Josh Bartelme, known to many of us as “Jay-B,” is a student at the University of Minnesota majoring in Marketing and Management Information Systems, with a minor in Product Design. However, he’s far from being your “average” Carlson student. In balancing his time between schoolwork, jobs, internships and student groups, Josh really knows what it takes to make the most out of his time at the U. One of the most knowledgeable and genuine people you’d ever have the pleasure of meeting, Josh truly serves as an inspiration to many.
Q&A
Q: What is your best memory at the University of Minnesota?
A: Last year I came home to Pioneer Hall, where I was a CA, and I found a bunch of spoons, cups (with water in them), bowls, plates and forks, all of which were either hanging from the ceiling or taped to my door. I had some pretty sweet residents last year–we had a lot of fun in House 3.
Q: What is your favorite spot on campus and why?
A: I have a lot of favorite spots on campus but one of my favorites is the dining hall within Sanford. First, they have the most underrated food there and secondly, the views of downtown are pretty fantastic. I also love to sneak off to the riverbank on West Bank. I absolutely love the river. The Mississippi is beautiful and the park is quite tranquil.
Q: What activities are you involved in on campus and how have they enhanced your experience at the U?
A: Well, I’m involved in a few things on campus. First, I started a group at Carlson with some friends that serves an underrepresented population there. That experience has been incredible. From meeting with students to engaging corporations in our work, I have learned a lot! Additionally, I serve as a Community Adviser in Middlebrook Hall. I love being a CA. It’s so fun to plan events, engage students and help first-year students get acclimated to campus life. Finally, I’m a member of Design U, a new student group on campus focused on providing students with professional experiences and start-ups with top design talent. Within Design U, I work on a mobile application project for Fluid Water Meter as the User Experience Designer. This experience has been a joy and has further cemented my desire to work as a User/Consumer Experience designer in the future.
Q: How have you contributed to your community at home, on campus, or both while going to the U?
A: This is such a hard question, I can’t even begin to share all of the ways in which my college experience has shown up on campus and at home. The instances that come to mind are: starting a student group at Carlson, building a national coalition of similar student groups, and working as a CA. At home I have worked for some local businesses helping them with marketing materials, redesigning experiences, and consulted on a rebranding project.
Q: What are you passionate about and how to you reflect those passions in your life?
A: I am passionate about purpose and helping others achieve it. Recently, I was watching the new hot Netflix original series, “The Queen,” and I discovered something. **SPOILER ALERT** There’s a scene where the Princess realizes that she’ll be Queen and shares with the audience that she accepts the fact that this is her life’s purpose. From this point on her cadence, the way she presents herself and her confidence (at least as a character) all changes. I got goosebumps as I watched this part of the show because it not only showed the power of realizing one’s purpose, but also that leaning into it can bring such strength.
As a CA, I am well aware that many people are not sure what their purpose is in life. What I have learned is that we are not in a pursuit of our lifelong purpose but of our purpose today–by leaning into what you are suppose today you actually are helping yourself get to your lifelong purpose.
I heard a wonderful piece of advice recently around this idea. When it comes to life purpose start by figuring out what you can do today, follow the path of passion, and you’ll discover your purpose looking back.
Q: What is your dream job/future aspirations?
A: A consumer/user experience designer. Basically my day job is to make the world easier for people. #NotTooShabby
Q: What are you doing right now to work towards your future goals?
A: I work as an intern at UnitedHealth Group (Optum) as a Product Associate and hopefully next summer as a Consumer Experience Designer. In my current role, my boss and I designed a program that will reimburse living kidney donors for the extra expenses that come along with donating your kidney. You can read more about it here.
Q: Do you have a role model? If so, who and why are they inspiring to you?
A: I have a lot of role models–mostly because no one is perfect and because I appreciate what makes people uniquely amazing! Honestly, someone who greatly inspires me right now is Kim Biddle. I got the opportunity to hear her speak at a conference I attended two summers ago and it was amazing. Her passion for serving exploited and trafficked children was overwhelming. You could hear her love for these kids and her burning resolve to bring their oppressors to justice. Her story is inspiring too, as someone who overcame great personal adversity and then went on to get her law degree, start a nonprofit and train law enforcement on identifying human trafficking victims is incredible! Seriously, look her up.
Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
A: You only know how far a rubber band can stretch by stretching it and looking at the marks. This advice speaks to me because there’s a difference between snapping and feeling stretch marks. As humans, if we do not stretch ourselves we lose out on our natural potential.
Q: What advice do you have for students who want to be successful?
A: Create both long-term and short-term goals. Make your short-term goals easy wins and your long-term goals moonshots.
Don’t leave your goals hanging. MAKE A PLAN. Seriously, think through how you can actually accomplish these things and chances are there are things you could do today that could better prepare you tomorrow for achieving those goals.
Q: Favorite inspirational quote?
A: “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” – Anne Lamott
I found this quote particularly helpful since, with all that has been going on in the world, it feels like there are a million “boats” to save. It’s okay to stand firm and bring people to shore. Our responsibility is not to find and save everyone, our job is to stand firm. This has been a great encouragement to me.
Just for Fun
Coffee Order: Completely seasonal, but right now it’s a venti Salted Caramel Mocha.
Favorite Food: Chipotle burrito with all the salsas, including corn.
Favorite Song Right Now: Bridges – Broods
One thing you can’t live without: My phone. Super cliché, but I am honestly horrendous with directions, which means without GPS I can’t go anywhere.
One thing you love about yourself: My self-awareness.
One thing you’re grateful for: (I’m gonna cheat) I’m grateful for my family, friends and my faith.