Have you met this Estonian student? He came to America for summer sales to fund education

IDAHO FALLS — Averaging nearly 150 homes per day, riding his bike up and down neighborhoods, a foreign college student is selling books to help fund his educational journey, thousands of miles away from home.

While many in the community may have already interacted with him, his name is Kert Raudnomm, 22, from Voru, Estonia, who has been in Idaho Falls since June.

Raudnomm is selling educational books from Southwestern Advantage, and this is his third year selling those materials to Americans. He told EastIdahoNews.com that he's been selling these books to fund his studies at a university in Tallinn, Estonia's capital.

Southwestern Advantage is a sales and leadership program that allows college or university students to sell educational materials while developing entrepreneurial skills. The educational materials range from preschool, all the way up to high school classes.

He is currently pursuing a master's degree after graduating with a bachelor's in economics and business management.

What brought him around the globe was the chance to leave his home country, experience America, and make money on the side.

"I really like that I can like knock on a door and see like real people because in like Hollywood movies, it doesn't reflect like the real America," Raudnomm said.

During his door-to-door route, Raudnomm said one of his more unique experiences was running into members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who've served missions in his home country.

He said this experience allowed him to speak Estonian, and he was surprised that those individuals still speak that language.

While Idaho has been his most recent stop, Raudnomm spent previous summers in the Mountain West, living in Logan and Salt Lake City, Utah.

With these experiences, Raudnomm said his hometown has a population of 10,000, and that has changed how he views things when he's back in Estonia. The European nation is relatively small, with a population of only 1.36 million — fewer than Idaho's population.

"I'm more confident in connecting with people and also have better habits as well," Raudnomm said.

He's only here for the summer, though. Raudnomm's time is short, and he will be making his way back home at the end of August. Once there, he will continue his studies at Tallinn University.

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