Luke Linart '26

Luke Linart ‘26 | Accounting and Business Analytics major, Applied Artificial Intelligence certificate

Luke Linart ’26 spends as much time working with numbers as he does at the Thomas F. Sullivan Arena. As an Accounting and Business Analytics major and captain of the Men’s Ice Hockey team, Linart’s ability to successfully manage his time earned him a full-time job offer before even graduating. He believes his experience as a student-athlete greatly attributed to the internship that led to this achievement.

What brought you to Saint Anselm?

Hockey. I’m originally from Michigan and my parents let me take two gap years to play junior hockey. That allowed me to pursue my dream of playing at the college level. Junior hockey brought me to Nashua, N.H. where I played for the Northern Cyclones and I was recruited by Saint Anselm College from there. Once I toured the campus I committed right away and haven’t looked back since. I’m so thankful to have come here; I wouldn’t have known about Saint Anselm if it hadn’t been for hockey. 

How did you choose what you wanted to study? 

I initially planned to go to school for engineering. After working in a factory during one of my gap years, I quickly realized that engineering wasn’t for me. Since I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, I decided to declare a Business Administration major. I ended up getting into financial accounting through some classes. I was good at it, which helped, so I switched to be an Accounting major. I later realized that I wanted to do something with mathematics, which I enjoyed in high school. My roommate was a Business Analytics major and showed me some of his coursework, which inspired me to add it as a second major. It seemed like it a good fit and lined up nicely with accounting. I’m happy I made the switch!

Why were you interested in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Certificate?

I had completed three of the requirements for my major courses, so I thought it would be beneficial to understand how AI works and how it can be implemented in ethical ways. I enjoyed the courses I took in the Computer Science Department. In one class, I wrote a program that tracked shots on goal in hockey so you could see a cool visual effect. 

Did you conduct any research at Saint Anselm?

I researched if there is a competitive advantage for NHL teams who play in states without income taxes. In the NHL, there is a salary cap prevents teams from overspending on players and restricts them to a set budget. During my research I compared data from before and after the salary cap by gathering regular season records and gathering tax rates for the states that certain teams play in. Then I ran a regression analysis and determined that you couldn’t say there was no effect, it could be an issue.

Can you talk about your internship experience?

The summer before my senior year, I lived with my roommate’s family and took the train into Boston every day. I interned at RSM, which has an office located across from TD Garden. I had the stereotypical idea that accountants sit a cubicle by themselves all day and types of numbers into Excel, but my internship proved that wrong. Yes, I used Excel, but accounting wasn’t at all what I had thought it was. I found it to be very enjoyable. 

How did this internship benefit your career goals?

Accounting isn’t a super busy industry in the summer, but I was fortunate to work on several engagements and participate in a lot of stuff that I didn’t necessarily think I was qualified to do at the time. I quickly realized I could do more than I thought and was able to connect with clients and senior leadership at RSM. I accepted an offer to return to RSM after I graduate working as an audit associate and towards becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA.) 

How has it been being a member of the Men’s Ice Hockey team?

We won the 2023 NE10 Championship and we’ve had good runs ever since, though we haven’t gotten another championship. I didn’t realize how much of a commitment college athletics were prior to attending Saint Anselm, but I’d say it’s pretty close to having a full-time job as far as the hours we put in. We’re at workouts from 2:45 - 4p.m. and then head immediately to the rink where we practice until around 8. 

Do you think your commitment to athletics prepared you for your internship? 

As a student-athlete, I don’t have as much time for homework which makes me more purposeful and efficient with my time management. I believe my experience as a Saint Anselm student-athlete set me apart from some of the other interns for that exact reason. The coursework is rigorous and athletics is demanding so creating that balance made me extra driven. I think I surprised people at RSM with how much I was able to get done because of that and overall made the transition into the internship easier.

How has being a Saint Anselm student-athlete changed you?

I’ve gotten to know the campus community well. There are over 600 student-athletes at Saint Anselm, and I have friends who play football, soccer, lacrosse, and baseball. Everyone on this campus has a collective winner’s mentality, from the classroom to the locker rooms. I’ve become a lot more purposeful and driven since I’ve been here and try not to waste any time. 

How have you felt supported on the Hilltop?

Coach Larry Rocha ‘79, is also a professor on campus, so when there are exams or finals he always makes sure to have shorter practices or give us a day off to study. Something unique about Saint Anselm is the faculty-to-student ratio. My advisor, Professor Sandra Cereola, was able to help me find an internship and develop my academic prowess. Being able to have that close relationship is amazing and the support from it is special. My sister goes to the University of Michigan where she is often one of 100 students in a class. Her experience has been great but by being at a big school, she can’t establish the same type of relationships with faculty as I can at Saint Anselm. 

What are you involved in on campus?

I’m the president of Accounting Club and we offer tutoring through that every week. We host several events throughout the semester where we try to help students learn how to build their resumés and earn academic credit through internships. Men’s Ice Hockey also does a lot of work with the Meelia Center for Community Engagement. We recently did holiday shopping at JCPenney with the Salvation Army and elementary, middle, and high school kids in the Manchester community. We paired up with them to help pick out new winter clothes and pajamas. Through the Meelia Center, I’ve also been involved in pickleball at the Carr Activities Center. The Meelia Center brings together community members who are interested in playing but don’t have anyone to play with, so that was a ton of fun to do with my teammates. There was another point where the team went to Saint Raphael Parish and volunteered at a clothing drive. 

What’s your favorite thing about Saint Anselm?

The community. It’s fun to see my hometown friends’ faces when I tell them we have monks on campus and that they love to hang out with students. There was one Saturday where I was hanging out outside with my team watching college football and Fr. Francis McCarty, O.S.B. ‘10, Fr. Aloysius Sarasin, O.S.B. ’17, and Fr. Basil Franciose, O.S.B., sat down and watched it with us. Having 30 built-in brothers with the hockey team is awesome and my college experience wouldn’t have been the same if I went to a big school.