There are many student leaders at Gustavus Adolphus College. Among them are Hayden Goldstein and Matt Timmons, the newly elected Student Senate Co-Presidents, two  juniors who are both widely involved in campus life.

Hayden, a computer science and financial economics double major, is from Waukee, Iowa. After getting accepted to Gustavus, he said it “just felt like the right fit.”

He is a member of the Epsilon Pi Alpha fraternity, men’s rugby, Order of Omega, among other organizations on campus. Outside of classes, Hayden enjoys hanging out with his friends and spends about three hours a day working on game developing.

“I really want to go into video game development. It’s my biggest hobby and passion. I’d love to make it my career,” Hayden said.

Hayden recently spent a semester abroad in Scotland, where he displayed his love for sriracha hot sauce by using up four large bottles over his three and a half months away from the United States.

One of Hayden’s favorite things about Gustavus is the people. He really likes the easy-going feel and how it doesn’t feel like a clique. Last year, Hayden served as finance chair for the Student Senate and is happy to be continuing his involvement.

“I’m really excited to be in the position. I’m also excited about being Student Senate Co-President because it means I can make unlimited references to the Star Wars Senate,” Hayden said.

Matt, a communication studies major, is originally from Carver, Minn. but went to school in Jordan, Minn.

On campus, Matt is involved in many organizations in addition to Student Senate. He has been a member of the Epsilon Pi Alpha fraternity since his sophomore year, is president of the LineUs improv group, sings baritone in the Gustavus Choir,  a Gustie Greeter and a student ambassador.

When first applying for college, Matt had no idea where he wanted to go and ended up applying to about 35 different schools nationwide. Gustavus was chosen after he won a category in the state speech tournament his junior year of high school and was then recruited by the Forensics Team at Gustavus. He felt that an opportunity like forensics would not be very present in his life after college and just couldn’t pass it up.

One of Matt’s favorite aspects of Gustavus is the intrinsic value of the community.

“I believe that there is truly something special in the way we treat and value each other. There is such a sense of belonging with being a Gustie, and I find that so incredible. I have a hard time believing it’s actually possible. There is a deeply-rooted love and passion for this place and I think that’s because of our love for the people that make it what it is,” Matt said.

Matt would like to pursue a legal career after college, eventually hoping to get into the judiciary field. He would like to stay flexible however, as it is competitive, but would really like to pursue that type of career.

Aside from school, Matt enjoys his time with LineUs, reading the newspaper, and reading in general. He is even called a “grandpa” sometimes due to his fondness for crosswords.

He also really loves singing with the choir.

“It’s a bit of a release. I can just let everything else go and be there in that moment standing next to other people making art that disappears the second after it’s created,” Matt said.

Matt has grown deeply connected to Gustavus and wanted to give back to the college as much as he could. He is looking forward to the people who will be drawn to the Student Senate with his and Hayden’s leadership.

“I’m very excited for next year. I think Hayden and I will be a great team, and I am excited to see where we can move forward and what we can get done,” Timmons said.

Junior Jenny Marquette has known Timmons since their first-year at Gustavus and met Goldstein sophomore year through mutual friends in the Epsilon Pi Alpha fraternity.

She is happy and excited to see Hayden and Matt have the opportunity to lead together, especially in the Senate, as that is something for which they both hace a passion. Marquette thinks that the new co-presidents will be good leaders in the Senate and has faith that they will be able to do what the Gustavus campus and community needs.

“I think they’re going to do a really great job as a team. They’ve worked together on different projects for Senate before and they’ve shared leadership roles within their fraternity. This is another opportunity for them to work on the Senate together more and serve the Gustavus community. I’m really excited for them to be able to work together this year,” Marquette said.