Sophomore Will Riihiluoma puts down his pencil and takes one last look at his final exam. After quickly scanning over the paper, he hands it in and walks out of the room with the same feeling of accomplishment he does after every final exam. Minutes before walking into the room he had glanced over his notes one last time and felt the information click into place. His efforts at Gustavus for the past semester were now solidified on paper.

“He is a source of knowledge and advice but he is also a very happy and fun loving fellow.”—Daniel Peterson

“Gustavus has definitely challenged me. My proudest moments here are always when I leave finals week. Finals are awesome. You finally have time to take all of the information you learn in class and draw it all together. There’s this magical moment every single time about five minutes before the final when everything clicks and you just feel good,” Will said.

With his head set on being a physics professor and a simple love for classics, Will is a double major in Physics and Classics. Even though he takes on a heavy course load, Will’s love for learning never falters.

“My one ultimate passion is learning and my goal is to continually improve in whatever I’m doing. I have a firm view of the future in mind. I see where I’m headed, I see what I want to do, and I know I can do it if I stay focused. Besides, physics is so cool. In your day-to-day life you can think about almost anything and ask ‘why’ and then figure it out. It’s everywhere once you start to recognize it,” Will said.

Alongside his double major, Will is a Collegiate Fellow in Norelius Hall. But he’s also taken to sacrificing a bit of sleep in order to participate in certain organizations on campus such as the Society of Physics Students, Elders, and Theatre.

“Not only is Will on a few different committees on-campus, but he is involved with so many groups as well and still manages to complete his hefty workload while maintaining a social persona around campus. It’s astounding, really. Lesser men would have burned themselves out with the amount of activities Will participates in,” Sophomore Ian McKeag said.

But Will has yet to burn himself out. In fact, he maintains an ineffable social persona that most people who know him say is his best quality.

“The first time I met him I felt that I could talk to him if I needed anything. He is a source of knowledge and advice but he is also a very happy and fun loving fellow. He is just a very helpful friend, resource and a total goof ball who knows how to have fun but also be serious,” First-year Daniel Peterson said.

Whether he’s getting to know a resident, professor or anyone around campus, Will never leaves his personality at home.

“He is involved with so many groups as well and still manages to complete his hefty workload while maintaining a social persona around campus. It’s astounding, really.”—Ian McKeag

“I think that there are few people on campus that are able to demonstrate the quality for which I admire Will the most: his genuine personality. I have never met someone capable of assuming the same persona around every single friend group they are involved with. No matter who Will surrounds himself with, he is never afraid to broadcast his interests. If we had more people like Will at Gustavus, our ‘Community’ pillar would be our true marketing chip,” McKeag said.

Will sums up his passion, dedication, and personality in one simple Ray Bradbury quote, “love what you do, and do what you love.”

“If you’re doing what you love then you’re going to do well with it and you’ll always be happy. If you do not love what you do then what’s the point? You’re not going to want to do it for the next five minutes let alone rest of your life. Life is short and I want to at least do as much as I possibly can with the time I have,” Will said.

Through this philosophy, Will shapes his niche in the Gustavus community with a strong impact on the people around him.

“Will is deserving of Gustie of the Week because he is one of the hardest working people I know and will do anything for anyone as long as you ask. He is one of the kindest, loudest, funniest, and energetic people I know,” Sophomore Grant Walby said.

-Jaurdyn Dobler