Living all the way on the other side of the planet, I always contemplated what college in the
United States was going to be like for me. I imagined the beautiful buildings and parks as I had
seen them in the brochures: would be they be antique and cozy or modern and sleek? I
imagined being in class, in front of my professors, listening intently as they told stories about
their vibrant lives. I imagined all the cool, fascinating people I’d meet and all the lifelong
relationships I’d form. When it came to imagining my career however, the pictures weren’t as
clear.
A true musician always dreams of a career, a lifestyle, a life centered on his passion, a life in
which he can wake up in the morning with the thirst to create, innovate and inspire. I, however,
was lost in the sea of possibility that college offered. My friends and family would reassure me:
“A lot of people go to college not knowing exactly what they want to do. That’s what the first two
years are for — figuring out what you like and what you’re good at.” Knowing that I wasn’t alone
in my uncertainty ironically gave me more direction as I sailed into my freshman year at
Gustavus Adolphus College.
I chose to go to Gustavus because my parents and I agreed it would be a good landing spot for
me to get accustomed to living in America since the college was situated in a small town, and
was near where my family would be living.
My first two years at Gustavus were nothing short of amazing. I dove head first into the deep
trenches of Baldwin’s philosophy, opened my eyes to the differences between collectivist and
