Kat-Jean Glusick
Graduation year: 2026
High school: Bloomington High School
Hometown: Bloomington, Ill.
Majors: English; women, gender, and sexuality studies
Minors: Psychology; Scandinavian studies
Activities: Augustana Symphony Orchestra
Internships: Augustana's Swenson Swedish Immigration Research Center; Augustana's Thomas Tredway Library
Post-grad plans: Become the world's most famous archivist or something of the sort.
Why Augustana?
I very much enjoyed the environment of Augustana. I felt drawn to the old buildings with interesting architecture and the nature surrounding them. Clearly the campus had a meaningful history, and I wanted to explore it.
Are you where you thought you'd be when you first came to campus?
Not really? I never knew what I wanted to do once I grew up, and I had a strange notion that my majors and minors in college should be constrained to whatever I intended to do for my professional career. I really just knew that I did not want to do the same thing for the rest of my life so I did not want to settle on just one area of scholarship.
Who helped you get to where you are now?
I have had help from so many people. The CORE office has been extremely helpful in helping me prepare for my future, not just my now. The staff are all super friendly and always willing to help in whatever way they can!
The librarians and archivists on campus have also been incredibly accommodating in helping me pursue my dream of becoming an archivist.
Each day I have been taught how to present my work to my utmost capability. I would not be where I am today without the through and continual help from others at Augustana.
Peak experience?
I reached out to the president of the American Library Association for a CORE assignment, and I actually got to meet and talk to them. They were super cool and came to campus a few months later.
What surprised you?
The number of Augustana alumni who returned to work for the college was really surprising to me. Not only had these professors or staff members been students before us, they had also studied in the same classrooms and buildings as we do.
What will you miss the most?
Hanging out with my friends in The Brew!
Advice for the Class of 2030?
Ask lotsa questions!
"Kat-Jean's instinct for transforming seeds of research into fully fledged projects is phenomenal. Kat embodies what many of us hope to see in a student — they are curious, driven and compassionate. They took full advantage of their opportunities: internships in recovering hidden narratives in the Swenson Center and Special Collections; a Senior Inquiry celebrating queer joy at Augustana; and an archival directed study researching TPQC. The ALA president visited Augustana specifically to see their projects! Kat-Jean beautifully highlights the magic that happens when students are engaged, passionate and driven."