“We had our spot,” said Saawan with a smile. He and his wife, Jessie, now living and working in New York City, visited Oswego in the fall as part of the School of Business Alumni Symposium.

The couple found love and a great education during their time as Lakers.

“Because I was here, I was able to focus,” said Jessie, a native of Taiwan who currently works as an associate at Neuberger Berman. “To be here, to learn from other students — that was an important part of it.”

Both came to Oswego through the International Education program.

“It’s quiet,” recalled Saawan, a native of India who came to Oswego via Sydney, Australia. “You have time here and there are not many distractions.”

Both said faculty and staff were an important part of their Oswego experience as well. Professor Chuck Spector in business and Gerry Oliver, now retired from the International Education office, were particularly helpful to them.

Saawan and Jessie come back to campus whenever they can and are very encouraged by the quality of students and expansion of programming in critical areas like international business.

“I think there has been tremendous progress,” said Saawan, a director for UBS Investment Bank. “It’s good for students to experience [what they do] at this level.”