Gustavus Adolphus College

In high school I was involved in volleyball and I was part of a show choir. I made my best friends through show choir and it was one of the highlights of my high school experience. I did a lot of traveling throughout high school, starting with a two week trip to Australia and New Zealand with People to People Sports Ambassadors, a choir tour to Italy, and a trip to Spain with the Spanish club. (Because of these tours I have a great interest in international travel and a huge love of cultural differences and similarities).

I choose Gustavus mainly because of the friendly people I met when I toured the campus as a high school senior. I am the kind of person who needs to be around people and I love saying Hi! to everyone I see. I noticed that my tour guide knew almost everyone that we passed on our tour and so this was a huge plus for me. Also, when I met with the admissions office, I met with Virgil Jones and his radiating positivity and enthusiasm drew me in. I would say that his impact on me greatly influenced my decision.

Here at Gustavus I am a member of the Gustavus Choir, I'm a Gustie Greeter, a Chapel apprentice and I occasionally sing in the Proclaim worship band. Gustie Greeters is one of the best groups I've ever been a part of. Over the course of my first year I became good friends with a Greeter and he encouraged me to apply. I love being a part of Greeters because I get to help first years with their transition to living at what I describe as one of the greatest places on earth.

My favorite academic experience at Gustavus is without a doubt the Choir of Christ Chapel tour to Texas the spring of 2008. Our choir was already a tight-knit group, but we really became much more like family during the tour. And the quality of our sound improved immensely while we were touring. When we got back to Gustavus we performed our final concert of the year, and it was the best concert I have ever been a part of.

I am a vegetarian so I have to get creative in order to fully enjoy the Market Place. Lately I have been getting sandwiches with provolone cheese, hummus, and black olives. It sounds a bit weird but it tastes so good!

My voice lesson professor, Patricia Snapp, has become one of my favorite professors. I meet with her weekly for a 30 minute private voice lesson. That 30 minutes usually turns into 40 because we spend the first 10 minutes catching up on what has happened in our lives within the past week. I feel genuinely cared about by her and I am so thankful to go to a school where the professors care so much for their students.

I love international travel. I love going to museums and immersing myself in new cultures. And I really like planning and organizing small details. Because of all of this, I would love to be some sort of an event coordinator where I would be able to plan tours for high school or college organizations. I'd like to plan the towns and cities they go to, the museums they get to tour and the other cultural experiences that they get to immerse themselves in.

My biggest advice would be to not stress out about the whole process too much, I know it’s much easier said than done, but trust me don’t worry about it. Listen to your gut instinct, it tells you a lot. (I stressed out throughout the whole process and then one day I just knew that Gustavus was for me). Also, the transition to school seems scary, but it gets much easier once you’re moved in and starting to meet people.

I have two favorite Gustavus traditions: Christmas in Christ Chapel and the Festival of Saint Lucia. I was a member of the Lucia court in the December of 2008 and it was a magical experience that I will carry with me forever. I loved waking up at 4:30 in the morning in order to begin caroling for my peers at 5. I was lucky enough to be on the court with 5 of my best friends and that made the experience even more amazing. Christmas in Christ Chapel is another one of my favorite Gustavus traditions because of the great music and the amazing people that I get to share it with.