Learning for Life @ Gustavus Gustavus Adolphus College

Jillian Hiscock, Gustavus class of 2005 and owner of the newly-opened (as of March 2024) A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis, the only bar in Minnesota devoted entirely to women’s athletics, speaks about her background and path to Gustavus; some of her formative experiences there, including a philosophy course on schools and society; her work in college admission and then for two nonprofits dedicated to helping young people from underserved communities succeed in college and careers; originating and opening the acclaimed A Bar of Their Own without any prior business experience; her vision for the bar; and a one-word post-it note from her dad years ago that in its own way says much about her and how she approaches life and learning.

150 episodes and counting!  For this 150th unique episode of the podcast, Greg speaks with special guest Marcia Page, Gustavus Class of ‘82 and Chair of the Board of Trustees, about growing up in Olivia, MN, where her dad was a pharmacist and drugstore owner; what she learned at a young age from both her parents; her path from Olivia to Gustavus; her expectation of becoming a pharmacist and how and why that plan changed; memorable experiences at her alma mater; the turning points, relationships, serendipity, and entrepreneurialism that led to her co-founding Värde Partners in 1993, “a leading global alternative investment firm” with 13 billion dollars in assets; her founding of MPowered Capital in 2021, an investment firm committed to diversity in the industry; her work on the Gustavus Board; and her aspirations for Gustavus in the years ahead.

Dr. John Cha, faculty member in the Department of Religion and Japanese Studies program at Gustavus, talks about the challenges and impact of growing up Asian-American on Chicago's South Side and in Quincy, Illinois; the influence in his teen years of Huey Newton and Bruce Lee; his academic path to philosophy and religion; being hired by Gustavus; understanding and teaching phenomenology; his comparative research on the 20th-century French phenomenologist Michel Henry and the 8th-century Indian philosopher Śaṅkara; teaching students about non-Western religions; and why learning about religion in general is important.

Sarah Calhoon Cuthill, ’85, on her path to Gustavus from the south Chicago suburbs; her love of music and fascination with France and international relations; studying abroad in high school and college; majoring in international economics; the twists and turns of her career path, eventually leading to her partnership status with Deloitte Global; her varied leadership work with the firm over the years; her case for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; her membership on the Gustavus Board; and what makes Gustavus extraordinary.

Communication Studies major Abigail (Abby) Vizenor, ’25, talks about her background and path to Gustavus; a memorable January Term in St. Maarten; interning for CADA, Inc., which supports survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence; her research and articles about the myth of "false reporting" and, most recently, teen dating violence; her enjoyment of Hamilton the musical and interest in sports photography; and her pitch for Gustavus.  Bonus: Her spoken word rendition of a number from Hamilton.

Gustavus students Ainsley Langerud, ’24, and Alex Dillon, ’25, co-chairs of this year’s annual student-run Building Bridges (BB) Conference at the College on Saturday March 2, 2024, talk about their backgrounds and paths to Gustavus, the conference’s focus on childhood poverty, the work and rewards of planning BB and (without giving too much away) what attendees can expect, and their cases for majoring in History and Geography respectively. Tickets to the conference are required and free for students and the public, except for the separate luncheon tickets, and can be obtained here: https://gustavus.edu/diversity/buildingbridges/