Category: Alumni Highlights

What can you do with a History degree from Gustavus? The answers are varied and interesting! For example, Nadine Lysiak ’03, majored in Biology and History (with Honors) and went on to earn an MA and PhD in Marine Biology from Boston University (’07, ’09). Her studies led to an ongoing research and teaching career…

Since graduating from Gustavus with a History major in 2014, Katie Schlangen has gone from teaching English in Korea to traveling to the African nations of Mali and Togo in her current capacity as International Hospital and Clinic Program Coordinator for MATTER, a Twin-Cities based international NGO. As Katie notes, MATTER “is starting a movement…

What can you do with a Gustavus History major? Perhaps better to ask, is there anything you can’t do? Following graduation, Bradley Peterson, History Honors, ’98, worked for Anderson Consulting (now Accenture). He then went to law school at Hamline, receiving his JD in 2005. For a time he lobbied on behalf of the American…

Pastor Julie Smith offers more evidence that History majors are everywhere, in virtually every walk of life, even where and when you might least expect them. Following her graduation from Gustavus in 1994 with a double major in Religion and History, Julie attended Luther Seminary, and from there has held a series of pastorates in…

Following a post-graduation stint in Sweden as a tutor of English and semi-professional bandy player (Google it!), history major Wyatt Wenzel (Class of 2014) returned to Minnesota and embarked on a career with Minneapolis-based Traust Consulting. What could possibly be the relevance of majoring in history to consulting in the private sector? “A Gustavus History…

In 2007 Paul Anderson graduated from Gustavus with a B.A. in history and minors in studio art and Scandinavian studies. If you assume Paul then entered law school, graduate school, or teaching, or faced dismal employment prospects, you would be wrong. Over nine years he has had a varied and rewarding work experience, most recently…

At Gustavus, Allie Skjerven Boyd, Class of 2010, double-majored in Russian and history. Not long after graduating she was hired by Nestlé, the world’s largest food and beverage corporation, where she is currently a Customer Account Associate for the mega-company’s Target (as in the department store) Team. An unusual combination, humanities and business? Hardly. Allie’s…