Few people have involved themselves in the Gustavus community as much as Lucio Gonzalez.
Lucio is a junior Political Science and Philosophy double major from Inglewood, California.
He chose Gustavus particularly for the Political Science department and wanted the adventure of going to college far from home.
Lucio is heavily involved on campus in a variety of ways. He currently holds three different on-campus jobs, an impressive feat for a full-time student. He also volunteers in many other parts of campus.
His main position is as a Collegiate Fellow in Sorenson hall. He enjoys helping his residents in whatever way he can and being able to help them find the resources that they need to succeed.
Lucio also works for Gustavus Technology Services as a front desk associate. This position allows him to employ his passion for technology as well as for helping others.
His third position is in the Center for Academic Resources and Enhancement, also at the front desk. Lucio says that what drives him in all three of his campus positions is his desire to help other students succeed.
Outside of work, Lucio is also heavily involved within the Chaplain’s office.
He does volunteer work during worship on most Sunday mornings. He also completed an internship with the Chaplains office where he was in charge of preparing the sermon for several Sunday worships.
Lucio says his work with the Chaplains office was “really a kickstart to what I’m involved with on campus now.”
He also says that the people he has gotten to work with through the Chaplains office have helped him “further my participation in this work and in college as a whole.
Lucio has also done some work with the Gustavus Democrats throughout his time at Gustavus. He has gotten the opportunity to work with and campaign for several politicians through the organization. “I really valued what they campaigned for and I felt like I was part of a bigger cause.”
He has also done a lot of work as a phoneathon caller, doing outreach work and connecting to Gustavus alumni.
He was also chosen to be the representative face for the phoneathon. He really enjoyed being a representative and getting to talk to a lot of alumni.
When asked about how he balances his work with his studies and other commitments, Lucio said that he had to make some changes to his daily routine. “In high school, I never really had an agenda, but that had to change once I got to college.”
He said that he has had to make significant use of his Google calendar and work on writing down lists of things to do.
His advice to other students trying to balance their responsibilities is to really get organized and work on following through with everything they do.
Throughout all of his involvement on campus, Lucio said that one of his greatest experiences at Gustavus has been interacting with the faculty.
He loves that he has been able to make a lot of good connections with them.
“The faculty here have furthered my confidence in who I am as an individual and also given me a sense of purpose,” Gonzales said. He wants to continue to take full advantage of the Gustavus faculty and their help and knowledge.
In particular, Lucio said that the Residential Life staff have had a very positive influence on him. “The Residential Life staff have given me opportunities to expand my contributions to Gustavus.”
Lucio said that one of the major goals that he has had for himself throughout college and in the rest of his Gustavus career is to leave a positive impact on the people that he works with
“I hope that they are able to keep me as a positive memory of their time at Gustavus. I really hope to spark an influence in anyone that I meet.”
Lucio’s vast involvement on campus as well as his drive to help other students make him an essential part of the Gustavus community. He will no doubt leave a positive impact on those that he works with and on Gustavus as a whole.