Lachen Reid ’24Religion Major
Posted on May 5th, 2023 by

“I think the Religion department and its professors are cognizant of the modern day requirements for humanities-based professions and create courses geared towards preparing students for life beyond college.”

Coming to Gustavus partially for the seminar-style classes, Lachen has greatly appreciated the classroom environment that he has found within the Religion Department. He says, “Classes can be very student-directed and professors see value in creating spaces for open dialogue, not just traditional textbook-based learning.”

He chose to major in religion due to an interest in understanding the principles that guide other people’s lives, and being able to incorporate some of those principles into his own life.

He especially enjoyed his Buddhist Philosophy course, in which students were able to participate in daily meditation practices while learning about Buddhist world views. He was also able to continue this learning of Buddhism during a study abroad trip to India. During this experience, he was able to gain a firsthand perspective of Buddhist lifestyles and practices. He was able to bring this knowledge back to the Religion Department at Gustavus, saying, “Upon my return, many professors were interested in learning more about my experiences and about various aspects of Tibetan culture and how Buddhism functions in the culture.”

The faculty within the Religion Department has been an especially valuable factor for Lachen during his time at Gustavus. His favorite professor within the department has been Professor John Cha. He enjoys Professor Cha’s tendency to emphasize class input and collaboration, while also sharing engaging lecture material. Lachen describes him as very passionate about the material that he teaches, always encouraging reading outside of class. Lachen says, “His love of the course material and joy of teaching makes his class and office hours engaging, inspiring, and have had an incredibly positive effect on my experience at Gustavus.”

As a whole, Lachen feels the the curriculum within the Religion Department is focused on cultivating a diverse skill set that can be applied to any profession by assigning a variety of different styles of assignments and course material.

Outside of academics, Lachen is also involved as a strength and conditioning coach for the men’s soccer and hockey teams where he has been able to incorporate mindfulness practices from his religion courses.

 

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