Gustavus Adolphus College

I was extremely involved with the Men's Swimming and Diving Team throughout high school. I began swimming in 5th grade due to the encouragement of my middle school PE teacher, who had been the head coach for the Varsity Men's Swim Team for the over 30 years. With a lot of hard work, I went on to become a five time Section Champion, three time All State Swimmer, and broke five school records throughout my high school career.

I began looking at Gustavus after I had become extremely familiar with the campus through my experiences of attending swim camps starting my 8th grade year. Through those experiences, I formed a close bond with Jon Carlson, Head Coach of the Men's Swimming and Diving Team. My final decision was tough, however the community and strong academic reputation assured me that is was the right choice.

Currently, I am involved with the Gustavus Men's Varsity Swimming and Diving Team, Epsilon Pi Alpha Fraternity, Inter-Greek Senate, and Big Partner Little Partner. I became involved slowly, taking on a little more each year to ensure that I would not become too overwhelmed. Through my commitment within Epsilon Pi Alpha, I was elected Co-President of Inter-Greek Senate, in which I lead a Greek society of over 400 individuals. Epsilon Pi Alpha was titled Fraternity of the Year for the third consecutive year as well as raising $8,900 for various causes/benefits during the 2007-2008 year.

During the fall semester of my junior year, I took Human Resource Management, which I was assigned to travel to Minneapolis, MN to interview the Regional HR Manager for IBM. The objective of the assignment was to create a list of Best Practices of a Human Resource Department. Through our interview with the Regional HR Manager, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of what practices IBM currently performs within their HR department and then decided as to whether or not IBM had a state of the art department. I had a wonderful experience working on this project, and it gave me a chance to learn hands-on what HR was really about.

During the fall semester of my junior year, I took Human Resource Management, which I was assigned to travel to Minneapolis, MN to interview the Regional HR Manager for IBM. The objective of the assignment was to create a list of Best Practices of a Human Resource Department. Through our interview with the Regional HR Manager, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of what practices IBM currently performs within their HR department and then decided as to whether or not IBM had a state of the art department. I had a wonderful experience working on this project, and it gave me a chance to learn hands-on what HR was really about.

The relationship with professors at Gustavus is truly one of a kind. Every professor wants to build a relationship with each and every one of their students. They are thrilled when you stop by their office hour to chat and I especially love running into my professors outside of the school setting.

Through my coursework within my major and the work experience I have gained over the years, I thoroughly enjoy the field of Human Resources. I specifically enjoy the organizational development and training/development aspects of the industry. Someday, I would like to obtain the role of either a Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) or Vice President of Human Resources (VPHR).

The only thing that should matter when choosing an institution for your college education is your happiness. I do not how many times I have heard prospective students stressing out about the cost of a college education. Wherever you go to school you will incur debt, so choose a place that truly makes you happy and motivates you to be the best.

The Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Team initiation process is my favorite Gustavus tradition. I enjoy being surrounded by all of my really close friends, having a good time, and just acting silly. It is really great to be able to see all of the new athletes finally start to become comfortable being a member of the team and to see new friendships and the team dynamic begin to form.