Gustavus Adolphus College

In high school I participated in many sports but after a few years just focused on Swimming. When I was little I lost my mom to a rare form of cancer and moved in with my dad. It was a bad relationship however, and in the summer before my 11th grade year I was emancipated and moved in with my aunt and uncle, this experience has taught me a lot about my self and made me strong, which has helped me get to where I am today. In February of my 11th grade year I went to Washington D.C. for a National Youth Leadership Forum on Law. I was the only person from Minnesota, and was nominated by one of my English teachers. It was one of my greatest experiences. After my 11th grade year I started college early through Post-secondary Enrollment Options at Gustavus. And in 2008 I graduated from New Prague High School with honors, and my first year of College complete!

My sister went to school here, and even though I always try to be different from her, I couldn’t help but feel at home on the campus. I love the close community and the opportunities that Gustavus has to offer. Not only is the community on campus good, but the rural location is also something I like, having grown up in a small town. I also had a great advisor in my first year that helped me find an area, and classes that would really fit my interests.

When I first started at Gustavus I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I wasn’t sure how much I would have time for. So I started off slow. Other than my classes in my first year I did Study Buddies. This year I have continued with Study Buddies which is one of my favorite activities because I am helping out in an elementary school class! I am also doing work study in the athletic department, and have talked to a committee member on the Campus Activities Board to get involved there. Along with this application I am applying to the Gustie Greeters for next fall. I am also really interested in starting the swim team here on campus because that was my greatest passion in high school.

My favorite experiences at Gustavus have been my two January courses. Last year I interned at a high school and worked with an English teacher there. She was a lot of fun and was full of energy which made working with her really easy and interesting. She worked with some of the kids who have been labeled as the bad kids but the way she worked with them they showed a lot of progress and really enjoyed coming to her class which was really amazing to see. She is still one of my good friends. This year was also a really good experience! My course this year was Philosophy for Children. The professor had a new approach to teaching us in which we did story circles and learning circles and empathy exercises which had us talking to, and hearing from, everyone in the class every day. We all learned about one another and got along really well to create a fun environment in which we could tell stories that held a lot of importance to us and also tell jokes to one another.

I have a big sweet tooth and my favorite dessert are the Almond Bars!!

Outside of the classroom I typically just talk to them during office hours or set up another meeting time. I have gone to professors for, not only questions, but also just to talk.

I get the greatest feeling whenever I help others. I know that many people say that they love helping people, but I am the type of person who will go out of my way for a friend. My dream Job is doing some thing in the Social work field. I do not want to be a social worker, but I want to make changes in the social system because there are many kids who are getting left out, turned away, and being hurt through a system which is meant to help them. Throughout my life I have had a few social workers and problems in my family life. When I went to ask for help I was one time turned away, another time told that I was a liar, and another time I had a social worker who couldn’t even remember my name. I think that there need to be changes to help the workers by possibly lessening their work load or making other changes that will help them do their jobs easier and more efficiently; this will ultimately help the kids. What my dream job would include would be to help kids who are mistreated in a system that is failing. I would also want to do this in areas of poverty that need this help even more so than well-to-do communities.

One thing that would have helped me get involved earlier would have been knowing how much free time college students really have. I was only told how much homework there was and how much time was spent on homework, not what was done during the other hours of the day. For a prospective Gustie I would have to tell them to just relax and take some time to think about what they really want out of their college experience. It is always important to know what your goals are and know what you want out of a certain experience, when you know that you can look at what each college has to offer and which ever school matches your expectations the most should be a good fit. When it comes to the process of applying and making a decision I would recommend calling the admission office because when I was applying through PSEO I talked to Mr. Anderson in the office and he really helped calm me down and let me know all about GAC!

I love move-in day! I don’t know if that is a tradition exactly but I love the excitement that’s in the air on campus! I also really like traying and the Midnight Express!