Gietl 10th Reunion Challenge

Your classmate Krista Vedvik Gietl, BS ’13, MS ’13, and her husband, Zach Gietl, BSBA ’12, MAcct ’12, are so excited to celebrate the Class of 2013, and invite you to join them in making a gift to support current and future WashU students. They have issued a challenge to you: For every $1 you give, the Gietls will give $3, up to a total of $15,000. And if 50 first-time donors participate, the Gietls will make an additional $10,000 gift. Participating in the Class of 2013 Class Gift is a great way to show your pride in our class, whether you can attend Reunion or not! Make your contribution to the class gift and learn more below about what motivates the Gietls to give to WashU today.

We are excited to welcome the Class of 2013 back to campus for your 10th reunion! 

Help carry on a longstanding university tradition of giving back. Make a gift in honor of the Class of 2013 and our amazing WashU experience. Your contribution of any amount to any area of the university counts towards our goal. We cannot do this without dedicated alumni like you!

We know a large percentage of our classmates are not able to attend in-person reunion. The class gift allows alumni from around the world to participate in this milestone anniversary. 

The following alumni are currently volunteering their time for our Class of 2013 Gift Committee in 2023 and are playing a vital role in our fundraising efforts. We are thankful for their continued engagement and interest in commemorating our reunion year. Our combined class gift provides resources that will have a positive impact on WashU and students for many years to come. 

Class of 2013 Committee:

Jacob Siewert, BSBA '13

Daryl Stein, AB '13

Mo Swinson, AB '13

Chryssi Yip, BSBA '13

Interested in getting involved in your Class of 2013 Gift Committee? Reach out to Tracy Speller at tracy.speller@wustl.edu or check out the volunteering responsibilities here. 

Not sure where you want to designate your gift? Your gift or pledge of any amount will help the Class of 2013 meet its goal, and you choose the school, scholarship, or program that is most meaningful to you. 

*Browse a searchable list of areas to support*

Krista & Zach

As high school seniors looking at universities, we wanted what every young adult wants; a sense of belonging, to fit in. Although we both grew up in Central Illinois, we had vastly different high school experiences that led us to consider Wash U as our home for 4+ years, and yet the draw was the same. Of course, what immediately draws one in is the beauty of the campus and the prestige of the education that one will receive, but the intangibles are what makes Wash U a truly great institution and what really makes it a home (or, the “Wash U bubble” as many remember it). One example is the sense of community we all shared - you usually ran into someone you knew everywhere you went, but with such a diverse student population and set of experiences you also met someone new wherever you went. 

 As far as our studies go, we both leaned into the paths we chose as first-year students. Zach earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Master of Accounting, both in 2012.  On campus, he was very involved with the Olin school, serving as President (among other roles) of Delta Sigma Pi, Co-Leading Olin’s Spotlight Weekend, and was a TA for many courses.  He also served as an RA for freshmen for two years. Krista earned a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering in 2013 and a Master of Science in Systems Science and Mathematics in 2014. Outside of class, Krista was involved in Tau Beta Pi and Alpha Eta Mu Beta and was a TA or tutor for many classes and subjects.  

 After finishing school in 2012, Zach joined the Audit practice at Deloitte, where he spent the first 6.5 years of his career. In 2019 he joined Edward Jones as a Sr. Department Leader in Operations, and continues to enjoy his expanding role. Post-graduation, Krista joined MilliporeSigma where she is currently Head of Digital & eCommerce Analytics. 7 years in, she has enjoyed a variety of analytics and data science based roles and is looking forward to continued growth and experience at MilliporeSigma.

 One funny thing about how we met because everyone assumes it was at Wash U: We actually did not meet on campus! Zach swears that he remembers seeing Krista around, since we overlapped for 3 years on the South Forty while Zach was an RA, but we never interacted. We actually met at the Paul McCartney concert at Busch Stadium in 2016 and the rest is history! The thing that got us talking was that we both went to Wash U, and we agreed that we needed to meet up again to talk about our experiences, knowing that while they were inevitably very different given our different majors and hobbies, we would connect over our shared experiences and those intangibles that make Wash U a home.

 The experience that a Wash U education provides is ineffable. We were fortunate to be blessed by scholarships and financial support that made attendance not only possible, but enjoyable, knowing that we would not be burdened by extensive loans upon graduation. Beyond education, though, is an experience that truly helps to shape the adult one is becoming. Not only is the curious mind encouraged to learn, but the curious soul is encouraged to explore. The access to nearly immeasurable amounts of extracurricular clubs, events, teams and groups really rounds out the experience that we all hold so dearly. Our desire is that any student with the ability and desire to attend Washington University is afforded the opportunity to benefit from all it has to offer. It’s our turn to give back now. We simply can’t imagine our lives without it, and as you consider giving back to the place that gave so much to you, we ask you: How different would your life be if you had not been financially able to attend Washington University?

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