Gustavus Adolphus College senior Julia Tindell has been chosen by a committee of faculty, staff, and students to speak at the College’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, June 2. Tindell is a native of Apple Valley, Minn., who will graduate with a major in English and minor in theatre.
Throughout the past four years, Tindell has been involved in several theatre productions, the I Am We Are social justice theatre troupe, the Crossroads Program, and the Study Buddies program. She served as an Institute for Study Abroad (IFSA) Butler Ambassador, a tutor in the Gustavus Writing Center, an academic assistant for the English Department, and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
“I will fondly remember four years that were integral in making me the woman I am today,” Tindell said about her Gustavus experience. “I will remember the dearest friends, the most inspirational faculty, the very best staff, a community of love, and a lot of great walks in the Arb.”
An avid and talented writer, Tindell has had several pieces published in Firethrorne, the College’s literary magazine, as well as an article titled “21 Tips for People Who Don’t Drink” on the website thoughtcatalog.com. The Gustavus Theatre and Dance Department also performed a play she wrote titled “At Risk”.
Tindell says that she has been encouraged and supported by numerous faculty members over the last four years, especially within the English Department.
“Rob Kendrick has been my advisor and professor for some of the most formative courses of my college career,” Tindell said. “He has been a support since my first year at Gustavus – working with me through tough decisions, always asking me to give my very best, and encouraging me to try to accomplish big things. I am incredibly thankful for all that he has given me.”
“Elizabeth Baer is my thesis advisor and my mentor. Her enthusiasm and encouragement from the very beginning of my career in the English Department helped me to set my sights high and do everything to the best of my ability,” Tindell said. “I have been so thankful for her assistance in milestone moments in my career as a student including the publishing of my first article, an interview in World Literature Today, my acceptance into the IFSA-Butler study abroad program at Oxford University, and now the formation of an ambitious thesis project.”
Tindell plans to return to England – where she studied abroad during her junior year – to attend graduate school beginning in the fall of 2014. Before that, she plans to have a series of adventures. In her words, “the more spontaneous, the better.”
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