Get to Know a Gustie: Ava Goepfert ’14 Posted on March 13th, 2019 by

Current Company/Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College

Job Title: Visiting Instructor of Communication Studies

Grad Year: 2014

Major: Honors Communication Studies and History

Hometown: Fairbanks, AK

Current City: St. Paul, MN

What is your first Gustavus memory?

Wouldn’t everyone’s be the feeling they had when they stepped on campus? It felt like home.

What was your favorite class and/or professor and why?

Contemporary Rhetoric with Pam Conners, an upper-level course that included like-minded students ready to dive deep into the complicated questions of rhetoric. We built a culture of rigorous inquiry and I wrote some of the best papers I’ve written in that class with the help of Pam and my classmates (and used them to apply to graduate school!).

What do you miss most about your time as a student?

Being a current faculty member at Gustavus, every day I’m wistful about my time at Gustavus. This week, it was when I went to get lunch in the Caf. I looked out at all of the students eating, trying their best to study, but clearly enjoying their time with friends and happily conversing at overflowing tables filled with Gusties. I thought to myself how lucky we were in college to have the privilege to eat with our friends during every meal, every day!

What brought you to campus the last time you visited?

Teaching my classes, watching my students learn and helping me learn!

How has your Gustavus experience most impacted your life beyond the Hill?

Gustavus was an incubator for lifelong friendships and a curiosity to critically engage with the world around me. The connection I developed with people on the Hill has impacted the last five years in immeasurable ways. Through fellow Gusties I was able to get a job, find a partner, and travel around the world. Through my classes, I am able to ask questions and learn how to engage with the community I live in.

What do you most enjoy about being a Gustie alum?

Being able to come back, connect, and continue being a lifelong student.

 

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