Winona State University students hear that college prepares them for the real world. What better way to understand exactly how college prepares students than to listen to a Winona State University alumnus discuss how this very college supported him to take on the real world? Dr. Larry Elvebak gave a talk on Thursday, October 10 in the Science Laboratory Center to discuss what led to his career success and share helpful advice with current students.   

Dr. Elvebak attended Winona State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and computer science in 1987. He then went on to the University of Minnesota to get his doctorate in bioanalytical chemistry. As Elvebak entered the workforce, he often encountered problems that could only be solved with software programs that did not yet exist. However, Elvebak was one of the few people in the workforce at that time who had studied computer science; because of this, he began to write his own software to manage data. In 2004, he incorporated and founded a company called Gubbs, Inc. Currently, he owns two companies; one is Gubbs, and the other is Lab Integrity, which markets a tool that is used by pharmaceutical companies in preclinical trials.  

Winona State undergraduate student, Thea Snyder, is double majoring in physics and chemistry. Snyder said that while she came to the talk for extra credit, she was interested in the information Elvebak provided. She was especially surprised by how different opportunities were in the workforce when Elvebak was just starting out. 

“It was probably easier to get going back in the day. Because nowadays you can do computer science, but if you did computer science back then, you got a lot more out of it.” Snyder said. 

In his time at Winona State, Elvebak was the president of the chemistry club for two years, founded the chemistry club banquet that is still held to this day, and participated in four sports. Elvebak attributes his career success to three things: 

The first thing that helped Elvebak succeed was the skills he learned during his time enlisted in the army as an administrative specialist.  

“It was probably the smartest thing I ever did in my life…It taught me how to type, because this was before computers came out…And it taught me organization.” Elvebak said. 

Elvebak also attributes his success to the camaraderie he experienced with his friends at teammates from Winona State. Elvebak formed lifelong friendships with the other men on his athletic teams. He also worked closely with the other students in his major, since there were only seven chemistry majors in his graduating class. Some might have felt restricted by a smaller class size, but that was what Elvebak loved about Winona State. 

“I took note of that when I toured before I started. I said, ‘Man, that means most of the time, I’m going to have direct access to professors for tutoring or questions or anything.’” Elvebak said. 

The third thing Elvebak learned that allowed him to be successful was the support and guidance he received from the Winona State chemistry department.  

“They encouraged us all to go to graduate school…six of us went on to get our PhDs…I thank the chemistry department for instilling that in us,” Elvebak said recommending the students in the audience to get their PhD. “Once you get that piece of paper on the wall, there’s nothing you can’t do.” 

Dr. Elvebak’s story is a testament to the importance of hard work and courage. While new things can be hard and scary, working hard and persevering in the midst of that is what creates a successful and fulfilling career.