(My Gustavus profiles showcase an alum telling his or her Gustavus story.)
“The 9/11 terrorist attacks happened the fall I started, just days after freshman orientation.”
My parents are alums. They met in the Co-Ed laundry room. Growing up I heard stories about Gustavus, and I helped do some of the tornado cleanup when I was a sophomore in high school. All along, I knew Gustavus was the place that I would go.
I saw the 9/11 attacks on the TVs in the student union and thought it was a hoax. Everyone was in disbelief. I went to my first-term seminar class, and our instructor, Roland Thorstenson, helped us process it through an international lens. We just sat and talked about it—what had happened and what it could possibly mean. We were, we realized, very much a part of an increasingly global and intertwined world.
Having that small community and a connection to people is of great value when something like that happens. It turned everybody closer, to people we had only known for a week.
I majored in French and international management. It opened my mind to the great importance of culture, to appreciating differences while finding commonality. On campus I was constantly bouncing around. I was involved in Students in Free Enterprise, investment club, the student activity office tech crew, French club, Gustie Greeters, wind ensemble . . . from an entrepreneurial standpoint, it fostered my creative spirit.
There’s definitely a common element to Gustavus and my business making craft vodka. It’s all about creating a sense of community and celebrating that which drives us. There’s a pioneering spirit that we Gusties all have and share. And making vodka is an inherently social business. In all we do we’re highlighting social experiences—enjoying a drink and a moment with friends and family.
My Gustavus is about being up on the hill, removed from but very much a part of a greater community—a community within a community—a place full of energy and exuberance and creativity.
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