Love of Ripon area’s beauty sparks sociology/anthropology major

Transferring to a new school was always the plan for Chase Zajac-Elsbecker ’11 of Pulaski, Wisconsin. He spent his first two years at Rock Valley College in Rockford, Illinois, his local community college, before deciding to transfer to Ripon College.

“I chose to transfer to Ripon because my family has been vacationing in Green Lake since I was little, and I always told people I wanted to go to Ripon College,” he explains. “After visiting Ripon College during Wisconsin Private College Week, I fell in love with the campus and felt like it would be a perfect fit for me. I went to a small private high school, so I liked the small class sizes at Ripon.”

Because he was from an out-of-state community college, some of Zajac-Elsbecker’s credits did not transfer to Ripon College, but the majority of them did. “The transfer process was super-simple,” he says. “I got in just a week before classes started. It was just a matter of applying, finding out I was accepted and submitting my transcript to see which of my credits would transfer.”

He ended up spending four years on the campus and really settled in after switching rooms to Scott Hall and living with a group of freshmen there.

“We got to be really good friends,” he says. “Even though I was a transfer student, I still considered myself basically a freshman. Once I moved into Scott and met the guys on my floor, it was wonderful.

“I made lifelong friends and met my wife, Robyn Lynn Zajac-Elsbecker ’11, at Ripon College. The classes were challenging and exciting, and I got to study a range of subjects — some of which I don’t think I would have gotten to study on other campuses.”

At Ripon, Zajac-Elsbecker double-majored in sociology and anthropology, with a minor in history. He says he is glad to have received his degree and knowledge from all his various courses from Ripon.

A fraternity brother facilitated his entry into his current job, where he works as a lead customer service representative in the front office of All City Communications in Green Bay, Wisconsin.