By Ellie Sieversten has the spirit of a fighter, the heart of a giver, and the soul of a Saint.
When she was invited to speak to the Carroll Board of Trustees, Sieversten saw an opportunity to speak for the student body, but wasn’t sure what to say. She talked to friends, family and spent time alone, thinking and praying for the right words.
“The mood on campus is like a river, it flows through everything, and everyone is affected by it,” said Ellie during her speech to the Board.
Her remarks were poetic, constructive, spiritual, and guided by her faith.
“Through meeting with many students, I realized that there was a breakdown in communication,” said Ellie. “The Carroll administration and board were disconnected from the student body. So, my suggestion to the board was that they work on reconnecting with our students and improve their communication with the student body, so that they may see the preventable problems that students are facing.”
Ellie is a senior at Carroll and has served as the Associated Students of Carroll College (ASCC) President for the past year.
She is a devout Catholic and her leadership is guided by her faith. She plays the piano weekly as a Campus Ministry Leader for music. Even though she’s too busy, she also works at the Hunthausen Activities Center (HAC) as a work study.
Her spirit for adventure has made her time at Carroll a transformative experience. She has enjoyed countless weekends of skiing around Montana and she played on the women’s volleyball team from January 2020 to August 2021.
Ellie will be graduating this May with the Class of 2023. While at Carroll she double majored in Spanish and financial planning. She carries a 3.9 GPA.
After she graduates, Ellie plans on incorporating her interpersonal skills into a fulfilling career as a financial planner.
“I look forward to making a positive impact on someone’s well-being, by helping them to feel secure with their finances,” she said.
In the fall of 2019, Ellie moved from Walla Walla, Washington, to begin her adventure at Carroll.
Her parents believe in hard work and kindness.
They instilled those virtues in Ellie.
“The greatest thing they ever taught me, was to give everything my best effort,” she says. “I do my best to live up to that.”
Ellie’s mother, Julie Fox, gushed about her daughter.
“As a child, Ellie loved gushers so much that she sincerely wanted to add ‘gusher’ to the end of her name. So now, whenever she is around family and gets called by her full name, everyone adds ‘gusher’ at the end. Ellie Rose Sieversten Gusher!”
Ellie still loves gushers to this day.
And what would her mom say are her daughter’s greatest strengths?
“As a freshman in high school, Ellie was already understanding complex emotions,” said her mom. “She showed exceptional resilience as she had to navigate through difficult situations. Her ability to develop strong relationships and her inspirational leadership are her greatest assets.”
Those who have watched her lead, compliment her “go getter” and “can do” attitude. Above all else, she strives to be compassionate and considerate of others.
Ellie never has an ulterior motive. She is upfront and honest about her hopes and dreams.
She is outgoing, extraverted, and she has the unique ability to diffuse social tensions with her presence and energy.
“Ellie truly wants to help make the world a better place. She is willing to take action, even if something is difficult,” said her mom.
In August of 2021, Ellie met Liam Lynch. Instantly, a friendship was born. Shortly after they met, the Carroll community lost Bridget Kirby in a drunk driving accident.
Lynch and his friends were very close to Bridget. Ellie helped her friend through that hard time.
“Ellie can take something that is not so awesome, and turn it into something awesome,” said Lynch.
Ellie channeled her grief into developing a new program to help students.
“The Safe Ride Home program was the result of Ellie identifying a problem and putting in the effort to fix it,” said Fox.
Lynch is grateful for her support and sacrifices throughout that experience.
Abigail Racicot, a Montana native and a 2022 Carroll grad, is one of Ellie’s best friends.
“Ellie never has an ulterior motive,” Racicot said. “She is upfront and honest about her hopes and dreams. With Ellie, what you see and feel is her truth. She is genuinely a good person and is extremely authentic.
I don’t make friends fast, or easily, I’m like a slow burner. Ellie was the fastest friend that I have ever made, and four years later. She is still my best friend.”
Her favorite memory of Ellie was when she came back from Christmas break during Racicot’s sophomore year.
“I was all alone in my Trinity dorm room,” recalled Racicot. “No one else was back from break yet, and I didn’t want to be alone. I get really homesick after breaks. So, Ellie invited me to stay with her in her dorm room in Charlies. Ellie has always had this way of just making me feel like I am back home.”
Friends describe Ellie as a compassionate, caring, and dependable person, who continuously exhibits initiative, endurance, selflessness, and courage.
She’s seldom surprised, but Feb. 19 was a shock to her, albeit a happy one.
“Damian and I had been dating for about a year and we had looked at rings already. So, I knew it was coming sometime,” she said. “Damian and his sister lied about what time we were going to church. They managed to get me out of the house dressed for church.
“He had wanted to get breakfast and go visit this national park called Garden of the God. I was game. Plus, it was a beautiful Sunday morning!
“Then we got to the parking lot and he started acting funky. I had a slight suspicion at that moment but wasn’t totally sure. I’m looking at the rock formations and then I turn around and he’s on one knee! I was so excited.”
His sister and two photographers were hiding behind rocks taking pictures.
“I was so shocked! It was so much fun,” she said. “For the rest of the day we were showered with love and well wishes from family.”
Her fiancé, Damian Fraga, is a Carroll Alum and a 2nd Lt. in the US Army. She knew, when she said “yes!” that she was accepting a life as a military wife, which she welcomed with optimism and pride.
“I didn’t even realize that my time at Carroll was a journey until I stopped and looked around,” she said. “It wasn’t until this year that I realized how much I have changed since beginning my Carroll adventure.
“My personality is so energetic, it tends to take up a lot of space. I think at a bigger school I would have felt like I couldn’t make a difference. But I can look back at my Carroll experience and see how they made me a better person.
“I am really grateful.”
