Story by Ashley Plys, a sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a SOM student marketing assistant.

UAF alumnus Anton Martinsson graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance. He has moved on to pursue his MBA and continues to play hockey at Providence College in Rhode Island. We recently spoke with Anton to get his perspective on his SOM experience.

Anton first arrived in Amarillo, Texas, from Sweden to play in the North American Hockey League. He was soon recruited by UAF and after arriving in Alaska, he enrolled in the School of Management.

Immediately, Anton noticed that UAF was unique. His School of Management experience could not have been complete without amazing faculty support, like that of Amy Cooper. As one of his accounting instructors, Amy helped him build confidence and adapt to the culture shock of the American collegiate system.

“Anton realized he had a wonderful opportunity at UAF to get a degree from an accredited university while also playing collegiate hockey,” Amy Cooper said. “ He took advantage of that opportunity and did incredibly well at UAF, both in academics and athletics.”

This connection with Amy helped Anton focus on his academic goals and inspired him to work hard.  Anton emphasized that every student should seek out such mentorship.

Looking back, Anton described his time at SOM, which is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. “I now have a new appreciation for a university that is just top notch. There's a reason why SOM is AACSB-accredited and why students achieve great things afterwards.” He went on to express how what he learned as an undergraduate can now be applied as he pursues an advanced degree. “It's clear to me that SOM really prepares students for any type of graduate program or career in the future.”

As a goalie for the Alaska Nanooks, he developed friendships with his teammates that have continued even after his UAF career finished. Anton still keeps in touch with his former teammates, including Gustavs Grigals, Kylar Hope, Tyler Cline and Kyle Murray.

“Anton was a fantastic teammate who encouraged others around him to be better every day,” UAF hockey coach Erik Largen said. “He has a fire inside of him to be the best he can be at whatever he is doing and wherever he is doing it.”

The kind of connections Anton made on the ice, in the classroom and around the community inspired him to become a UA Giving Day ambassador this past October. In true Nanook fashion, Anton helped spread the word and gave back to the school that supported him. “I reached out to family and friends back home in Sweden to get them to participate, and I invited other students to participate with me online.”

Now that Anton is in graduate school, he is taking those lessons he learned at SOM and is prepared to do great things there, too. Although he is not sure what the future has in store for him, he knows he is better prepared for it because of SOM.