Zachary Sturdy

Alumni

Since 2016, Zachary Sturdy has worked at Marquette-based financial services provider Northstar Investment Management. Though he had to learn the basic principles of investing on the job and outside of the classroom, he has also been able to utilize skills he developed during his time as a Bay College student in the working world.

In 2013, Zachary graduated from Gladstone Area High School. After that, he started taking classes at Bay during the fall 2013 semester.

According to Zachary, one of the main reasons he chose to study at Bay was that he had already found work locally. He started a small business while finishing high school and was also working in construction at the time.

Along with that, Zachary chose to take classes at Bay due to the “great value” it represented.

“Financially, it made sense to knock out a few credits there,” he said.

Though he ultimately majored in business administration, this was not Zachary’s original field of study at Bay.

“During my first semester, I wanted to study engineering. But I quickly realized I needed to be in finance—that’s where my interest was,” he said.

Zachary took quite a few classes related to his major at Bay, and he was particularly fond of the courses taught by business instructor Brent Madalinksi. However, he also enjoyed the other classes he attended as a community college student. At Bay, Zachary studied everything from computer programming and public speaking to religion.

“It gave me exposure to a lot of interesting topics,” he said of this experience.

At the end of the fall 2014 semester, Zachary transferred from Bay to Northern Michigan University. After studying at NMU for a few semesters, he transferred some credits back to Bay to earn his associate degree in business administration there. Then, he earned his bachelor’s degree at NMU in the spring of 2017.

When he graduated from NMU, Zachary did not have to look for a job in his field. As a college student, he had joined Northstar Investment Management as an intern; by the time he graduated, he was permanently employed there.

“They had a brief internship window—I applied for that, talked to the owners of the company, and got started that way,” he said.

He has been at Northstar ever since. Today, he is employed there as an investment advisor.

“Most of what I do involves working with clients and managing their wealth,” Zachary said of his current job duties.

The computer, writing, and communication skills Zachary built while studying at Bay have helped him thrive in his current position.

“The core tenets of investing are something you must learn on your own, but that isn’t the only knowledge people need in our industry—you must also know how to communicate with clients and understand their needs. The fundamentals of communication are something you can learn by taking courses and interning and working in professional settings,” he said.

Although it has been nearly a decade since he last took classes at Bay, Zachary said he believes the college is a vital part of its community.

“The fact is, not everyone needs an expensive four-year degree. Instead, many people could be better served with local education options like community colleges and trade schools. Having an affordable avenue for education and career development is something that adds a lot of value to Delta County and the greater region,” he said.