Student Takes SDSU Lessons Into New Career at Fortune 500 Company

Student Takes SDSU Lessons Into New Career at Fortune 500 Company

Frels will soon be returning to winter weather after she moves to Minnesota to start her new job at 3M

Many people outside of the San Diego State University community don’t realize that a substantial number of SDSU students are involved in community service and philanthropy. In fact, students put in thousands of hours and raised nearly $600,000 during just four of the campus’ biggest campaigns alone*. One of the largest fundraisers staged by students is the annual Dance Marathon at San Diego State which raises money for Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. 

“Dance Marathon at San Diego State is my greatest co-curricular accomplishment during my time here at SDSU and we recently exceeded our 2019 -2020 fundraising goal, by raising over $365,000.00,” reported SDSU marketing major, Kate Frels who generously volunteered hundreds of hours for the event. “My role as the director of public relations was largely focused on website design, media relations and all other communications functions when needed. It was a genuine honor and some of the most fun I’ve had during my time at SDSU!”

Not only was this a significant philanthropic contribution to a local hospital, but it was also great hands-on experience for Frels. She can use what she learned supporting the Dance Marathon at San Diego State in her new position in the marketing department at Fortune 500 stalwart, 3M. Frels is set to join the 3M team at their corporate headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota shortly after she graduates from SDSU in May. 

It will also be a bit of a homecoming for Frels, who grew up only 150 miles from St. Paul, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Not surprisingly, one of the reasons she chose to attend the Fowler College of Business at San Diego State was because she “wanted to be in the sunshine” which is true of many of SDSU’s out-of-state students, but she also said that SDSU felt like the right fit for her. “It sounds somewhat cliché, but I knew from the moment I set foot on this campus that this is where I belonged,” said Frels. “It was evident to me that there was a chance for me to better myself here and I didn’t feel that so clearly at some of the other campuses I toured. Call it a hunch, but it felt like home.” 

Volunteers and participants in the 2020 Dance Marathon at San Diego State

Frels didn’t just get her education at SDSU – she actually got her new job at 3M thanks to an annual corporate recruitment event held at the SDSU campus each year. She learned about the company when she was only a freshman and set her sights on starting her professional career there. “When Professor Gabriel Gonzalez came to speak at my marketing analytics class to let us know that 3M was coming to campus, it was a no brainer - I had to apply,” recalled Frels. “When I got the call from the company with the offer, it will stand as one of the best days of life. It was a dream-come-true and I am so grateful that the Fowler College of Business prepared and supported me to make that accomplishment possible!” 

Though she is soon leaving SDSU, Frels may not be done with her education and she has SDSU marketing lecturer, Dr. Kristine Ehrich to thank for that. “I have never had so much fun learning from someone!” said Frels. “She said someone told her she’d be 37 when she got her Ph.D. and she told them ‘I’m going to be 37 anyway, but I might as well have a Ph.D. when I get there.’ As a woman aspiring to higher education, I will carry those words with me for the rest of my life.”

*Includes funds raised through the Dance Marathon at San Diego State, Greek Life Fundraisers, Aztecs Rock Hunger and Aztec Proud