“Every day working towards your degree is a privilege that you should take advantage of.”
Will Sarkinen has taken advantage of the neverending opportunities Gustavus provides to build meaningful relationships and experiences. This starts with his major, where he puts his passion for learning into the wide-ranging Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies program.
Will chose the PJCS major because of how interdisciplinary it is. Being able to take many different classes from a variety of departments made the major unique and personalized. In taking this wide range of courses, Will found that the lessons he learned extend beyond the classroom.
He cites a particularly influencing moment when he was working toward his Global Justice requirement in Environmental History with Professor David Obermiller. Will was confused when he received his first paper back, as it was marked up with some critiques he did not understand. He went directly to Obermiller, who took time to go through his feedback and teach Will valuable lessons that would help him become a better writer, reasoner, and overall student. The experience also taught him to better manage his time and put more thoughtful effort into everything he does.
Will has put these lessons to use, using his time outside the classroom to participate in extracurricular activities. Besides the Trapshooting Club, Ducks Unlimited, Academic Advisory committee, and Student-Athlete Advisory committee, Will most fondly recalls his time with the Gustavus swim program, where the men’s and women’s long, grueling practices paid off with many successes in the pool. As he celebrated with his teammates, sharing how proud they all were of the work they put in, he realized how much he’d learned about dedication and focus from his major.
“[I’m] forever proud to be a Gustie,” Will said, “and will fondly remember [my] time in college as a student without any regrets about lost time.”