Taylor Storlien-
Gustie of the Week, Jack Raway, finds himself all over campus. He is a Senior geography major, an employee at The Writing Center, a member of both the Chapel Choir and LeGACy A Cappella, and a member of the Dead Poets Society’s executive board. But of course, as a geography major, Raway is often in the GIS and Geography lounges in Nobel. Within Raway’s academia, Associate Professor and Co-chair of the EGE department, Dr. Jeff La Frenierre, has had Raway in a few of his classes: “Jack is always a positive presence in class. He’s consistently engaged, among the first to participate in a discussion, and eager to help classmates when he can do so,” La Frenierre said.
Raway wasn’t initially a Geography major, but rather a political science major. “I ended up settling on geography instead of environmental studies because it fit more of what I was interested in doing in the two years I’ve spent as a geography major. I’ve always loved earth science and globes, so I guess it was just destiny,” Raway said. His passion for earth science continues outside of the classroom. “Jack rocks at geography! Especially Worldle – not Wordle, WORLDle,” Senior Becky LaCanne said.
Raway “is someone you can truly never forget,” LaCanne said. She doesn’t remember the exact moment of meeting Jack, which she says is “actually such a testament to how friendly and inviting he is!” Raway has bonded with both LaCanne and Senior Cora Pelkey over playing games and other activities. Pelkey took the badminton J-term class with Raway, where together they “…always had a good attitude and a great time,” Pelkey said.
Further, Raway shows his appreciation for people through effort. “In the Fall, Jack learned how to play my favorite board game with me! He was so genuine in sharing my appreciation for it, and really took the time to understand how to play and be present while he played with me,” LaCanne said. Not only do his friends appreciate his outgoing and friendly spirit, but La Frenierre “especially appreciate[s] his intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for exploration and adventure.”
As the end of the semester is nearing, Raway is preparing for graduation and life after Gustavus, and he has mixed feelings. “On one hand, I’m super excited to start my life outside of college, but on the other, I’m going to miss living with my friends. Sometimes life feels like a sitcom, and I’m definitely going to miss that,” Raway said. Throughout his time here, he hasn’t only taken Geography classes. His hardest classes have been Japanese, Music Theory, and his research capstone. He’s able to look past difficulty and see the silver lining, “…it was extremely rewarding…and pushed my brain in ways I wasn’t used to,” Raway said. Especially concerning his capstone, as there was “a lot to consider developing a whole project from scratch!” Raway said.
He lives by the motto “Find beauty in everything.” He is a “charismatic person who is really fun to talk to and just get to know,” Pelkey said, after having “gotten pretty close just from hours of conversation.” Raway helps out wherever he can, “Despite how he’s feeling, he’s always willing to hear you out on something you’re excited about, or lend a hand where and when he can,” La Canne said. As he ends his last year on campus, he looks back on his time here. “It’s been a ride for sure, especially getting on campus with just the other freshman in September 2020, but I’m grateful to the people I met along the way,” Raway said.