Coming from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Mohammed Konte is adapting well to northern Minnesota life. He’s in his second semester of lecturing in accounting at University of Minnesota Crookston and says the “people are friendly, the environment is mellow, and I’ve been warmly received here.”
Konte was a first generation college student and received his undergraduate degree from the University of New Mexico where he majored in business administration with a minor in accounting. He received his masters in accounting from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Tex. Konte is currently in the process of acquiring his Ph.D.
At the University of New Mexico, Konte played football for the Lobos. Because of this, he feels that he especially relates to the student athletes on campus and enjoys telling stories about his time as a student athlete.
“I like teaching my students the importance of balancing academics and athletics,” Konte stated. “The academic part is what’s going to endure.”
Konte is exceptionally passionate about teaching accounting, and his main goal is to demonstrate to his students.
“Accounting is often seen as boring, but it’s a really big part of society,” he added.
Konte tries to make his class entertaining as well as informative. He often shows his students relevant videos and gives them career ideas as well as practical examples. Konte also teaches lessons on prominent people in the accounting field, such as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Minnesota Vikings.
“I love being part of the growth trajectory for students, and I want to impact them in a positive way,” Konte expressed. “I truly enjoy the process of getting students ready for the real world.”
During his free time, Konte enjoys exercising and working out, reading, writing poetry, and traveling. He has traveled to Southeast Asia, the middle east, Africa, all over the United States, and Canada. Konte even speaks Arabic as well as several other African languages. In fact, his parents came to the United States from West Africa.
Konte has a wife named Zainab, and together they have four children: Ibrahim, Sumayah, Abdullah, and Abubakr. His family has yet to make it to Minnesota, though they will be joining him in Crookston in a few months.
