Special Time With Jo

Rulin Pederson is a living example of the classic rule “don’t judge a book by its cover”. At first glance, he is intimidating. He walks with intense confidence that not many people are used to encountering. He stands about six feet tall and holds his head high and chest out with his own kind of swagger, while still maintaining a professional attitude. On top of that, he has very short hair with an athletic build, as he takes physical fitness very seriously. What may take you by surprise is the fact that he is covered from chest to ankle in tattoos, each one telling a different story from his life.

Even though he is covered in ink like a book, he is not an easy man to read. Pederson explained that he lives his life with reason and purpose. “It is important to have rules. Things that keep you humble in life”. It’s clear that Mr. Pederson begins each day ready to take action. “I like to work out first thing in the morning. It helps me clear my head before I start my day”. Pederson has the title of Admissions Counselor at Morningside College, as well as being the Head Assistant Coach for the Morningside Wrestling team. Obviously, these are two very different jobs. 

As an Admissions Counselor, he invites excited new students to the school with open arms. Often times you can find him around campus with a smile on his face. He enjoys talking to students and faculty throughout the day while he is giving campus tours or promoting Morningside events. His main role, however, is to help new students get settled in as they begin their college careers. But as the workday comes to an end Pederson’s title changes to coach. 

“Coaching is what I’m really passionate about”. Things have started to go right since Coach Pederson started for the mustangs two years ago. Since he started, the team has been building quickly. The team won a GPAC conference title last year and qualified six wrestlers for the national tournament. The team has taken a strong liking to Coach Pederson. 

            “Rulin is a great coach because he takes the time to get to know each of us as a wrestler so that he can figure out what we really need to work on and get better at”, Cam Williams explained. Cam is a junior at Morningside and has been at the school since before Rulin began coaching, but he’s not the only one who feels this way. Phil Rasmussen is also a junior, and team captain for the wrestling team. “Rulin is the man. He works really well with Coach Stevenson because they look at wrestling in different ways… they are a great duo, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for the team”. 

            Pederson is doing his best to make an impact on the lives of the students and athletes that he works with every day. As relationships begin to form with these young aspiring adults, they seem to have a comfortability with him. Mr. Pederson is the beginning of a generation the bridges the gap between generations. The sky is the limit for this young professional. Whether as a coach or an admissions counselor Pederson has already begun to make a positive reputation for himself at Morningside College.