Taylor Storlien-
This week’s Gustie of the Week is Patrick Stonecipher. Stonecipher is finishing up his Senior year on The Hill this spring. With a major in English paired with an individualized Film major, Stonecipher has made his four years here work for him in every way. “I individualized the Film Minor to be a Major, combining English and Art classes with [an] emphasis on film studies and video art. What I hoped to achieve with the major was a solid groundwork in film criticism and theory, backed up with a decent bit of production experience, which I got a lot of during my semester abroad,” Stonecipher said. He hopes to be a filmmaker, dreaming of being a writer or director, but most of all aspiring to work in film editing.
Film has also connected him to friends he has made during his time here at Gustavus. Senior Eli Simon and Stonecipher met when they lived in the same pod in Norelius as First-years: “We were out on the soccer field playing games at the start of the semester and we both mentioned we were into filmmaking – we hit it off right then and there!” Simon said. Film brought Stonecipher and Senior Beck LaCanne together too, as they met through mutual friends and bonded over watching Le Samouraï together.
His First-year random roommate turned friend, Senior Jack Raway, thinks back to how much Stonecipher helped him through his first year: “I was really nervous to be away from home, but having Patrick around made things so much easier since I had someone I could talk to when I got back after classes, activities, or just whenever since we were always in our rooms back then,” Raway said. Stonecipher’s friends accredit him with the ability to make people laugh as well as having a kind spirit. “He often makes people smile…he’s a really fun person to be around and can help turn a bad day into a good one,” Simon said. His personality is well-known to those around him. “Anyone that knows Patrick knows that he’s constantly making people laugh. He always brings a really fun, charming energy that makes people smile, whether that’s his friends, his classmates, his family, or even people he just met,” Raway said.
As for his time here, “Gustavus shaped me through the friends I made [during] my time here. We met freshman year and have stuck together the entire time, even when we all traveled abroad. I’ve never felt closer to a group of people, they’re honestly a family to me. Every day they inspire me, not just to reach for higher achievement, but to be a kinder, more compassionate person to everyone I meet,” Stonecipher said. LaCanne recognizes how humble Stonechipher can be, especially when it comes to his relationships.
“Patrick gives a lot of credit to his friends for being very caring and compassionate, but he doesn’t always recognize that he’s an incredibly kind and beautiful person himself. He’s an incredible host, and always works to make those around him feel comfortable, recognized, and cared for,” LaCanne said.
He’s made many memories on The Hill; when asked what his favorite was with Stonecipher, “Too many, sorry,” was Simon’s answer. Even for LaCanne, there is not a standout moment, as her favorite memory with Stonecipher is “… more like a collection of moments: When he sings in the kitchen while he cooks! It’s one of the most comforting, sweet things he does. And he has a beautiful singing voice,” LaCanne said. As for a more specific memory, “Wine Wednesday,” Raway said.
Something that has helped Stonecipher through a multitude of situations has been the saying “Everyone wants what’s best for you.” He finds himself a fairly nervous person in general, particularly in social situations. He began telling himself this line and “realized it was probably true: strangers don’t go around praying on the downfall of everyone around them. We’re all normal people living our lives, and it’s easier to do so when we support each other,” Stonecipher said. He leans on the idea of community and the good of people, as that motto has enabled him to be more social and outgoing, “for better or for worse,” Stonecipher said. After graduation, he is planning to work for a few months minimum as a freelance editor. After this, he will enter the Montage program at FAMU in Prague. He is excited about the future and when he thinks back to his motto, he knows anything and everything will work out: “I figure as long as I remind myself I have a lot of people in my corner, and that I’m in their corner as well, things will work out alright.”