Year: 2024
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Annika Reierson ‘24
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“All faculty members in the HES Department have prepared me for my future career as a Physician’s Assistant.” Planning to pursue a career as a Physician’s Assistant, Annika chose a major in Exercise Physiology due to an interest in exercise as “a pillar of health and wellness.” Annika appreciates the atmosphere within the Health and…
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Olivia Falk ‘24
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“The community you build with fellow students within the department is also extremely supportive and you make real connections.” As a Biology and Biology Education double major, Olivia has spent much of her time at Gustavus in the Biology department. She describes the department as incredibly welcoming, with professors and fellow classmates always being there…
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Benjy Vandeberg ‘26
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“[Education faculty] have challenged me to think critically, encouraged me to explore new ideas, and supported me in developing my teaching skills.” Choosing to come to Gustavus primarily for the Education Department, Benjy decided to major in Health and Physical Education hoping to teach and coach at the high school level. Throughout his time in…
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Xeanna Willaert ‘24
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“I think the small class sizes play a big role in fostering such a close-knit community. [The Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department] is truly a wonderful place to learn and grow as an individual.” As a future nurse, Xeanna decided to pursue an additional major in Spanish in hopes of becoming a bilingual nurse…
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Itzell Martinez ‘24
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“[Faculty] have helped me with course planning and experience with working with Latino communities.” Itzell decided to major in Spanish because she wants to help bridge divides between Spanish and non-Spanish speakers. She says, “In a professional setting, majoring in Spanish allows me to take on more projects that help non-English speakers.” Something that Itzell…
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Avery Thompson ‘26
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“Discussion is a highly-valued learning practice within the department because the discipline is based on learning about and appreciating diverse perspectives.” As someone who enjoys helping people and unpacking structural problems, Avery decided to become a Sociology/Anthropology major with a Management minor with hopes of working for a nonprofit organization in the future. She describes…
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Andrew Escoto ‘26
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“[Prof. Kate Knutson] has guided me into realizing my interests but also is there to simply hear me out.” Andrew was drawn to a major in Political Science due to an interest in understanding “why people make the political decisions that they make.” After taking Politics of Race and Racism with Dr. Jill Locke, he…
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Faculty Spotlight: Chad Winterfeldt
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Chad Winterfeldt (Music/Chaplains Office) opened the annual Summer Noontime Organ Recital series in Mankato on June 18 with a program of Juneteenth celebration at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Mankato. All the music Winterfeldt performed was by Black composers, including Florence Price, Uzee Brown Jr., Adolphus Hailstork, and Fela Sowande. Sponsored by the Sioux…
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Faculty Spotlight: Jim Parejko
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Jim Parejko (Biology) published an article “Climate change and plant rhizosphere microbiomes: an experiential course-embedded research project” in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education that is based on a course-embedded research project that was used in BIO 344: Exploring Microbiomes in the fall of 2023.
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Faculty Spotlight: Lauren Hecht and Hayley Russell
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Lucie Henrich ’25, Ellen Becken ’25, Lauren Hecht (Psychological Science), and Hayley Russell (Health and Exercise Science) received a research grant from the Association of Applied Sport Psychology for their project, “Attentional Focus in Long and Short Distance Track Runners,” in which they will use speak-aloud methodology to explore what D-III runners look at and…