Thomas College graduate Joakim Sternas ’16 has not wasted any time climbing the ladder of success since his time at Thomas. Joakim moved back to Stockholm, Sweden after graduating and joined a music/tech start-up company called Epidemic Sound. While at Epidemic Sound, Joakim worked towards his master’s degree at one of the top technical universities in Europe and just recently graduated from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Joakim credits Thomas, “I got accepted there because of the grades and experience I got at Thomas. Your Thomas degree can take you further into top universities, not just regionally or nationally, but also internationally.”

Joakim took a lot of chances coming to Thomas as an international student, and those chances have clearly paid off. He encourages students to make the most out of their time at Thomas as it will only help them gain experience, knowledge, and skills to help them achieve their goals.

“Make sure you take the classroom seriously and use the resources that Thomas provides you with. This includes everything from getting help from the tutors to joining a club of your interest. I’ve learned a lot from being part of an athletic team, but also getting engaged on campus by being a part of the philanthropy team, entrepreneurship club, being a student ambassador and assisting in the admissions office.”

With the new year, Joakim will start a new job in Stockholm at one of the biggest digital publishers in the Nordics where he will be working for the Swedish Financial Times. He credits his success to the time he spent at Thomas College.

“The management program at Thomas helped to set the foundation for my career.  Professors’ expectations to create quality work sets you up for succeeding and impressing managers in the workplace.”