed two consulting projects for companies in the electric vehicle sector, which gave him real-world experience that directly led to his internship last summer with an integrated power company.

He said: All of these opportunities have not only educated me and given me hands-on experience, but they have taught me how to work with others and have given me opportunities to demonstrate my ‘Christian character’ (see Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 291).