Staff Writer- Cora Hess

Photo credits: August Marcusen

The first Gustie of the Week of the 2026-2027 academic school year is Senior Laura Sunnarborg. As she begins her final year at Gustavus, Sunnarborg has thoroughly involved herself on campus. She is a member of the Cross Country and Track and Field team, the Student Senate Co-President, the Model United Nations Co-President, the Gustavus Empowered Leaders Vice President, the Environmental Action Coalition Treasurer, and the Political Science Club Risk Manager. 

Not only is Sunnarborg involved throughout campus, off campus she is a Remote Project Development Intern at Geronimo Power and a Remote Level 3 English Teacher with Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio (CLUES).

With a Political Science and Environmental Studies major, on the Environmental Justice track, Sunnarborg is well prepared for all she wants to achieve for the rest of her time at Gustavus, and more! Someone who sees this throughout Sunnarborg is Associate Professor of the Political Science Department, Richard Leitch who has known Sunnarborg since her First Term Seminar in Fall 2023. 

“Even her classmates would admit Laura was the best prepared, the most focused, and the most active participant in class. There are many adjectives that could be used to describe Laura, but perhaps commitment is the best,” Professor Leitch shared. 

Being so involved allows for Sunnarborg to use her expertise to make the communities she’s a part of even better. 

“I’m very proud of all my contributions to Student Senate last year with constitution and bylaw changes. Those will absolutely make a lasting impact on how the Student Senate functions. We made a total of 27 changes, some of which updated the documents to reflect current practices, and some that substantively changed the ways senate works. I appreciate the students who voted to approve a number of constitutional changes last winter,” Sunnarborg expressed. 

Being a part of the Model United Nations team on campus, Sunnarborg has been able to attend the American Model UN Conference in Chicago during her past three years at Gustavus and is planning to attend again. She shared that it is one of her favorite experiences. 

“Freshman year I represented Switzerland, sophomore year I represented the United States, junior year I represented Nicaragua, and senior year I will either represent Sweden or Serbia. It’s an incredible opportunity to work on public speaking and diplomacy skills, but also so much fun to spend time in Chicago with friends,” Sunnarborg exclaimed. 

Those around her notice that Sunnarborg takes on everything that is handed to her with the utmost dedication. 

“Whether it is academics, Student Senate leadership, athletics, or even her one-semester study abroad experience, Laura takes on everything with commitment and gusto. Here is an example. Laura studied abroad in Spain. Normally, a student in that situation would have the opportunity to visit three, or four, or maybe five countries. Like them, Laura also had the opportunity to visit as many countries as humanly possible, and she took full advantage of it. On a limited budget she traveled to two dozen countries, many that Europeans themselves have likely never visited,” Leitch expressed. 

As Sunnarborg reflects on why she chose Gustavus as the school to expand her learning, she feels that the reason lies in the athletics she’s involved in. 

“The cross country team was probably the top reason I came to Gustavus. I really connected with the women and felt that it would give me a strong community. As a recruit, I felt like I would belong. Gustavus also had everything I wanted in a school with academic rigor and lots of opportunities for student involvement. What made me want to stay is the fantastic friends I’ve made here,” Sunnarborg shared. 

Someone who has also had the pleasure of working with Sunnarborg is Sophomore Ethan LaLumiere. 

“Laura and I are in a few student organizations together, and she has always been somebody I could go to for advice about anything from careers to classes to how to run student events. She is truly someone who leads by example and shows what it means to be a Gustie,” LaLumiere shared. 

With all the events that Gustavus holds that lead to tradition, it’s hard to narrow down your favorites, but for Sunnarborg, she has a clear winner. 

“The Nobel Conference is my favorite tradition on campus. I was a liaison my sophomore year for Sleep: Unraveled. The speaker I was working with, Tricia Hersey, had many ideas about rest that have shaped my beliefs. I can’t wait for this year‘s conference,” Sunnarborg exclaimed. 

As her Gustavus career is nearing its end, Sunnarborg shared a piece of advice she would give to anyone coming to the Gustavus community. She had a conversation recently with Chaplain Ben Hilding about balance and he shared that using the term “centered” is a functional word to describe one’s time at Gustavus. 

“Students that are considering coming to Gustavus should think about how they might see themselves becoming centered here, whether that’s through classes, athletics, arts, music, student orgs, or all of the above. In this day and age, there are so many digital distractions and actors fighting for our attention. In college, a goal should be to find community and be present with those people. If a prospective student thinks they can find that centeredness and community at Gustavus, it’s a good idea to come here,” Sunnarborg said. 

Those around Sunnarborg see greatness throughout her and know she is going far with both the skills she’s learned at Gustavus and the person she has become. 

“When she was in my FTS, I sensed Laura was destined for greatness while at Gustavus and especially afterwards. Over the past three years she has never proven me wrong, and now I am convinced of it,” Leitch said.