Ryan Guenther proves that it doesn’t take long to find your fit at Gustavus.

Guenther transferred from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to Gustavus this fall to begin his junior year. He is a Physical Education and Health major from Owatonna, Minnesota.

Transferring to a different school in the middle of your college career is no doubt a daunting thought for most students.

However, Guenther’s experience has been a positive one. He noted that the transition has been very smooth and that the students have been exceptionally welcoming toward him.

“Gustavus has been so accommodating and adapted to my needs and treated me at a personal level which not all colleges do,” Guenther said.

He also mentioned the positive influence that the Gustavus faculty have had in helping him through the academic transition and to succeed in his classes.

“Here it seems like it’s a very open community as far as ‘I’m going to respect your views and your background as long as you don’t push it onto me, but hey, let’s talk about it, let’s see what our differences are, and then we can respect each other that way,” Guenther said.

Guenther has already been able to make himself a part of the Gustavus community. He’s met many people and hopes to “continue to make as many connections as possible, including lifelong friends, which isn’t very hard to do here”.

Only about six weeks into his time at Gustavus, Guenther has found ways to be involved on campus and the community.

The music program here at Gustavus has played a big role in helping him find a community of people to make it feel more like a home.

Guenther is currently a member of the Gustavus Wind Orchestra where he plays the trombone.

He said that his best experience on campus so far, besides for perhaps the Nobel Conference, would be his first GWO concert. He was proud of how well it went and how good the ensemble is.

Outside of music, Guenther works at the Gustavus Bookmark for his on-campus job.

He also works part-time at the Bluebird Cakery in Mankato, mostly on the weekends, alongside his new fiancée.

One goal that Guenther has for the rest of his time at Gustavus is to get involved as much as possible in the Gustavus community.

He wants to become more involved within the Education program here and learn as much as he can from it.

He would also like to do as much community involvement as possible, both within and outside of Gustavus.

Guenther also wants to take advantage of the intramural sports that are offered here.

After graduation, Guenther’s current plan is to find a teaching job either here in Minnesota or somewhere out West.

After that, he plans to attend graduate school for sports management. Ultimately, he wants to become an Athletic Director for a high school or college program.

Ryan recently got engaged and is very excited for his future in that regard. Good luck to Ryan on the rest of his first semester as a Gustavus student, and for the rest of his time at Gustavus.