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Third time's a charm

By James Daly '13
May 10, 2011

Shortly after Gabe Rysdahl '11 arrived at St. Olaf, he began looking for a volunteer opportunity that would allow him to devote his time to helping a single individual. He found Project Friendship, an organization that matches Northfield youth with mentors from St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges.

Rysdahl got along great with the first mentee he was paired with, but that child moved to California. His second mentee, too, ended up leaving the program for reasons outside of Rysdahl's control. When it came to his third mentee, Rysdahl was really hoping they would be able to form a "lasting friendship."

It turns out the third time was the charm.

For the last three years, Rysdahl has been mentoring a young student that he likens to a little brother. They meet each week to play soccer, chess, and skateboard in Northfield. "By investing time into getting to know my mentee, I have found the possibilities for activities to be limitless," says Rysdahl. His goal with his mentee is simple: to help in any way and share any wisdom he can.

Others have taken notice of Rysdahl's commitment to his mentee and the program. Earlier this year he was recognized with a "Making a Difference Award" from the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative.

"Gabe has been a faithful mentor for his buddy," says Kathy Lansing, community director of Project Friendship. Lansing nominated Rysdahl for his dedication to mentoring Northfield youth and for spreading the word about Project Friendship on the St. Olaf campus. For Rysdahl, this mentoring experience turned out to be exactly what he wanted in a volunteer opportunity. "Every hour you put into it is directly into your relationship with the student," he says.

In addition to his work with Project Friendship, Rysdahl partakes in a variety of activities on the Hill. He acts in theatre productions, participates in Fellowship of Christian Oles, manages his virtual-tour company CircaVista, and runs a nonprofit he helped found called “No Child Left Unsupplied” that organizes school-supply drives.

After graduating, Rysdahl plans to split his time between working at Thrivent Financial as a social entrepreneur fellow and managing CircaVista. As Rysdahl's mentoring with Project Friendship comes to a close, he can say confidently that his mentee has given a perspective on life that is often lost in the busyness of a college student's life. "My mentee teaches me to relax and not take life too seriously," he says. "He is a great reminder of what life is really all about — relationships and treasuring others."

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.