Emily VanGorder – Staff Writer

Junior Poot Lovato is Gustie of the Week, a title she says she is thrilled to receive. Lovato comes to Gustavus from Dallas, Texas, where her family moved to from Albuquerque, New Mexico, for her sister Demi’s acting career. She starred alongside her sister in a number of roles, including Camp Rock and Sonny With A Chance. However, she remains unknown to many fans of these popular series.

“I had a pretty serious sun allergy at a young age, so I was only allowed to film at night, which limited my early career,” Lovato said. Many of her scenes were also cut after filming, though exclusive extended scenes can be found on YouTube in which she can be seen in the background.

Lovato received treatment for her sun allergy over several years, which was healed by her family shaman before she finished high school.

“It was pretty rough… for a few years, I had to live in my basement and adopt a semi-nocturnal schedule in order to avoid sun exposure. But this experience also helped me write a great personal essay, which I believe is one of the main reasons I was accepted to Gustavus” Lovato said.

Lovato found Gustavus after doing research into weather patterns in the U.S. After learning about Minnesotan winters, she applied to several schools close to the cities, but received the most aid from Gustavus.

“While I was looking at schools, I wasn’t sure if my allergy was going to be cured by the time I made it to college, so I wanted to make sure I could find a school in a location that was cloudy and cold for most of the year” Lovato said.

When asked about the rumors that it was in fact her family that kept her locked in the basement, Lovato denied to comment directly.

“I have been instructed by the family’s lawyers that there will be legal action taken if I answer that,” Lovato said. “Both you and I will be sued and disappear.”

Lovato is a junior biochemistry major and is interested in going into allergy research.

“I want to be able to help other people like me… if I can make a difference, then it’s worth it” Lovato said.