More than 715 first-year students arrived at Gustavus on Friday, Aug. 31 to start their four year journey. We caught up with 10 Gusties from the Class of 2016 and asked them a couple of questions including their hometown, what they plan to major in, what First Term Seminar class they are enrolled in, and why they decided to make Gustavus their home for the next four years.
Name: Anna Ribbel
Hometown: Lake Crystal, Minn.
Major: Nursing
FTS Class: Leisure Quest: Taking Back Your Time with Aaron Banks
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: Gustavus is a nice, small and fun environment and it still feels like home even when you’re away from home.
Your feelings about move-in day: I absolutely love the Gustie Greeters, they are just so welcoming and they are really helpful. And thanks to the football players for lifting all of my stuff.
Name: Jeffrey Nelson
Hometown: Maple Grove, Minn.
Major: Undecided
FTS Class: Visual Culture with Sean Cobb
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: I really liked the feel of the campus for sure and I really liked the people I met when I visited.
Your feelings about move-in day: It’s good, there’s a lot of energy.
Name: Awushie Fayose
Hometown: Woodbury, Minn., but originally from Ghana
Major: Biochemistry with a minor in French
FTS Class: Cultural Identity: Blending Two Heritages with Patricia Freiert
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: I really like the atmosphere, everyone is super nice. The school also has a lot of things that I’m interested in. The professors seem really helpful so I’m looking forward to having that kind of environment.
Name: Sophie Moe
Hometown: Plymouth, Minn.
Major: Business Management
FTS Class: Leisure Quest: Taking Back Your Time with Aaron Banks
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: My dad went here (Jeff Moe ’79) and so I’ve been coming here since I was a kid and I really like it. I like that it’s close to home, but just far enough away.
Your feelings about move-in day: It’s pretty crazy, but I’m excited.
Name: Ben Miller
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Major: Biology
FTS Class: Railroads and the American Adventure with Garrett Paul
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: The science programs, the Nobel Conference, and I’m also swimming on the swim team
Your feelings about move-in day: Pretty painless and efficient.
Name: Kailee Carlson
Hometown: Chisago City, Minn.
Major: Nursing
FTS Class: Understanding Health & Healing: Power, Communication and Culture with Maria Beatriz Torres
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: I really like the atmosphere here and every time I visited people were super nice and friendly and helpful. It’s also the perfect distance from home.
Name: Samantha Vang
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn.
Major: Undecided, Pre-Med
FTS Class: Asian American Experiences with Sun Hee Lee
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: It’s a beautiful campus, it’s not too far from home, and I received really good financial aid here.
Your feelings about move-in day: It’s really beautiful and I feel like I will be able to fit in here really well.
Name: Matthew Glaser
Hometown: Des Moines, Iowa
Major: Physics
FTS Class: Leisure Quest: Taking Back Your Time with Aaron Banks
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: The science programs and I’m also playing soccer
Your feelings about move-in day: It’s been really nice, everybody is really friendly so it’s been good.
Name: Phuong Anh
Hometown: Hanoi, Vietnam
Major: Economics and Psychology
FTS Class: Persuasion: Judging the Cover by the Book with Daniel Mollner and Michelle Twait
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: I’ve heard this is a very good school with very nice people and that it’s a close knit community here.
Name: Lindsey Ziegler
Hometown: Lake Crystal, Minn.
Major: Health and Marketing
FTS Class: Leisure Quest: Taking Back Your Time with Aaron Banks
Why did you decide to attend Gustavus: Because it’s small.
Your feelings about move-in day: Everyone is really happy and excited about the day.
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Media Contact: Director of Media Relations and Internal Communication Luc Hatlestad
luch@gustavus.edu
507-933-7510