One look at Senior Liz Toeben’s busy schedule may scare off the faint of heart, but for Toeben it is nothing short of normal; Liz thrives in her involvement with campus clubs and organizations.

Toeben went to school in both Milaca and Sartell, MN, but graduated from Sartell High School. She took a chance at Gustavus and accepted admission without even touring the campus.

“It was very whimsical, but it turned out to be the best decision of my life,” Liz said.

Though she did not always know Gustavus would be her home, she has always had plans beyond Gustavus.

“My little sister has a brain tumor, so I’ve always wanted to do pediatric neuro-oncology or neurosurgery—which is working with kids who have brain cancer.”

Another part of her plan includes the Peace Corps for two years; she is currently applying for a position in Zambia.

“I would be a maternal and pediatric healthcare educator, and HIV/AIDS educator. [That means] I would be working with kids which is exactly what I want to do, but I would also be working with their parents so that would mainly be [focused on] Women’s Health which I am so passionate about,” Liz said.

Once she gets back after those two years, she will apply for Physician Assistant programs to continue her path to neuro-oncology.

It is clear that Liz is following her passions, but this has not always been the case. Toeben started out at Gustavus as a Biology and Psychology double major.

“Liz is a great person because she is absolutely dedicated – she strives to do her best in everything she does.” — Ellen Kneeskern

She was doing fine, but she felt that biology wasn’t her passion. So, sophomore year she talked with biology Professor Sanjive Qazi and he gave her a piece of advice she will never forget.

“He told me I need to take classes that I am passionate about, and that will lead me to wherever I want to go in life,” Liz said.

Liz took his advice; she dropped her Biology major to a minor to be able to take on a Peace, Justice and Conflict Studies minor.

Since then, she has been happier and more engaged in class. But she took this lesson beyond the classroom by getting involved in clubs and organizations that piqued her interests.

Throughout her last several years she has been involved in a myriad of organizations.

This year alone, she is the Co-Chair of Building Bridges, Administrative Director for Student Senate, President of the Exploring Sign Language club, a Greeter, and a researcher in the Center for Developmental Science (CDS)—she also has five jobs this semester.

Though this level of involvement may seem taxing, Liz enjoys it because these organizations are outlets for her passions.

Through Building Bridges Liz channels her passion for social justice. This year, Liz and the other members will be organizing the 23rd annual conference which will focus on mental health as a social justice cause.

It was also through Building Bridges that Liz met one of her best friends, Senior Ellen Kneeskern.

Both Toeben and Kneeskern were in the action committee as First-years, so they worked together to create complementary experiences to the conference theme: Recognizing and Rejecting Rape Culture.

“Liz is a great person because she is absolutely dedicated—she strives to do her best in everything she does. But more than that, she is an incredibly compassionate and empathetic friend,” Kneeskern said.

This year as Administrative Director for Student Senate, Liz has a fair amount of responsibility; she runs the weekly meetings if both of the Co-Presidents of Student Senate are not there.

Though Liz is settled now, she was not always so confident. “I started [Student Senate] my sophomore year and I was this shy little child who sat in the back. It was JoNes VanHecke who really encouraged me to share my voice,” Toeben said.

Liz learned to fight for what she believes in, and people noticed. Gustavus Alum Herchran Singh was Co-President of Student Senate when Liz was Diversity Chair.

“Liz thrived because she didn’t let projects die off; when we changed the name of Columbus’ day to Indigenous People’s Day, a year later she kept this idea going with the DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline) Panel,” Singh said.

Last year for the CDS, Liz worked with Kyle Chambers, Associate Professor in Psychological Science, to analyze and reconstruct the Saint Peter Middle School afterschool program.

“Liz is a passionate, enthusiastic, and dedicated research assistant with boundless energy. Her creative ideas and research acumen allowed us to collect helpful data from a variety of audiences and her leadership was crucial to the project being thorough, helpful, and timely,” Chambers said.

For Toeben, research is a chance to breath. “It’s a change of pace; you’re not studying for anything. Instead, you get to read about these fascinating things, or talk to these kids who are so bright—it doesn’t even feel like work,” Liz said.

Liz’s advice for First-Years is to stick with it. “It’s really hard to fit in at first, but you’ll get through it,” Liz said.

Although Liz’s busy life may scare some, it can be seen as a reminder to those whose passions are still undiscovered, that a busy schedule is not a burden if it means doing what you love.