Two beers with Vilde Kjelsrud Pedersen
Two beers with Vilde Kjelsrud Pedersen
Vilde meets us at Klubben on a snowy Wednesday in January. She immediately expresses that she’s not very good at talking about herself, which turns out not to be a problem at all. Not because of egoism, but because what she has to share about herself carries such an important message that she can’t help but share it. More on this later.
Journalist: Henrik Bakken
Photographer: Malene Tangen
Translator: Rebekka Berg
Web distributor: Martha Ingeborg Evensen
After high school and a couple of years spent at a “folkehøyskole” in Alta, working, and taking up courses, Vilde ended up in Ås. This is almost five years ago. She initially moved into temporary housing in the basement of Kajaveien, with a car full of beer. After a while, she got a basement apartment where she lived alone, which didn’t suit her as she “lives to be social.” In the midst of this, she also experienced a tough heartbreak, leading her to often seek comfort back home in Gjøvik. Therefore, she couldn’t fully embrace the Ås community in the beginning. Fortunately, she met a group of girls at Ås early during the buddy week, who contributed to making the first year both fun and enjoyable. Just as she felt ready to participate more, the pandemic hit, but this didn’t stop her from getting involved in the social life of Samfunnet and Ås.
An Instagram post about job openings motivated her to apply for a position she saw as tailor-made for her – the HR manager, a job she now says she loved. As HR manager, Vilde focused on being visible, even with a lot of people to manage and many responsibilities. She emphasizes the importance of committee leaders communicating the issues of committee members to her. She aimed for a low threshold for addressing both positive and challenging matters. The result was that she had the opportunity to help many people precisely because she managed to be visible. Visibility didn’t necessarily have to be physical but could also be achieved by, for example, ending all emails with “remember to let me know if there’s anything.”
Most people in Ås probably know her primarily as the former leader at Samfunnet, a role she held from 2022 to 2023. Vilde also sits, as one of six people, on the Ethics Committee. The committee is currently working on developing ethical guidelines that will eventually be applied at Studentsamfunnet, to be presented at Samfunnets general meeting in the spring of 2024. Vilde has also previously been Head of the Buddy Week and is now going to Bergen in February as a student ambassador for NMBU to try to persuade high school students to apply here. In other words, Vilde has taken on quite a few different roles and jobs, all of which require a certain level of care.
Care is also a word she chooses to highlight in describing herself. Throughout almost her entire time in Ås, she has had responsibilities for or represented students. She comes across as a person who has the energy to make an effort for those around her. She is very cheerful and smiles almost throughout the entire interview. One might think that she would close up a bit since this is an interview focused solely on her, but in Vilde’s case, it’s the opposite. So far in the interview, I am not yet aware that Vilde has a somewhat different story than most, but she is very open about it, as if it is the most natural thing in the world.
When Vilde was in high school, her father took his own life after struggling with mental illness for a couple of years. Vilde and her family immediately chose openness, and she returned to school almost immediately after the incident. She simply couldn’t bear to stay at home in her own grief. Vilde describes the support of her friend group in Gjøvik as absolutely essential during this period and for the transition back to normal life. At Vilde’s home, they also had an “open house” policy so that people could drop by for a chat and remember the one they had lost. Vilde also takes some time to remember her father during the interview, describing him as a very fair person towards others and someone who, she believes, would be “pissed off” by today’s worldview, such as the Western ignorance towards current wars. This sense of justice is something Vilde has carried with her.
Vilde mentions that many people around them, in the period after her father’s death, used to tell them that they were so strong. Vilde hated this and explains, “this is a situation we have to face; you can’t escape it, and we’re just trying to survive.” She understood that people meant well, and she appeared grateful, but at the same time, it was “damn annoying.” She wanted to be Vilde, not “Vilde who lost her father.” At the same time, she acknowledges that the reason people saw her and her family as strong was the openness they had chosen and her decision to handle everyday life in the same way as before. For her own part, she looks back on some of the choices she made shortly after her father’s death as a detour from facing the painful things.
The openness she chose around her father’s death was new for Vilde. While her father was mentally ill, she would often explain to her friends that his problems were just “stress at work.” She felt it was a taboo topic for herself. When he died, there was no alternative; openness was the most natural choice. However, she is honest that in recent times, especially every October, the month her father died, she has found it very challenging. In the last couple of years, she has experienced episodes of dissociation and difficulty, describing what she went through as retraumatization. She needed her friends around her to realize how bad she was feeling and that she should seek a psychologist. Vilde emphasizes again the importance of her friends in Gjøvik and Ås, acknowledging that they’ve had very open conversations about how everyone is doing.
Vilde highlights her mother as exceptional. Vilde’s mother is a therapist, and it seems like Vilde has inherited good communication skills when it comes to discussing sensitive topics. Vilde shares an incident from the beginning of elementary school where there was a boy in her class who only wanted to be under his desk; he didn’t want to play and was afraid to be outside with the others. Vilde and her friend couldn’t understand this behavior. Out of curiosity, Vilde told her mother about it, and her mother suggested, “but can you go under the table and play with him there?” The next day, Vilde and her friend did exactly what her mother had suggested, and it worked. The three even became close friends later on. Therefore, she believes that the understanding of other people’s situations and curiosity about it are things she inherited from her mother.
Curiosity is a word Vilde strongly identifies with, and she believes that openness in one direction contributes to openness in others. She can ask people the most direct questions and she thinks that it’s important to able to ask someone directly, “do you have suicidal thoughts?” She believes that no one takes their own life because of the question. One might think that a more therapeutically oriented education would have suited Vilde better, but it ended up being biology. When asked about her choice of education, she says that she is very interested in how biology is connected to psychology and the environment, and vice versa. However, she is currently working on how sediments affect fish eggs in rivers, so she is definitely interested in other things beside people. But the fact that she studies biology and is also interested in mechanisms and evolutionary biology testifies to a curiosity about humans and organisms that is even deeper than most.
For Vilde, the end of her time in Ås is approaching, something she describes as “wistful.” The effort she has put into Samfunnet (also in the literal sense of the word) has undoubtedly been immensely important. For example, the impact of her efforts will likely be seen when the ethical guidelines for Studentsamfunnet eventually come into effect. Every organization needs someone who stands out, someone who dares to go under the table to the person who doesn’t dare go anywhere else. Vilde is that person.
GREETINGS:
DEAR VILDE,
We are incredibly happy to have you in our lives! You are an exceptional woman who always knows what to say, whether it’s a comforting shoulder, a funny comment, or keeping us organized during board meetings. Your support, care, clarity, and humor have been invaluable to us. You truly see everyone around you, and your ability to sense when someone might need extra support and help is amazing. We always know that we can reach out to you, whether it’s for a coffee at Klubben, the final push for the general assembly, or a last-minute task from NMBU :)))
The time with you on the Board has been unforgettable, and we look forward to all the reunions ahead! We are excited to see where life takes you because you are a woman who leaves lasting traces.
Best regards from the Board of Samfunnet of 2023
VILDE, OUR VILDE!
Almost five years ago, a group of 14 young girls formed a friendship, realizing that student life in Ås could become the best years of their lives if they just had enough fun together. We jokingly gave ourselves an unfortunate name that has stuck with us through thick and thin. A central person in this group is you, Vilde.
Vilde is a party-loving soul with a taste for most types of alcohol and finds it hard to say no when the opportunity arises. She stands at only 130 cm tall, but she can outdrink most of us. At the same time, she is one of the warmest, most stable, and honest people we know. If Vilde has taken you under her wing, then you are safe!
A man is known by many names, and you are a friend, roommate, sister-in-law, therapist, and best friend. Even though you sometimes juggle ten things at the same time and take on responsibilities up to your chin, you excel in what you do. We are so immensely impressed by that!
Thank you for being such a good friend, for asking the difficult questions, and for laughing and radiating joy even through life’s uphill battles. We are so proud of you, and we cheer for you forever.
Best regards from your fellow BioBitches
TO THE GIRL WHO ALWAYS STANDS WITH OPEN ARMS AND WELCOMES US,
Where should one start in a greeting to our dear friend, whom we have known since we were little? First and foremost, we are grateful to Signe and Stig Morten, who have paved the way for you to become the wonderfully kind, inclusive, generous, warm, wise, hospitable, caring, supportive, reflective, open, and loyal lady you are today. Additionally, you are wise, patient, helpful, positive, engaged, honest, and hardworking. Nothing is a problem with you. You possess so many qualities that we admire. Thank you for always taking the time for each and every one of us and for being an attentive and great conversation partner. Also, thank you for always stepping up with whatever help may be needed. In short, we can say that you are the recipe for what a good friend is.
It is both safe, educational, and fun to be around you, Vilde. You give us so much warmth, love, and knowledge. After conversations with you, we often come out a bit wiser, for you know a lot. Not only are you extremely skilled in the world of biology, but you are also our psychologist, chef, wine connoisseur, and politician. You simply know a lot about a lot! Despite your knowledge, you never assert yourself over others. As a person, you are firmly grounded, except when you take on about a million tasks, jobs, roles, and whatnot all at once. Do you know that the word “no” can be used more than once a year? In addition, it is actually physically possible to prioritize yourself more than once every leap year, even if you find everything you do amusing. In those areas, you have some room for improvement, though.
Your (and your family’s) home is a regular gathering point for our group of friends. Over the years, we have had countless gatherings on your inclusive veranda in Gjøvik. Good food, alcohol, laughter, good conversations, good memories, tears, and comforting words are among the things often associated with your home in Gjøvik. We appreciate so much that you love to invite us, both to small and large gatherings. We also highly value that you love to cook for us, whether it’s at your place, one of ours, or at some cabin. Because the food you make, damn, it’s the best food we eat. Food has become a completely new experience with you.
Finally, we just want to say thank you for everything you are to us. We appreciate you immensely. We love you <3
Everyone should have a Vilde in their life!
Greetings from the Gjøvik girls <3
*If you need help, call:
Kirkens SOS: 22 40 00 40
Mental Helse: 116 123
