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![[COFFEE WITH CLARA] Ep. 6 Raven Glaser enjoys sports that decenter competition](https://www.rubiconline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/coffee-with-clara-cover-art-1200x686.png)
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3 Questions for Erik Olson
Keynote speaker Erik Olson talks to the Upper School about the environment and forming his identity.
April 26, 2017
Q: What was your time at SPA like? What were your favorite classes, activities?
A: I was on the Rubicon as well. My favorite classes were the sciences as well as Russian, a language course that SPA taught way back when.
Q: How did your SPA experience prepare you for your adult life?
A: As I mentioned I loved the sciences, particularly Chemistry which I majored in in college. I went to college thinking I was going to be a doctor and then later got a Rhodes Scholarship to go to Moscow. So I thought why not continue Russian, which I had learned to love during high school. SPA provided me with a wealth of opportunities, I know for a fact I wouldn’t where I am today without the Shepard Scholarship.
Q: What don’t SPA students know about you?
A: I am absolutely obsessive about music and probably to go around 25 live concerts each year. Actually this is interesting, I only went to SPA because a friend of mine applied so I did too and the Shepard family had some available scholarships so I got one. I had never thought of private school being a possible option because my family was on public assistance growing up. The Shepard scholarship covered almost all of tuition and the rest I paid for by working a side job on the janitorial staff in my free time at SPA. One time I even crawled inside the industrial boilers in the basement (this wouldn’t be allowed nowadays) and scrapped charcoal off them with a wire brush.
![ECLIPSE. A solar eclipse is a rare event in which the moon is between Earth and the Sun, blocking the view of the sun. In other parts of the United States, the view of the Sun will be totally blocked, constituting whats called a total eclipse. A total eclipse is a completely different event that is another level of coolness. So if they [the students] have that chance, they should absolutely take the chance to see a total eclipse if they ever can. The next one in Minnesota will be the year 2099, Astronomy and Planetary Science teacher Joseph Martin said.](https://www.rubiconline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Drawing-8.sketchpad-600x360.png)
