Today@Sam Article

Commencement Spotlight: Chris Bingle

Dec. 12, 2023
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd

By Jaidin Shaw

Chris Bingle
Montgomery, Texas
Bachelor of Business Administration double major in Finance and Banking and Financial Institutions

Chris Bingle, a banking and finance senior at Sam Houston State University with nine awards and over 15 different scholarships, looked back on his time at SHSU and how the faculty and his peers made his college experience worthwhile.

Bingle touched on how he came to SHSU on a whim and hasn’t looked back since.

“My aunt went to Sam Houston, and it was just the closest university near me. So, it was just kind of like, if I do get my bachelor’s, it’ll be at Sam Houston,” said Bingle.

Bingle is an active member of eight student organizations and the president of two: The Banking and Finance Club and Beta Alpha Psi. He’s received awards for his time in these organizations such as first place in the ‘Best Practices’ Competition at the Houston Conference, and Beta Alpha Psi International.

When it came to running for the president position of Beta Alpha Psi, Bingle had to step up to the leadership role because he felt a need to help, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. He became the vice president of outreach then was later elected president.

“After I transferred in, I saw a table tent with my major on it, so I went to it. That’s how I got plugged in there and then I found the Banking and Finance Club and the Investment Club through word of mouth and it just kind of spiraled from that point,” Bingle said about how he got involved on campus.

Along with his time in organizations, he spent time giving back to the community. Bingle has assisted in building a house, restoring and cleaning tools and furniture, served at the food bank, participated in roadside cleanup and the Huntsville State Park cleanup, as well.

When asked about the challenges Bingle faced during his college career, it all came back to finding balance. As a full-time student working a weekend job at H-E-B, a part-time job on-campus in the finance department and being active in several organizations, Bingle initially struggled to find the balance between school, work, social and personal time, but managed to get a handle on it. 

Despite his challenges, Bingle commended the SHSU faculty, specifically the College of Business Administration (COBA) faculty, for helping him throughout his time at SHSU. 

“The faculty we have and the connections they provide are phenomenal. The chair of banking, Jill Vaughan, got me my first internship. She meets with banking executives all the time and she brought up my name and told me I had an interview,” Bingle said.

This is a huge year for Bingle academically and for his future. This spring, he won the Non-Traditional Student Leader Award at the Sammy Awards. Then, this past summer, Bingle interned as an internal auditor at Charles Schwab. After finishing his internship, he was offered and accepted a full-time position at Charles Schwab, where he will start in January. 

In the future, Bingle will be moving to Dallas for his job and working on becoming a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He wants to make connections within his new city and continue to make connections through SHSU’s Alumni Association.

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