Katie Jorgesen and Ben Carlson shared their reasons for selecting Gustavus.
By Kathryn Christenson
Metro Lutheran
“I knew I wanted to attend a private college,” says Katie Jorgensen, Gustavus Adolphus College sophomore from Chaska, Minnesota. “I looked at a couple of others and then decided on Gustavus. It just felt right here. Gustavus has an atmosphere that meshes with my personality. I felt I could integrate into this community, be a part of it and contribute to it.”
Metro Lutheran asked two Gustavus Adolphus students, one woman and one man, one from the metro area and one from greater Minnesota, to share their reasons for selecting a private higher education, particularly a Lutheran school, and specifically Gustavus.
“I was looking for small class sizes, having teachers who know you as a name and not just a number,” says Ben Carlson, first year student from Atwater, Minnesota. “I knew that church colleges are highly esteemed, and Gustavus was always one of my choices. I want to go into science, and Gustavus is strong in science. Also, having grown up in church, I looked for a place where I could attend Sunday services. In fact, we have daily chapel here.”
“For me, it was a bonus that Gustavus is a Lutheran college,” Katie says. “I want to be a pastor, and this is a place to explore my faith and grow in it. I knew I’d be exposed to non-Lutherans here, and also Lutherans from different traditions. Since Gustavus is close to home, I can still be connected with my family and with my church.”
Katie, the daughter of Rick and Dru Jorgensen, is a member of St. Andrew Lutheran Church West (ELCA), Chaska, which is a part of St. Andrew Lutheran, Eden Prairie. She is a religion major, minoring in philosophy. Ben, the son of Pr. Dan Carlson, Wayzata, and Valerie Carlson, Atwater, belongs to Immanuel Lutheran Church (ELCA), Atwater. He is considering a major in chemistry, environmental studies, or a double major.
Both students appreciate their Gustavus classes and professors. Like all first year Gusties, Ben began fall semester in a first term seminar (FTS), with a maximum of 18 students. He chose “Renewable Energies” with Prof. Charles Neiderriter. “You really get to know people quickly in FTS,” Ben says.
Although there were 60 students in his chemistry class, “Prof. Jeff Jeremiason knew all the names in the first week. It’s good to feel welcomed, and realize that the prof knows you so you’re not afraid to go up after class to ask questions.” In chemistry laboratory, where there are three people “on the bench,” Ben says, “These are the people you get to know from cooperating on experiments.”
Katie explains, “My religion and philosophy classes are an interesting contrast. In philosophy the existence of God is questioned, while in religion classes we hear about Luther’s take on various questions, or Aquinas’ ideas. World Religions was super interesting. Learning how other traditions think about religious questions has helped solidify my views.”
In fall 2007 Katie appreciated “Christian Thought” with Prof. Deborah Goodwin. “I told my friends, ‘Take this class. It’s amazing, it’s fun, and you learn so much.’ Prof. Goodwin’s personality fits the subject and the 8 a.m. hour. She found ways to wake us up. When we read the letters of Paul, she impersonated Paul and used a southern revival tent style of presentation that got us really involved.”
“Between junior and senior years of high school, I felt the call to ministry,” Katie says. “I enjoy daily worship in Christ Chapel. It’s a place to meet friends, to reflect and take time to refocus on faith after already having a class or two that day. I like the traditional worship. We also have Proclaim contemporary worship on Tuesday nights, where I’m on Welcommittee. We greet people and tell them the evening’s Bible verse.”
Ben sings bass in Chapel Choir, one of six choral, instrumental, and dance groups that participated in “The Word Becomes Flesh,” the annual Christmas in Christ Chapel concert in December 2007. In addition to chemistry and his FTS, he took calculus, cultural anthropology, and voice class in his first semester.
Katie is enrolled in Curriculum II, the alternative integrated Gustavus Adolphus curriculum. “You stay with the same group for your core courses. You get to know these people and what they think, so you aren’t intimidated about speaking up in class.”
Both Katie and Ben are members of Gustavus Youth Outreach (GYO), which is student-led and coordinated by the college’s Office of Church Relations. “In the beginning I struggled with separation from my home church,” Katie says. “Then I found GYO. It’s like a family of our own. We have six teams, ten people on a team. We get together on Sunday nights for worship, maybe a human board game or scavenger hung, and small group bonding.”
“Through GYO we lead overnight lock-ins with church youth groups once a month,” Ben says. “This includes games, singing, and an inspirational message. GYO led a lock-in at my church when I was in eighth or ninth grade, and I knew then it was something I wanted to do.”
While in high school, Ben went on three summer mission trips with YouthWorks: helping at a children’s community center in Washington, D.C.; splitting wood and helping to build a baptismal pool for a Baptist church in Thunder Bay, Canada; and assisting at a nursing home in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Ben’s brother Jonathon graduated from Gustavus in 2006. His sister Melissa attends North Dakota State University, Fargo.
Katie volunteered during high school as a confirmation small group leader. She was a camp counselor at Spirit in the Pines, Hackensack, Minnesota, which is owned by her church. In summer 2007 she served on the Spirit in the Pines program staff and plans to return in summer 2008. She has one brother, Jason, a sophomore in high school.
Note: This story appeared in the February 2008 edition of the Metro Lutheran.