Had it not been for his best friend, Peter Yngwe might never have learned about Old Dominion. But Goran Elovsson had received a full scholarship to play soccer at the university, and he recommended his buddy Peter, also an outstanding player, to the coach at the time, Bill Killen. Six months later, Yngwe was on a flight to the United States.

Yngwe, who had already started his pursuit of a higher education degree in his native Sweden, took full advantage of his experience at Old Dominion, earning two degrees in three years and playing collegiate soccer.

Yngwe has many fond memories of his time at Old Dominion. Athletically, one highlight in particular was when the Monarchs ascended to a No. 5 national ranking early in the 1981 season. He also made the all-conference team in 1983. Academically, he still recalls the thrill he experienced when he received his first "A" ("which up till then I thought was impossible to achieve, at least for me"), and the mixture of excitement and relief when he got the results from his graduate school finals, which signified he had earned his M.B.A.

While he was somewhat bewildered to find that he had to take a class in painting when he, after all, had come here to study business, Yngwe also was pleasantly surprised to discover that some of his professors had had successful careers in business before they became teachers. "The teaching was at such a high level," he recalls.

All in all, studying overseas was a positive experience for Yngwe, who returned to Sweden after graduation and has since been named a Distinguished Alumnus of his alma mater and received an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

"Even if the U.S. and Sweden are both Western countries, they differ in many ways. You learn a language, get used to - and hopefully learn - a different culture, meet new and exciting people, experience new things, learn to view life a little differently, and get a somewhat different education than you would have received in your home country."

Yngwe, whose company, Swedish Export Credit Corporation, has a balance sheet of $20 billion, helps corporations in the Nordic region and Europe solve their financing problems, especially those related to exports. He believes that his education at Old Dominion has played a major role in his success.

"I had both international marketing and international finance as my majors," he said. "Both have been crucial factors in the success of my company. Earning both a bachelor's and master's degree gave me that extra confidence that I needed for a professional career. After finishing at ODU, I felt I was prepared to enter the world of business.

"I also fully learned English and the U.S. culture, which have been important. But most important of all, I achieved the necessary confidence in myself that made me believe that nothing was impossible. I have ODU to thank for all this."