By Hannah Bundrick
Junior Greta Christine Hanson fits the profile of a classic Ole as a flannel, coffee, and wool sock enthusiast. A busy college student balancing Cross Country and Track, as well as her double major of Russian Language and Political Science, Greta chooses comfort as her mantra.
How does she do it? “I try to use gaps in my schedule to get a little reading done so it isn’t such a big burden at night; I usually try to get to bed between 10 and 11 p.m., and I aim to get ahead on weekends,” Greta says. With practice every day, sleep is important for this athlete.
Despite all of her commitments she must balance, making time for running is what keeps her going. “I like being able to measure progress with quantifiable results and having a mental break to focus just on one thing. I also like pushing myself and seeing how hard I am able to push myself. I think a large part of the success of the team as a whole is the camaraderie, and I have made really great friendships being on the team,” she said.
Greta is a middle distance runner for the St. Olaf Women’s Track team, which placed second at the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) this year. “It is super exciting because we haven’t done that since 1997 and St. Thomas has won the past 14, so we expected their first place win; however, for us, 2nd place is pretty much the same thing as winning,” Greta said.
While most people will be spending spring break recharging and relaxing on the beach from the stress of midterms, Greta will be in Washington D.C. with 34 other Oles through a four day program called “DC Connections.” It is a networking trip through the Piper Center to meet and connect with alumni doing cool things in the DC area, which is perfect for Greta, who wants to work for the government in a field related to international policy or security.
“The first day we are meeting with alumni about volunteer service and nonprofit work in the U.S. Capital and meeting with people who work for the Library of Congress, and the second day we are going to the Pentagon and meeting with the Partnership for Public Service,” Greta said. In her free time, she hopes to explore the Spy Museum, fascinated by criminal espionage. “I am obsessed with crime shows. I think it is so interesting looking at criminals from a psychological standpoint.” Her favorite show? “Criminal minds. It offers a different perspective than a lot of other crime shows.”