Catalyst
Haley Pesik ‘19, Computer Science and Mathematics
Haley Pesik has been interested in math and science for most of her life. She says that “when I was little… math came very easily to me”. Haley’s dad is an aerospace engineer, and he “would always tell me about rockets, and just a lot about math”. She found what her dad was telling her […]
Ben Madigan ‘19, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Ben Madigan first became interested in science when he was in high school. He says that “we had a pretty strong program at my high school” that helped spark his interest in science, and thinks that “I just enjoyed it naturally from the start”. Ben is not sure what his exact future career will be, […]
Brendan Hermerding ‘19, Chemistry
Brendan Hermerding’s interest in science has been “a lifelong journey”. Throughout his time in school he enjoyed his science classes. Brendan’s interest in science became even more important in middle school, and in sixth grade his favorite class was physical science. Once he started high school, he took upper level science courses that “got me […]
Savannah Maynard ‘18, Biology
Savannah has always always been interested in science, and she has known that she wanted to go into medicine since she was little. She says that while others used to say “I want to be a ballerina,” or “I want to be a fairy,” she has always said “I want to be a doctor”. Savannah […]
Ben Rorem ‘19, Physics
Ben Rorem became interested in math and science for many different reasons. His father was also a Physics major at Gustavus, and went on to become an emergency room physician. From his interactions with and proximity to his dad, Ben developed an interest in science and math. His affinity for these subjects was supported in […]
Benjamin Easter ‘19, Chemistry
Benjamin Easter’s interest in science is rooted in his inquisitive nature. For example, he would wonder why leaves fall, and found that the answers he searched for were scientific. Benjamin believes that by asking questions he developed a habit of seeking knowledge, and ultimately learning more. Science became a way of “finding this web of […]
Chloe Shaw ’19, Environmental Studies
Chloe Shaw first became interested in science when she took an AP Biology class in high school. Her teacher guided her to a new understanding of vocation and the numerous paths one can take in science. Through this class, Chloe’s eyes were opened to statistical, Global Imaging System, and “large” biology work. “That’s more my […]
Leah Johnson ’18, Biology
Growing up, Leah Johnson had a wide variety of interests. However, she didn’t find her true scientific interest until taking biology and chemistry in high school. “I realized how much I enjoyed learning about how living systems function,” she reflected. From there, science classes at Gustavus “helped me to solidify and narrow down my scientific […]
Alex Jeon ‘19, Biology
Alex first became interested in science when he was around six years of age and living in South Korea. Alex’s parents had a collection of biological, organismal, and animal documentaries, the “Nature” equivalent of Korea, and Alex would watch these films over and over again. Fascinated with the processes of life they described, he was […]
Charlie Barnhouse ‘19, Biology and Music
Charlie Barnhouse has always been a curious person. His interest in science has grown out of his naturally curious personality. Finding ways of explaining how things work fascinates him, and he believes that this has been influential in his personal growth. He referenced the mechanisms behind life, in that we know that it works, but […]