The class of 2016 is making Gustavus their home for the 151st academic year. More than 715 students from thirty states and nine countries have moved to the hill to start their college careers.
Many different aspects of being a first-year at Gustavus have brought the incoming class together. Unloading an entire dorm room from the family mini van may have been stressful, but the results were well worth it. First-years have set up shop in Norelius, Sohre and Pittman, now decorated with pictures of friends and family.
Their first days on campus were spent getting to know their Greeter group, having ice cream with the President and his wife, watching an improv group with an opening from LineUs, shows by I Am We Are and the Peer Assistants, the President’s banquet and first-year Dive nights.
After an action-packed first weekend, the main goal of almost every first-year is to meet people.
“I know it sounds cliché, but I am excited to just meet new people and be part of the community,” first-year Ashley Eickhoff said.
“I think it will be cool to see and recognize how different everyone is,” first-year Amy Jensen said.
Getting to know your class can be overwhelming, but with the activities that the first-years have been able to participate in, meeting new people has come easily. Gustavus is a place where hanging out with one another is made simple.
“I am looking forward to leaving my door open and being able to say hi to people I recognize,” first-year Nick Dale said.
Gusties strive to be the best that they can be both in the classroom and out of the classroom.
“I’m really excited to go to my classes. I might be jinxing myself, but I’m excited to be challenged,” first-year Erik Hanson said.
“I think that going to different sporting events and being a super fan will be really fun,” first-year Laura Johnson said.
With the first week of classes ending, the class of 2016 is realizing that having new responsibilities makes you feel grown up, keeps you on schedule and that having a fan is a must.
The Gustavus community has embraced the new generation of Gusties and has welcomed them to their home away from home.
“I’m looking forward to learning the traditions that Gustavus has and participating in the fun things that are always happening,” first-year Darren Lapic said.