Economics major Matthew Allan Camrud has always held high expectations for himself. During his college years Camrud has headed committees, volunteered in the Mexican outback, overseen the Minnesota College Republican treasury and run a marathon. Camrudıs ambitious personal goals have led to a sometimes challenging, yet fulfilling, college career.

Serving others has always been high on Camrudıs priority list. Shortly after arriving at St. Olaf, he found and took advantage of an opportunity to serve. In the spring of 1998, Camrud and 20 other volunteers drove an old church van 40 long hours to the heart of Mexico. Sponsored by a local church, the volunteers served extreme poverty-stricken areas. They repainted an orphanage, helped with other repairs and provided general ministry as well.

In a particularly eye-opening event, Camrud and the other volunteers visited the tracks‹a shantytown made of scrap tin and built along railroad tracks. There they offered basic cooking supplies to the people. "The Mexicans dwelling in the tracks were living barely at subsistence," Camrud said. "They did everything they could just to get by, just to make it to another day. And yet what struck me as truly amazing was that, even in such poverty, the people were surprisingly happy and upbeat. They seemed to accept their lot in life with an amazingly positive attitude."

The trip gave Camrud an entirely new perspective on life: "It took me away from the isolation of the Hill and really exposed me to the real world. Mexico exposed me to poverty like Iıve never even imagined before. But these people who had literally nothing in the way of material possessions somehow found true happiness. There is absolutely no reason that I cannot find true happiness as well in my rather blessed life."

Camrud has also always enjoyed leading. In his junior year he ran for and became Chairman of the Political Awareness Committee. Camrud, who organized the arrival of speakers on campus, wanted to host a more conservative speaker. "Because one of my initial goals as PAC chair was to politically provoke students, I decided to invite one of the most talked about Conservatives to St. Olaf, Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich."

Camrud, who is no longer PAC Chairman, said about his decision, "When it came time to run for SGA Executive positions again in the spring (namely PAC), I decided that one year as PAC Chairman was enough. I wanted to give someone else the opportunity to have all of the great experiences I had as PAC Chair."

Yet Camrudıs days of leadership were far from over. In early 1999, friend Eric Hoplin approached him about the possibility of running for State Treasurer of the Minnesota College Republicans (MCRs). "After a limited amount of deliberation I accepted, and I ended up winning the election for the statewide post. My primary responsibilities as treasurer are to work directly in conjunction with the MCR Chair in the budgeting and planning process, as well as to pay bills and keep track of our bank account." The MCRs have done well since Camrudıs arrival: "Since my election and subsequent reelection as treasurer, the College Republicans (CRs) have raised over 50 thousand dollars. This money works towards helping Republicans get elected throughout the state and nation."

Camrudıs position on the MCR State Board has offered many perks: "I have had numerous opportunities to meet Republican dignitaries such as Elizabeth Dole, Oliver North, Charlton Heston, Ralph Reed, Steve Forbes, and many others. Serving on the MCR board has been one of the most fulfilling extracurricular activities I have been involved with at St. Olaf College. It has opened up so many opportunities for me to attend activities many other college students would not dream of. In addition, it has helped me develop skills in working in a board setting and the political implications that are involved."

Camrudıs most recent accomplishment was completing the Twin Cities Marathon on October 8, 2000 in four hours, seven minutes, and 41 seconds. "When I came to college I began running on a mostly regular basis for the benefits of stress reduction and overall physical health," Camrud said. "Other than running a few shorter races here and there and the half marathon in Rochester during the summer of 1999, I hadnıt done much competitive running. The marathon is seen as the runnerıs greatest challenge, and thus when the year 2000 came around I decided I wanted to take on that challenge."

Camrud felt very positive about his first marathon experience. "Coming down the final stretch of the marathon with the St. Paul Cathedral to my left and the hundreds and hundreds of spectators lined up, I was overwhelmed with emotion and at that moment formed an addiction to running marathons. There is no feeling like it on earth."

After graduation Camrud hopes to find a job in the financial services industry. He would like to work for three to five years and then pursue a Masters of Business Administration at one of the top five business schools, such as Harvard or Stanford. Camrudıs ultimate goal is to either own his own financial planning firm or be a senior level manager in a financial services business.

Camrud recommends that underclassmen "gain as much experience outside of the classroom as possible, whether thatıs through political organizations, internships, work experience, or something else. I also recommend that students take advantage of this liberal arts environment and take on courses outside of their majors. Underclassmen should try to garner the most well-rounded academic experience possible. St. Olaf has so many enriching classes to choose from that it would be a shame to focus narrowly on oneıs specific major."