Gustavus Adolphus College

I was active in my music program through band, choir, and chamber ensembles. I was also involved on the speech team and in theater. I ran cross country and track and also participated in golf. I am part of the National Honor Society, a member of the Cross Country State Championship team, state champion in a small music ensemble, and selected as superior actor at One-Act play contest. I was selected to be part of a European tour, and worked really hard to save money and make the trip. It was such an experience exploring new cultures, places, and people.

Because I have such a huge interest in music I looked specifically at schools I knew had great music programs. I first toured Gustavus during private college week and had an absolutely fantastic experience. I was also touring many other schools and Gustavus stood out to me as an excellent place with a friendly atmosphere. At the end of my day people were eager to talk to me and get to know me. It made me feel welcome and at home. The people here are great, the campus is beautiful, the academics are challenging, and the arts are excellent.

I am involved in the Gustavus Choir, Chamber Singers, St. Ansgar’s Chorus, Study Buddies, Gustie Greeters, student conductor of St. Ansgar’s Chorus, and was fall student assistant for music. These activities have kept me busy and I have loved every minute of it. I enjoy that I am in diverse groups that offer opportunities to work with a lot of different people. The music activities take up most of my time, but Study Buddies and Gustie Greeters allow me to serve Gustavus and the St. Peter community.

I got to create a Google Earth journal for one of my classes called, My Favorite Places. In this project we selected some of our favorite places in the world. Then we were to tell a story. Why were these places special? When were we there? What happened there? We then recorded them and had actual artifacts of our favorite places. I loved this project so much because we all were able to share unique experiences with one another and helped realize how the simplicities in life are some of the greatest things.

I love mac-n-cheese! I look forward to every Thursday because that Market Place has mac-n-cheese. Its funny how such a simple meal can be so comforting and special to a person. Mac-n-cheese reminds me of home and growing up. My mom ran a daycare out of the house while my siblings and I were growing up. Through all the chaos of kids running around playing my mom also could count on mac-n-cheese to satisfy the masses. Having mac-n-cheese at the Market Place takes me back to growing up and the comforts of home.

I have developed close relationships with a few of my professors. One professor and I play racquetball once a week. We both enjoy being physically active and it is such a way of building a relationship. We engage in both causal conversation and meaningful conversation, we laugh and joke, and we can be serious and competitive. Another professor and I have attended concerts together in Minneapolis at Orchestra Hall and the Ordway Center. This professor and I enjoy sharing music with one another. These experiences really help make connections and build relationships especially when I am so far from home.

Whenever you watch a tv show do you notice the background music? When I think about it, I subconsciously do notice it and it affects my emotions. I think the power of music is evident in this situation. I think it would be absolutely a great time being the music supervisor to a tv show. To be able to study the dialogue of a script and find music that can evoke or portray certain emotions.

Next to visit as many schools as possible, I would tell students to be vulnerable to the process and trust themselves. I would advise them to not force the decision, but to take all the data they have been given and trust themselves through the decision-making process. I don’t think it is wise to will a school into your future. If a school doesn’t feel like the right fit you should trust your instinct and keep on searching. If you do this, I guarantee that your college experience will be enjoyable and the process will have proven to be worthwhile.

Move-in day! I loved my experience of move-in day so much. It was absolutely terrifying, yet incredibly exciting. Slowly driving up the crowded hill with crazy Guties shouting and welcoming me may have felt like too much, but is something that made me realize I was entering a warm and loving place. It is so great being a Gustie Greeter and seeing it from the other side. I now get to stand on the hill and help welcome those new students to their home. It sets the stage for what the next four years will entail for them.

jkooistr@gustavus.edu