Meet Christopher Sayon

Alumni Spotlight

As seen in Ivy, the magazine of the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business.

In 1998, Christopher Sayon’s family traveled to America to seek refuge after living in Liberia through the civil war era. They are members of the Krahn ethnic group, targeted heavily during this era. In seeking safety for their children and themselves, leaving was the best option.

Sadly, after escaping the troubles that came with life in Liberia, they were met with the challenges of impoverished life in America.

Sayon’s family was sent to live in a rough area of Minneapolis, neighboring public housing (Section 8). This low-income environment was unfortunately paired with a violent neighborhood, hosting high rates of violence and drug use. Sayon, the youngest of six, was sheltered from the rough atmosphere surrounding him. However, due to their location, he still dealt with his fair share of troubles.

Wanting better for their kids, Sayon’s parents moved the family to Iowa, and this is where opportunity started to find its way into his journey.

In fourth grade, Sayon’s father enrolled him in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, where he met Threase Harms. With her help, Sayon was able to see that things were possible for him, and his interests in technology and business could develop into a plan for the future. This newfound atmosphere helped him succeed in high school, leading to achievements in varsity athletics and a plan to further his education.

In 2018, he became the first in his family to attend college, pursuing a management information systems (MIS) degree at the Ivy College of Business. Sayon viewed MIS as the perfect middle ground between technology and business and found joy in his classes. However, trying to maintain good grades while dealing with the financial stress of paying for school, rent, and his car all alone became too much to deal with.

“Perseverance will always win. Never think anything is impossible.”

— Christopher Sayon

To remedy this, Sayon decided to take a break from school and enlist in the military, where he did basic training and advanced individual training (AIT) during the 2020–2021 school year. He reflects on this decision positively, as it helped him create a path that he was genuinely happy with. Sayon’s involvement in the Army not only helped him pay for college, but also sparked new levels of discipline and healthy personal development.

With a stronger foundation, Sayon returned to college, continuing where he had left off.

With help from faculty and staff at the Ivy College of Business, he rebuilt his résumé, created a learning environment tailored to his situation, and developed meaningful connections with professors like Alec Dennis, assistant professor of information systems and business analytics, and Devon Bilsing, lecturer of information systems and business analytics, who Sayon credits as providing a lot of help to his collegiate journey.

In an inspirational LinkedIn post reflecting on his collegiate journey, he wrote, “Perseverance will always win.” Sayon recently demonstrated this by becoming the first in his family to receive a college degree, graduating with a bachelor’s in MIS.

Sayon’s story hosts a wide array of obstacles and is, unfortunately, one that many people can relate to. As he was able to find his way to success, Sayon shared some words of advice he would like to give to others in similar situations:

“The journey is going to be a lot harder for you, but as long as you stick through it and understand that what’s possible for others is possible for you too, you can achieve whatever it is you aim for.”

Sayon is currently working as a business analyst at Westlake in Dallas, Texas. He is also commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Texas National Guard, and will be going to Virginia in the near future for training (BOLC, basic officer, and leadership course). After his training is complete, Sayon will be returning to his full-time position with Westlake.

November 9, 2023