Few in the senior class can compare to Van Wifvat. From his days as the “local expert” (on everything) in Knightline, to his sail racing exploits around the local lakes, Van is “always good for an adventure, with a can-do attitude,” said friend Andy LaBounty.
Next fall Van plans to continue his adventure at Iowa State University, majoring in “some discipline of engineering––not sure which yet,” he said.
Van’s presence is apparent wherever he goes, “he is the ‘g-forces’ — without Van, there is no gravity.” said friend Christian Rans. “That’s not the only nickname I’ve gotten over the years,” said Van, “during freshmen year when I was on the football team and told Coach Swan my name, he heard Wyclef instead of Wifvat, or something, and for the rest of the year I was called Wu-Tang.”
What sets Van apart is his aura. Friendliness radiates around him. Rarely do people commit to a conversation as much as Van, especially when it comes to movies, even the so-bad-it’s-good variety. “I’ve seen some terrible, terrible movies. Most recently, for example: ‘Gingerdead Man 2: Passion of the Crust,'” said Van, “I did not make up that title.”
But his respect for good movies outweighs the laughable contempt for the bad. His favorites include “The Big Lebowski,” “There Will Be Blood,” “No Country for Old Men,” or “basically anything from the Coen brothers,” he said. Of those mentioned, he can quote the majority of the dialogue.
That passion led him to take Film Studies, where he utilized his understanding of what makes a movie good to lead his project, “Divide by Zero” to take best screenplay and best film. “I could see myself getting into film, but who knows. Wherever the wind blows,” said Van.
His best memories of high school fall outside of the BSM hallways, spending time with friends. “One time I was hanging out with Andrew Christensen and he had just gotten a new microwave, so we had to give the old one a proper sendoff,” said Van. Using dry ice pellets in a two liter bottle filled with water, Van “blew the door right off. It was awesome.”
“Van is the man,” said friend Eric Schilling, “he’s the reason I come to school every day.” Van is a man’s man. A class act.
