S t. Ol a f C ol l e g e

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1 St. Olaf College

2 What s Next? Become an Ole, get a great education, build lifelong friendships, and see the world! CONFIRM Say Yes! I m an Ole. Confirm your place in the Class of 2021 by logging in to your St. Olaf account to make your enrollment deposit online. (See your letter of admission for login credentials.) Or go old-school by signing and returning the enclosed Admission Reply Card with your enrollment deposit. The envelope says it all: Um! Yah! Yah! VISIT Mark your calendar for one of our Admitted Student Day programs, April 8 or April 22, It s a great way to launch your St. Olaf career. TALK WITH US Admission is just the start of a lifelong journey. The admissions team and the faculty who worked so hard to encourage you to apply to St. Olaf are still here to help. If you have any questions, just call, , or write. CELEBRATE Congratulations! You re going to love being an Ole. When you become an Ole, you are joining a community of thinkers and doers on a lifelong journey. You ll live and learn with smart and active students; you ll work with dedicated and inspiring teachers and mentors; and you ll connect to a network of alumni ready and willing to help you explore ways to use your St. Olaf education. The St. Olaf community will lift you up and carry you far. The following pages will introduce you to a few of your fellow Oles: athletes and musicians, activists and entrepreneurs, and artists and scholars from across the U.S. and around the world. These are the kinds of people you ll meet at St. Olaf. We re happy you ve chosen to become a part of this great community!

3 BARITE GUTAMA BEATING THE ODDS SENIOR MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA CHEMISTRY MAJOR BIOMOLECULAR SCIENCE CONCENTRATION By the time Barite Gutama arrived at St. Olaf, she had already beaten the odds. Just two years earlier, she d immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia, with no idea how to pursue her childhood dream of becoming a doctor. But she dug in during high school, taking advanced courses in subjects such as chemistry while learning English. She interned at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, volunteered at food shelters, and tutored younger students, eventually graduating at the top of her class and receiving a spate of awards honoring her remarkable accomplishments. Barite, who is a TRIO McNair Scholar, was initially drawn to St. Olaf s strong science and pre-med programs, and was struck by the college s commitment to providing students with high-impact educational experiences ranging from research to study abroad. Determined to take advantage of these opportunities, Barite balanced coursework for her chemistry major and biomolecular science concentration with an internship at 3M and on-campus organic chemistry research alongside professor Dipannita Kalyani. Barite also took part in St. Olaf s Peruvian Medical Experience program, gaining valuable experience in assessing patient dental and medical needs in underserved, rural communities. My St. Olaf education has provided me with unique opportunities and helped me view things from a broader perspective, she says. I strongly believe that my liberal arts education has prepared me to become a physician who cares for the person as a whole. Barite Gutama was one of just 12 college students from across the country selected to conduct handson research with top cancer experts through the Northwestern University Continuing Umbrella of Research Experience (CURE) program. 2

4 MARTINE APPEL ADVOCATE JUNIOR PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY SOCIOLOGY/ANTHROPOLOGY MAJOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES CONCENTRATION Martine Appel (center) photographed in Boe Memorial Chapel with members of the Jewish Student Organization and the Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice. Left to right: Adam Weiss, Emery Rankin-Utevsky, Simon Zhan, Jacob Davidson, Tala Alraheb, Nora Ulrich, Caleb Weiss, Taylor De Napels, Sydney Rule, Kiki Sykes, and Alice Stevens. Martine Appel surprised her friends and family by choosing St. Olaf. Growing up Jewish in Princeton, there s a certain amount of cultural pressure to go to a school with a strong Jewish identity, like Brandeis, or to at least stay in the East. There s also an Ivy or die mentality, as if that was the only measure of success. Her college criteria included easy access to a city, a small campus community, approachable professors, and strong social sciences. St. Olaf checked all of the boxes. Community is important to Martine. As a first-year student in the Great Conversation, she found both intellectual challenges and a strong cohort of friends. This is a thoroughly collaborative place, she observes. The campus culture is very affirming. As a leader in both the Jewish Student Organization and the Interfaith Coalition a group that includes a diverse range of students from the world s major religions Martine has taken ownership of her religious identity. Religion here is as much a source of deep intellectual growth as it is a particular set of beliefs, she says. Sometimes I get a little frustrated when people don t know very much about my faith or when little attention is paid to Jewish holidays and observances, but that s balanced by being part of the Interfaith Coalition, where everyone shares the conviction that all religions are worth taking seriously. People here usually don t get my Yiddish jokes, she says with a laugh, but the bigger difference is living with Midwesterners. Sometimes that cultural divide is wider than religion. 3

5 ANDREW ATWOOD JUNIOR CORVALLIS, OREGON VOCAL MUSIC EDUCATION MAJOR COMMITTED TEAMMATE Andrew Atwood has a very clear recollection of why he chose St. Olaf: he wanted to continue competitive swimming, sing in a choir, and pursue a degree in music. During his college search, he asked every school about the possibility of participating in varsity swimming and choir. The usual answer was No, you can t do both, until he visited St. Olaf. It takes a lot of coordination, he says, but at St. Olaf it s not unusual for people to be in a choir or orchestra and still play a varsity sport. Coaches and conductors are all aware of the other commitments, and everyone bends a little to make it work. In terms of coursework, vocal music education is almost a double major. In some ways it is less stressful than two unconnected majors, because so many of my courses are required, he says. The real benefit is that I work closely with lots of great faculty. It s the swim team that provides the strongest community for Andrew. After morning and afternoon practices, the team men and women often eat together and unwind. They have a team culture of strong academic performance, and have claimed a spot in the library where they study together. There s a faint scent of chlorine in the air. Even though his future will be teaching and conducting music, Andrew is grateful for the chance to prolong his swimming career. Leaving high school, I felt I could still improve. I really appreciate being at a college where I didn t have to give up one of my passions. Andrew Atwood (center) photographed in professor David Castro s music theory class in Christiansen Hall of Music. 4

6 JIAYUN HAO RESEARCHER AND PIANIST SOPHOMORE SHENYANG, CHINA MUSIC AND CHEMISTRY MAJORS Jiayun Hao (far right) in the lab for Structural Chemistry and Equilibrium. Jiayun Hao s eventual goal is to become a physician, but her path through college is equal parts science and music. Jiayun has studied the piano since childhood. She went to high school in Montana, where her music teacher taught many pieces from the St. Olaf Choral Series, so the St. Olaf music program had a strong appeal. She spent her first week on campus piano hunting. With a grand piano in every residence hall and several dozen more in practice rooms in the music buildings, there are plenty to choose from. Jiayun was looking for a keyboard with stiff keys and a mellow sound. She found an 1898 Steinway in a Christiansen Hall practice room. I really am more of a science person, and it comes out in the structure of my playing. It tends to be very precise, she says. [Piano instructor] Professor Atzinger is a perfect fit. I love working with him. He doesn t waste his words, and he gives me very clear direction. Studying piano and being part of the Manitou Singers were among the music attractions, but what made Jiayun choose St. Olaf was Regents Hall of Natural and Mathematical Sciences and the opportunities to do research with faculty members. Even as a first-year student you can approach faculty members about getting involved in their research programs, she says. 5

7 AMADOU GUEYE INTERNATIONAL ATHLETE SENIOR MEUDON LA FORET, FRANCE MATHEMATICS AND PHYSICS MAJORS As a high school student in a suburb of Paris, Amadou Gueye earned the support of the Elite Athletes Agency, an organization dedicated to matching young athletes with academically challenging colleges. He left urban Paris for the calm of Northfield. The first thing I noticed is that people here smile a lot, he remembers. They say hello. They are happy. That makes it a nice place to be. Today, Amadou plays on the most international varsity soccer team in St. Olaf s history. Teammates come from around the world, bringing many styles of play to a shared passion for fútbol. The team is one of the close-knit communities to which Amadou belongs. He is also connected to the nearly 250 international students on campus, as well as the math and physics group he studied number theory with during St. Olaf s program in Hungary. Budapest was really intense, he says. I learned entirely new relationships between numbers, new ways to look for patterns and decipher codes. It was really fun. It was also fun to be able to wander through Budapest to find places in which to watch European soccer matches in real time. What surprises Amadou most about St. Olaf is the close relationships that develop between faculty and students. I didn t expect professors to take such a genuine interest in us. They make time available to help when we have questions. They ll do almost anything to make sure we are learning what we should. And the soccer coaches are like that, too. Great people. Amadou Gueye (center) on the soccer practice field with other international students of the 2015 men s varsity soccer team, just before competing in the round of 16 in the NCAA Division III Men s National Soccer Tournament. Left to right: Claudio Barboza (Venezuela), Danny Zalk (Norway), Brenden Johnson (Switzerland), Brandon Phan (Vietnam), Carlos Torres (Mexico), and Rammah Shandaq (Yemen). 6

8 ANNIE MALCOM LEARNING TO TEACH SENIOR EDINA, MINNESOTA MATHEMATICS AND SPANISH MAJORS EDUCATIONAL STUDIES CONCENTRATION In another couple of years, Annie Malcom will be a bilingual math teacher. The double major and the teacher licensure track make for a tight academic schedule, but still left time to spend the spring semester of her junior year in Seville, Spain. My Spanish is pretty good, she says, but I chose the program in Seville because it includes a home stay that really improved my fluency. There is a strong camaraderie among the education majors. They bond over demanding field experiences in local schools. Working in the schools is really an apprenticeship that provides real-world experience in the work I want to do, Annie says. I ve been in math classes at all levels elementary, middle school, and high school. The demands on teachers are so different across those age groups. It s very useful to see firsthand. Aside from learning to teach, if you ask what she finds most satisfying, it is the choir. I love singing with Cantorei, she says. Most of us aren t music majors, but three afternoons each week we get to be part of this amazing St. Olaf music program. After a full day of classes, to be able to take an hour and just sing is a great stress reliever. A highlight of the musical year is the annual St. Olaf Christmas Festival. Christmas Fest comes at a crazy busy time of the year, but to be part of a tradition that means so much to so many people is awesome. Annie Malcom photographed during a rehearsal of Cantorei in the choir room in Christiansen Hall of Music, with music professor James Bobb (left) conducting. 7

9 ANDERS HANSEN REDEFINING A LEGACY JUNIOR MCFARLAND, WISCONSIN MATHEMATICS MAJOR When Anders Hansen began his college search, he quickly crossed St. Olaf off the list. So many of my family members have attended St. Olaf, including both of my parents and two older siblings, so I was determined to go anywhere but here. After much cajoling, he agreed to a campus visit and discovered albeit grudgingly that St. Olaf was the ideal college for him. I loved the discussion-based, interactive learning environment and the warmth and friendliness of the professors and students, which convinced me I could fit in and forge my own path, Anders says. Once he finally admitted to his parents that St. Olaf was the one, he signed on to become the 37th Ole in his extended family to attend the college. St. Olaf s philosophy of giving students ample time to explore wideranging academic interests before settling on a major course of study was perfect for him. He took courses across the liberal arts in political science, economics, Russian, and religion before choosing a mathematics major. Anders interests extend beyond the classroom to include singing tenor in Cantorei (one of the college s eight choirs), playing intramural sports, and working as an admissions fellow. Anders studied at the Oslo International Summer School in Norway, engaging in intercultural conversations with classmates from around the world, and he s looking forward to further developing his mathematics skills in Hungary on the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program. St. Olaf challenges and pushes you to explore varied perspectives and ideas, to think critically, and to write well, Anders says. Every experience I have here is preparing me for whatever I choose to do in the future. That s the beauty of a St. Olaf education. During their final week on campus, tradition holds that members of the senior class venture into the attic of Old Main, where the soon-to-be graduates can chalk their signatures on the walls. Even though he s not yet a senior, Anders Hansen the 37th Ole in his family fits right in. 8

10 EMMA LIND STUDENT LEADER SENIOR WEST DES MOINES, IOWA PSYCHOLOGY MAJOR AND A SELF-DESIGNED MAJOR IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS THROUGH THE CENTER FOR INTEGRATIVE STUDIES When it was time to declare a major at the end of her sophomore year, Emma Lind reviewed the courses she found most intriguing. They clustered in sociology/anthropology, psychology, and political science. Psychology was her primary interest, but the combination of courses added up to more than a single major. Tony Lott s International Relations course really helped me focus my interests in humanitarian issues, she recalls. The CIS major works really well when you follow a topic across several disciplines. Emma s study abroad programs have directly supported her long-term goals: an Interim program in Spain to strengthen her language skills, an International Politics course at the Oslo Summer School to gain perspective on global issues, and an Interim in Cuba for a close look at an evolving example of international relations. The course in Norway was similar to studying International Relations on campus, but the tone was quite different. I wanted to be challenged by different points of view, and this gave me a good taste of what life as a diplomat might be like. Emma s extracurriculars connect her to lots of different people. She sings in Chapel Choir and is the Student Government Association president, and she has served on the Student Activities Committee and in the Student Senate as the Inter-campus Liaison with Carleton College. There are so many people here who were the best at whatever they did in high school, or who spent those years really deeply immersed in something, she says. They get to St. Olaf and find there are lots of people just like them, and it makes a really interesting community of people who challenge and support each other. Emma Lind (right) with her friend Lauren Lussenhop in the Student Government Association office in Buntrock Commons. 9

11 JOSEFINE BREKKE SHAPING HER FUTURE SENIOR OSLO, NORWAY POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES CONCENTRATION Throughout her college search, Josefine Brekke 17 focused on schools in the Big Ten Conference. When she visited St. Olaf, though, something was different. It came down to the vibe I got when I first visited, Brekke explains. I fell in love with the campus, the people, the whole community. Olaf felt like a place I could call home. Brekke grew up in Norway and attended high school in New York. Transitioning from one place to another has been a part of her life, and St. Olaf has been such an incredible fit, she says. Moving to a new place was a challenge, but I knew I could make this new place feel like home. Part of what has made St. Olaf a great fit for Brekke is the opportunity that it s provided for her to become involved with athletics while still enjoying a fulfilling academic experience. In addition to majoring in political science and concentrating in Middle Eastern studies and management studies, Brekke is a cross country and track and field athlete. She says that being in a sport is tough, but it s honestly so fun. I think doing athletics at St. Olaf really does shape your experience here. The friendships she s made on the team are especially important for Brekke, who can t visit her family in Norway often. I think my favorite memory of St. Olaf has been coming back from my term in the Middle East and realizing how much I appreciate those friends and how they ve become family, she says. This past summer, Brekke interned at a startup in the music business in Los Angeles. I expected to make photocopies for five weeks, but I didn t I actually became an asset for the company, she says. Brekke has spent time in Norway, Portugal, New York, Los Angeles, and the Middle East but at the end of the day, St. Olaf is a place where I have really felt at home, she says. Josefine Brekke on the St. Olaf track. 10

12 STUART YURCZYK SHARING IDEAS SENIOR ISANTI, MINNESOTA BIOLOGY AND ART MAJORS Stuart Yurczyk (left) photographed with art professor John Saurer in the Shoger Printmaking Studio in Dittmann Center. Art is my antidote to chemistry, says Stuart Yurczyk with a laugh. We all need creative outlets. Photography and printmaking fill that need for me. Art and science double-majors such as music and physics or, like Stuart s, art and biology draw on complementary skills. They also offer similar opportunities for studentfaculty collaboration and mentorship. The majors and the faculty in the Art Department are very close, says Stuart. People spend a lot of time in the studios, which provides all kinds of ways to work together, critique each others work, and share ideas. Studio art involves lots of problemsolving. Biology and chemistry labs are like that, too. The double-major is Stuart s way of building a broad skill set. His long-term goal is to have a science-based career, perhaps in environmental consulting. A variety of courses have given him exposure to Geographic Information Systems, remote sensing, and other tools for understanding the environment. I didn t get a deep science background in high school, so a lot of it is new to me. My first chemistry course was a killer, but there was a lot of opportunity to work with my professor. That s true across the board: St. Olaf faculty are all really accessible. As a member of the Interhall Council, Stuart also builds his portfolio of artistic skills by creating posters for campus events. Every poster is a project with great creative possibilities, plus it s really fun to have people 11

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