Mack Christianson '21

Your Name: Mack Christianson

Graduation Year: 2021

Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics

Your Story: My name is Mack Christianson, and I came to GAC to study Biochemistry
while also being able to be a rounded college student athlete. GAC was the perfect
size campus that allowed me to have connections with my peers and professors.
GAC also being a DIII athletic program allowed to continue to swim while getting my
education. I was primarily thinking about pharmacy school and medical school for
my post-graduate studying. I choose medicine as it seemed to fit with the type of
interactions and job criteria I wanted to have later in my life.

I was able to have an amazing experience during the January Interim Pre-Health Career Exploration at 
Rivers Edge Hopsital and Clinic. That further opened my eyes into medicine and made me 
think about what specialty I would want to do. Being able to shadow in a smaller
town clinic compared to the suburbs I grew up in helped me realize that I wanted to
eventually practice in a rural area and find a program that would help me achieve
my goals.

At Gustavus I was able to study and swim while also being involved in the
GAC Flyfishing Club for four years. I was also nominated to be a captain my junior and
senior years for swimming and I was able to serve on the Student Athlete Advisory
Committee (SAAC) to help make decisions about various athletic issues. Much of my
other free time during my undergraduate years involved spending time outdoors
hunting and fishing as those are two of my other passions. Gustavus allowed me support to grow myself in many ways while making connections with peers and
professors that will last many years.

Top Five Activities/Experiences: (in no particular order)
1. Gustavus Swim Team
2. January Interim Pre-Health Career Exploration at the Rivers Edge Hospital and Clinic
3. GAC Fly Fishing Club
4. Volunteering at Prescott Food Pantry
5. Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)

Advice:
1. Volunteer: Get started with volunteer and clinical experiences early and often. It
helps to know what you like and don’t like and to start building an hour base. Find
something you like to do and isn’t just volunteering for the sake of volunteering.

2. Passions: Find your best way to relax and things you’re passionate about and
lean into those things deeply. Being able to be your true self will allow to enjoy more
of your life and will make you stand out more when you later apply for school or
jobs.

3. Marathon not a sprint: The path is long and takes a lot of dedication and time.
The best thing to remember is though each step is important it is part of a series
that all make up your journey. Constantly slowly trying to improve yourself is a
much better option than trying to drastically alter what you have been doing.

Future Plans:
I will be attending MCW-Central WI, starting Summer/Fall 2022. I currently plan on
going into pediatrics with a rural care focus.