One of the most involved and versatile members within the Gustavus community is Junior, Linsey Wolf, who is from Mankato, Minnesota.
As a high schooler, Linsey thought Gustavus was an expensive private school that she would not consider attending because it was too close to her home, and she had always heard about it.
Then one day, a family colleague had mentioned that their daughter went to Gustavus, and was fond of all the incredible learning experiences she received at a liberal arts institution.
This prompted Linsey to apply to Gustavus where she eventually became super invested, and was amazed at all the scholarship opportunities the college gave to prospective students like her. She remembers the excitement from her family members once she got accepted and ultimately chose to attend.
“I’d say my first year was pretty average, but I really found ‘my people’ and started to like it during the spring semester of sophomore year,” Wolf said. Since coming to Gustavus, Linsey has been involved in a variety of prominent student organizations. For instance, she is the Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus, where she has the opportunity to collaborate with talented, aspiring female writers who are eager to showcase their wonderful writing talents.
She is also heavily involved in her sorority, Theta Xi Gamma, by being the Recruitment Chair, Mediator, and Secretary. She mentions that joining Greek life was one of the best decisions she ever made because of the timeless memories she has created with her sisters by volunteering and through events around campus.
Aside from the Thetas, she has become co-host of the new radio show, “Tea and Tunes” with Senior, Ian Bachmeyer, whom she met through one of her sorority sisters. When he first thought of this idea, he approached Linsey to be his co-host due to her taste in music.
They soon reserved a regular time for their show which runs on Thursdays from 7 to 9 in Beck. They also brainstormed a few catchy names for what they wanted to call it, and made visually appealing posters to spread the word on campus.
The premise of their show is to feature unique genres of music each week. “We meet in Beck in the little radio room…we have a spotify playlist…and we do different themes. Last week, we did an hour of female artists, and we do an hour of ‘chill’ music. We’re working on getting live music from people around Gustavus who are musically talented,” Wolf said. It has so far been a joyful, relaxing experience where she can decompose for the week, and can listen to quality music for a few hours.
She has received positive feedback from members of the student body who say they admire the show’s content, and are curious about which songs are going to be played next.
The show is open-ended in terms of featuring anything, and there are no restrictions about what music can or cannot be played. Students can also call in or comment on social media for any song suggestions, where they will receive an honorary shout-out.
“It’s helped me meet a lot of people that I wouldn’t have otherwise ever talked to, and the radio show specifically gives me a chance to work with tech equipment that would be useful if I ever had to do it in a professional setting,” Wolf said.
Because she is an English Education major, these organizations have allowed her to communicate and collaborate with Gustavus community members. It has helped build her personality as she has grown out of her former shy, reserved high school self.
The meaningful relationships she is developing with professors and Gusties now will give her the opportunity to connect with her future students in a classroom environment. In terms of her career goals, she wants to be an English teacher who dreams of living in the rainy and cozy Pacific West Coast like Washington or Oregon.
However, she is open to taking on new endeavors if she decides to not teach anymore, and will go wherever life takes her. She chose to be an English major because she wanted to do something that would have a positive influence on people’s lives.
“I loved English in high school, especially my English teachers…I thought they were some of the most fun, creative, and expressive people…I want to be someone that students can come to for help, and can enjoy going to school because of their surroundings,” Wolf said.
In addition, she was able to make new friends, and this introduced to her to many individuals who shared her similar interests. It was a fantastic bonding experience which since has fostered deep friendships.
As Linsey and Ian continue to be apart of Tea and Tunes, she is excited for all the cool ideas yet to come. One aspect they are working on are conducting live interviews with students.
For instance, they are hoping to feature her roommate, Corbyn Jenkins, a talented concert photographer, along with musically-talented individuals who can talk about their choral or band groups
They are also thinking of having “giveaways” such as concert tickets or signed posters to make it more personable to listeners. She recommends that students should do their best to be engaged both academically and socially during these eventful college years.
“Get involved and talk to people you normally wouldn’t because they’re probably some of the best people you’ll ever meet. Try to branch out without getting too involved. You don’t have to join everything. You don’t have to sign up for every activity at the involvement fair, just pick two or three, and if you put your effort into those and focus on those then you’ll really make them worthwhile,” Wolf said.