Corrine Stremmel ’21 – Former Editor-in-Chief

If someone were to tell me that I’d be coming back to Gustavus for Homecoming just four months after I graduated…yikes, I would’ve said close the yearbook, Corinne.
But here I am freshly graduated and coming back to my alma mater to do whatever it is you do at Homecoming—pet llamas and pretend I know how football works…?
Enough snark, I have some good things to say.

When I was a First-year at Gustavus, it used to really bother me at orientation how all the Greeters and CFs would say “welcome home” or “Gustavus is your home now.” Home home home, and I’d think “this isn’t home. I just got here.” I didn’t understand what they were talking about and I wished they’d just Gustie Rouser themselves into oblivion.
But now, at 22, living my post grad life, I think I’m starting to understand their sentiment. No one talks enough about what an adjustment post-grad life is, starting full time jobs, being confronted with finding a purpose in the world, and for me, finding a sense of what home is.
Home is such a tricky, fleeting concept with it being more than just a physical place but also a feeling that entails a sense of belonging.
My best friend (hi Lily) and I have had long talks illuminated by the Mankato Burger King sign about what it feels to live somewhere you don’t feel you belong. And I think my whole time at Gustavus was building up to my current sense of belonging among the many alumni who now congregate in my part of Minneapolis.
My most formative connections were at the Weekly (and possibly the second floor of Pittman. You know who you are). I remember my first day at the Weekly descending the stairs to the basement of CoEd, where the door always slammed in a way that’s burned into my memory.
The smell of Godfather’s pizza hung in the air and the crumby fans were on full blast, but I knew this was the place for me. I loved the chaos of the newsroom then, and I love it now. Later, I’d become Editor-in-Chief of the Weekly during a global pandemic and that chaos was all mine.
Anyone who works for the Weekly, or reads it for that matter, knows it’s truly a last ditch undertaking, but it’s the most fun you’ll ever have with your friends hashing out headlines and crossing your fingers that InDesign didn’t crash. And for that I’m so thankful for the connections I’ve made at the Weekly. There’s something special about working with people who truly care about working toward the same goal.
Just as I’ve found home in the Weekly, I’ve found home in the people I met at Gustavus. During my post grad life, I’ve found that when I needed help, my Gustavus friends were right there for me. There are countless times that I’ve had Gusties volunteer to help me out. I really believe the greatest asset of Gustavus is the people and the friendships you’ll make with those people during college.
It’s been a pleasant surprise how things turned out. I’m working as a journalist thanks to the Weekly and hanging around Minneapolis haunts with my friends thanks to the Gustavus Com department.
Wherever you are in your search for home, I hope Gustavus can help bring you a little closer to where you want to be.