Opportunities.
That, more than anything else, is what Trayias Bowe has cherished most about his Saint John’s University experience.
The junior accounting major has been entrusted with the responsibility of representing SJU in accounting competitions. He’s been entrusted with all the responsibilities and duties that come with serving as a resident assistant. And he has had the opportunity to shape policy and effect change as a member of the SJU Student Senate.
He has also had the opportunity to plug into the vaunted SJU alumni network as he prepares for a future career as a certified public accountant (CPA). His preparation has already included internships with industry giant Ernst and Young back home in the Bahamas the past two summers and he brings to his work an eagerness to improve daily.
“All these opportunities I’ve been presented with have meant a lot to me,” Bowe said. “More than anything, these opportunities have shown me that the people here see value in me. They believe in me and know that these positions will serve me well in the future.
“It makes me feel like they're invested in my success and that’s nice.”
But Bowe said he might not have been at Saint John’s were it not for the financial aid and scholarships he has received.
Those scholarships include an International Scholarship, a Gentlemen’s Club Scholarship, the Thomas Murray Accounting Scholarship, and a grant from the Rich Chalmers Imperative Fund.
“I know how important these scholarships are to myself and other students,” said Bowe, a graduate of Aquinas College High School in Nassau who followed in the footsteps of his older cousins Miguel 2019 (SJU) and Mya Bowe 2021 (College of Saint Benedict). "I am the last of five children, so scholarships helped limit the financial burden my parents and I would have taken on.
“Scholarships meant my parents haven’t had to worry too much about how we were going to afford college, or about me not being able to pay my bills. When you’re struggling financially, there’s so much more you have to worry about. You work countless jobs just to afford school and you maybe aren’t able to get involved in the campus community as much or take advantage of some of the opportunities I’ve been able to.
“So, I’d love to one day be in a position to give back and help make those same opportunities possible for other students too.”
Bowe said he’s grown especially close to several faculty members at CSB/SJU. That group includes Bob Bell, an associate professor of accounting and finance who served as his first faculty adviser.
It was Bell who picked Bowe – then just a first-year student – to play a key role in representing SJU in an accounting competition that called for participants to come up with an innovative idea to help accountants make better use of modern technology.
“He is a Johnnie with absolutely infectious sincerity and kindness,” Bell said. “Trayias puts on no pretenses and is honest and caring to his core. To be around him – when he smiles and asks you questions so genuinely – is to want to respond in the exact same way, and it makes you happy.
“As for the competition we chose him for, it was, again, the way Trayias can connect with people. He’s certainly smart enough to understand whatever the technical issue is. But it’s his ability to communicate it to someone, and for them to know (he’s) being honest and transparent, that is definitely Trayias’ superpower!”
It was also Bell who encouraged Bowe to look into becoming a resident assistant, an experience he said has been incredibly beneficial.
“I was always more of a shy, introverted kind of guy who usually had his head in his books,” Bowe said. “Becoming an RA brought me out of my shell and helped me become more of an extrovert. I made it my mission to become the best RA possible. I tried to get to know all of my residents and be there whenever there is anything they need.”
Bowe is scheduled to graduate in 2022. After that, he is considering staying in the U.S. for a year and working while also preparing for his CPA exams. But he hopes to eventually return to the Bahamas to pursue a career as a CPA there.
No matter where he goes, though, he said he will never forget his time at SJU.
“This has been such a great environment for me,” he said. “I’ve grown so much during my time here.”
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