Three students share the different paths they have taken in completing their Linfield journey – through study abroad, internships and athletics

Gladow, Joseph, \u2714

Lasher, Erin, \u2714

Linfield Magazine Staff

Priester, Jacob, \u2714

English

DigitalCommons@Linfield

Linfield Magazine Volume 10 Number 3 Winter 2014 Article 9 Winter 2014 Three Students, Three Paths Joseph Gladow '14 Linfield College Erin Lasher '14 Linfield College Jacob Priester '14 Linfield College Linfield Magazine Staff Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine Recommended Citation Gladow, Joseph '14; Lasher, Erin '14; Priester, Jacob '14; and Linfield Magazine Staff (2014) "Three Students, Three Paths," Linfield Magazine: Vol. 10 : No. 3 , Article 9. Available at: https://digitalcommons.linfield.edu/linfield_magazine/vol10/iss3/9 This article is brought to you for free via open access, courtesy of DigitalCommons@Linfield. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@linfield.edu. 1 8  -  l i n f i e l d  m a g a z i n e  Winter 2014 Winter 2014 l i n f i e l d  m a g a z i n e  -  1 9Three students, three pathsThree different paths taken. Three different experiences. Three different outcomes. For Joe Gladow ’14, two internships through a national program opened doors and helped develop his future goals. For Erin Lasher ’14, a semester abroad led to self-discovery. For Jacob Priester ’14, the values he learned through football have allowed him to excel on the field, in the classroom and in the theatre. These students shared their experience with members of the Board of Trustees and major donors at the President’s Circle dinner on campus in November. Their common thread is Linfield and the power not just of a small college, but the broad experience of the liberal arts. These are just three brief stories. There are at least 2,527 more. Kemper Scholar I have had a variety of experiences at Linfield.  I’ve taken classes in multiple disciplines, run cross country and  track for three years, and spent a semester abroad in Quito, Ecuador.  Linfield is one of the 14 liberal arts colleges across the country in the Kemper Scholars program. I was fortunate to be selected as a Kemper Scholar, which allowed me to complete two internships: one at the mayor’s office in  Chicago and one at DHM Research, a public opinion research firm in Portland.   At the Chicago mayor’s office, I worked in a “think tank” with 25 graduate students. We worked in groups and were assigned to research potential new programs and policies for the city. My second day on the job, I was assigned to develop a program to attract better teachers to Chicago Public Schools. The four people I worked with were all in master’s programs or pursuing law degrees from Harvard, Princeton, University of Michigan and the University of Chicago.I was pretty intimidated and I didn’t say a whole lot that first meeting. Yet, as time went on and I developed more confidence, I began to contribute more to the meetings and a fair share of my ideas ended up in the final projects. Over the course of 10 weeks I developed more confidence in my ability to interact with people who are older and have more experience, and to use my skills and insights to contribute to group projects. These experiences have given me the confidence to interact with professionals and effectively use the abilities I’ve developed at Linfield to contribute to an organization. Before my internships, I had no idea what I wanted to do.  Now I am considering careers in public policy or political consulting. I am thankful to Linfield for providing me access to these experiences and for giving me the education and skills that have allowed me to take full advantage of each one. Joe Gladow ’14International relations major14-0027 Winter magazine_2014.indd  18 2/13/14  2:22 PM1 8  -  l i n f i e l d  m a g a z i n e  Winter 2014 Winter 2014 l i n f i e l d  m a g a z i n e  -  1 9Values will define future My time at Linfield has been defined through my experiences with the Linfield College football program. The four pillars our team is built on are: team, excellence, attitude and class – values that have become part of my life on and off  the field. On the field, the program trained me to play football with integrity and great effort. Outside of football, the team gave me the work ethic and accountability to excel as a biology major and theatre and chemistry double minor. I can accomplish what is sometimes a daunting schedule because of the sense of routine and focus I learned from my coaches. These ideals pushed me to apply for a Fulbright grant to continue the cancer research that I began with Professor Anne Kruchten.  I also applied that work ethic to my theatrical studies. When I was cast in the play, West Moon Street, I had to learn how to speak the dialect of a British noble – which was completely unfamiliar. However, because of the principles I learned from football, I was able to spend an hour a day for a month and a half listening to tapes until I was comfortable with my portrayal of the accent.   Most important, the football team taught me how to be a better man. Coach Joseph Smith ’93 reminds us that life after football will be filled with challenges such as raising a family, paying bills and climbing the employment ladder.  Because of the football team, I am prepared to face these challenges and succeed. Without the Wildcat culture, my future would be much more uncertain. This team has given me the greatest educational experience that I could have because it taught me how to lead a good life as a good man.Jacob Priester ’14Biology majorAt Linfield, I dove headfirst into opportunities, whether academic, professional or extracurricular. I am a student ambassador for the admission office and began an internship there in January.  I joined Phi Sigma Sigma sorority as a  freshman and served as philanthropy chair, scholarship chair and president. These positions have been incredibly fulfilling. But it was my study abroad semester  in Oslo, Norway, that I dearly treasure. I will never forget thinking when the plane landed in Oslo after nearly 24 hours of travel, “Wow. I made it here all by myself. Can I go home now?”  I had been a tour guide at Linfield, promoting studying abroad, and full of stories about the wonderful experiences Linfield students have around the globe. Now, I am one of these students with my own stories to tell, my knowledge to share and my footprint to leave.  The things I learned in Norway are immeasurable. Practical things like how to navigate a big city, buy a bus pass and translate Norwegian to English (no easy feat). But I learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. My European culture course was engaging and taught by some wonderful professors from different fields of study. Laura Breshock ’14 and I were the only native English speakers in the class -- something we had never experienced.  I gained knowledge that allowed me to realize just how vast the world is, and how I want to experience every part of it.  In Norway I learned independence, problem-solving skills, communication, and above all, I recognized my love for learning new things.  My college experience has been everything I wanted it to be and my semester in Norway made for a life-changing journey. I left half of my heart in Norway, and I plan to return as soon as possible. Linfield fully prepared me for this experience, and come graduation, I will be ready for whatever comes my way. Erin Lasher ’14Communication arts majorTransformational experience14-0027 Winter magazine_2014.indd  19 2/13/14  2:22 PM

Three Students, Three Paths

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Three Students, Three Paths

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