Junior Jesse Brown is of the small percentage of students at Gustavus  who grew up right here in St. Peter. While many students yearn to get away from their hometown after high school, Jesse, who worked in the Gustavus cafeteria throughout high school, said that he never felt that desire, as he always had a deep appreciation for the community on  the hill.

“I’d always just known that I belonged here. But it’s funny, even though I knew and loved how friendly the people at Gustavus are, I was still a little shocked at how quickly I was accepted by everyone,” Jesse said.

Before joining the Minnesota Gamma chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity this past semester, Jesse had a very shy personality. But even so, his compassion for other people was hard to miss, helping him find a niché in the community quickly.

“I think Jesse is deeply concerned with being a good person and acting in ways that make the world a better place for other people. He has a wellspring of empathy,” Professor in Philosophy and Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies Peg O’Connor said.

Jesse says that from a young age, he’s always felt compassion and empathy for every individual, something he would never give up.

“I consider compassion to be the cornerstone of all virtue. If you don’t have compassion for other people, then you won’t be able to truly relate to and understand them,” Jesse said.

This is why he considers building genuine relationships with people one of his biggest passions in life, which is evident when talking to his friends.

“Jesse has a fantastic spirit. He goes over and above the call of duty not only when it comes to his schoolwork, but in his job in the cafeteria simply by greeting people and wishing them a good day. He is an idealist that believes in the human race even after he has learned the true nature of people,” Senior Jaynea Brooks said.

“Jesse is deeply concerned with being a good person.”—Peg O’Connor

As an English and Philosophy double major, Jesse is also very passionate about incorporating the knowledge he learns in his classes into his everyday life and always striving to understand the world around him.

“Jesse is an incredibly thoughtful and philosophical guy who always knows just what to say to make somebody’s day better. There have been days on campus when I’ve been stressed with classwork or life in general and chatting with Jesse in between classes always brings a smile to my face and helps alleviate some of that stress,” Senior  English Major Alex Gunderson said.

When he’s not studying, working at the cafeteria, participating in SAE or Philosopher’s Guild, Jesse enjoys hanging out with friends, playing video games, and reading comic books and graphic novels, but his fondest memories that he’s shaped so far at Gustavus have been with his fraternity brothers.

“I’ve had the best time hanging out with my brothers so far. When I’m with them I feel so free and joyful, because they help me feel comfortable with myself and also push me to be a better person. I love doing anything with them, from going to socials to community service,” Jesse said.

After college, Jesse hopes to attend graduate school. Although he’s not sure where, he knows that he wants to utilize his English and Philosophy major to study medieval civilization. During the time he has left at Gustavus, he says he wants to continue to strive to be a better student and person, of which his friends say he’s already doing a great job of achieving.

“Jesse’s personality is super friendly, cheerful, supportive, honest, and compassionate. He is always thriving to understand not only the world we live in, but to understand the individuals that make up our society. He never generalizes a population nor does he categorize them into negative stereotypes. He sees the good in people and with his warm smile he brightens up any day because he’s always genuine,” Brooks said.

-Jaurdyn Dobler