Alison Rapp
Hometown: Milaca, MN
>> http://noiamacat.blogspot.com/ <<
Majors: Communication Studies and International Relations
Minor: Japanese
Why I chose Augsburg: My admissions counselor, Keith, was a dream. During my senior year, I started to harbor doubts about my ability to pay for college (any college), but Keith recognized my hard work and my potential at Augsburg, so he encouraged me to apply for the President's Scholarship, Augsburg's top financial award. I did, and got the scolarship. It was one of the best days of my life. His unwavering belief in me, a small-town, middle-class, first-generation college kid, inspired me. The scholarship (though I'm incredibly grateful for it) was secondary in my decision—Keith's encouragement, compassion, understanding, and kindness helped me realize that Augsburg, much more than anywhere else, was where I wanted to be.
Fun facts: I'm constantly eating. I often dream I have an Arcanine (all the cool kids know Arcanine is a Pokemon), and that I ride him to school. I'm also: a fierce LGBT-advocate, a good baker, afraid of worms and birds, obsessed with chocolate chip pancakes, and somewhat of a scholar on gender and sexuality in Japan. Fruits Basket rocks my world. I love video games, politics, chocolate, Japan, media and cultural studies, fashion, the color pink, gender studies, and zebra print.
Favorite video games: The Kingdom Hearts series, Perfect Dark, The Legend of Zelda series, Shadow of the Colossus, The World Ends With You, the Pokemon series, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Soul Calibur II, Okami, Ecco the Dolphin, Star Fox Adventures, Halo II, Goldeneye, and Mario Kart (64 and Wii).
What I do: Currently, I work as Admissions' Marketing Intern, the Communication Studies Departmental Assistant, and as a public speaking tutor. I'm a President's Scholar in the Honors Program (Pike House), and the President of Lambda Pi Eta (Omega Zeta chapter). In the past, I've served as the Day Student Government Chief of Staff, a columnist for the Echo, and as a research and data analyst for Shades of Yellow, a non-profit Hmong LGBT organization. I've also done extensive research on gender representation in Kabuki theater, archetypes of femininity in The Legend of Zelda, and traditional gender roles in manga.
Where I've been: I spent the summer of 2008 in Tokyo, Japan, studying at Sophia University. I was in class for four hours a day, and had about seven to eight hours of homework every night. It was intense, but I did a lot of neat things, including, but not limited to: eating a whole, purple squid, seeing a new Miyazaki film (Ponyo) in an Ikebukuro theater, meeting Rilakkuma (Relax Bear), and bathing stark-naked outside with strangers. I've also been to Colorado, Wyoming, New York, Michigan, and Illinois.
