Gustavus Blogs

Tag: Alumni

  • Kjerstin Anderson ’22

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    harrietanderson

    “Designing the costumes for The Misanthrope allowed me to get into a top grad school and gave me the confidence to chase after what I want.” Theatre Major, Kjerstin Anderson, shares her experience in the Theatre and Dance Department. Designing the costumes for The Misanthrope allowed me to learn so many things, like the general…

  • Astrid Axtman ’22

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    harrietanderson

    “I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to create this piece as it challenged me as a choreographer, leader, and strategizer.” Dance major, Astrid Axtman, describes the experience of creating and performing a dance piece. It felt empowering to be trusted and given full resources to create and produce a feature dance with…

  • Skylar Abrego ’20

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    harrietanderson

    “Born into hockey and raised through her Gustie profs, she’s the current graduate assistant in Gustavus Sports Information.” It started when Communications Studies professor Pamela Conners said to her, “I think you’re holding yourself back.” Abrego had planned on becoming a teacher, but she loved Conners’ class Public Discourse far more than she loved her…

  • Mula Lay ’22

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    harrietanderson

    “All you need is a microphone to make a podcast. And some editing software. And some stories. And a student champion with a great voice for radio.” His first major was computer science. But like so many Gusties before him, Lay questioned his first choice when the poetry and stories he was writing were competing…

  • Regina Olono Vidales ’22

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    harrietanderson

    “From zero public speaking experience to the commencement podium, serving on Student Senate changed the trajectory of Vidales’ life: I Found a Voice.” “If you don’t speak up for what you want, it’s not going to happen. So you have to speak up for the things that you care about.” When Vidales started at Gustavus,…

  • Matt Rasmussen ’98

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    harrietanderson

    “Studying And Writing Literature Felt Superfluous Like a Hobby. At Gustavus, I Learned It Was My Passion.” I was a hockey player jock in high school, and I wanted to play in college. When I applied to Gustavus, I included a poem in my application. I don’t know why. Maybe I thought I wasn’t smart…

  • Audrey Ochtrup-Dekeyrel ’22

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    harrietanderson

    “From farmhand to food researcher, Gustavus planted the seed for a new career path—that of professor.” A “terrible, bratty child” when it came to helping on her family’s farm in southeastern Minnesota, a younger Ochtrup-DeKeyrel couldn’t have imagined making a career out of agriculture. Now, shaped by her upbringing and her experiences as an environmental…

  • Emily Ford ’15

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    harrietanderson

    “Emily Ford thought she knew winter. Then she thru-hiked the Ice Age Trail. In February. With only a sled dog, Diggins.” Post-holing. It’s when you hike through deep snow without skis or snowshoes. Imagine stomping your leg into crusted snow up to your knee, then doing the same with your other leg, then pulling the…

  • Professor Erik Gulbranson

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    harrietanderson

    “In one of the coldest places on Earth—and 250 million years in the past—he predicts the future of our planet.” Oppressive cold. Deafening silence. Never ending day (or night). Low atmospheric pressure that warps the human body. Nevertheless, Professor Gulbranson and his international colleagues have ventured to Antarctica five times over the past decade to…

  • Martin Lang ’95

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    harrietanderson

    “I Didn’t Leave Gustavus a Flag-Waving Gustie. My Perspective On Gustavus Really Changed After I Started Grad School.” I am a first-generation college student, so when I was applying to schools, I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into. I wanted to play soccer at a big state school, but I soon found out…