|
|
The following feature story appeared in the campus publication MOSAIC in November, 1996.
Agnieszka Stepinska '97
A passion for learning
Agnieszka Stepinska '97, named this year's President's Fellow for her outstanding achievement in economics, admits that she took her first economics course at Trinity quite by chance.The economics and English double-major, who came to this country just seven years ago from her native Warsaw, Poland, was at first interested in science and math, but a casual suggestion changed the course of her academic life. "A friend convinced me to take an economics course. I was just lucky to get Professor Carol Clark for 'Economics 101.' She is a very passionate teacher and is interested in Eastern Europe," Stepinska said. "She got me interested and motivated."
Enormous self-direction
Clark said she is impressed by Stepinska's "humility, enormous self-direction, and passion for learning." That last phrase seems particularly apt. For not only has Stepinska excelled in her study of economics, she has done exceptionally well in her second major. Stepinska's adviser in the English department, Associate Professor Barbara Benedict, said of her: "She's a very diligent student and an extremely close reader. It's extraordinary considering that English is not her native language."
Stepinska has shared her passion for learning with others at the College. She has served as a mentor in the First-Year Program, advising students interested in following either or both of her two majors. She is currently a teaching assistant for Professor Diane Zannoni's "Basic Econometrics" course.
Stepinska has tied her intense interest in economics to her homeland. Her honors thesis explores the fall of communism in Poland and the role of public opinion in that country's transition to a market economy in a democratic system. According to Clark, the nature and scope of Stepinska's thesis demonstrate "an intellectual maturity and sophistication quite unusual in an undergraduate."
This story of remarkable success is made even more remarkable when one considers the relatively short time Stepinska has been in this country. Stepinska left her home in Poland in 1989, bound for Chicago for a summer reunion with her mother, whom she had not seen in seven years. Stepinska's mother, her only surviving parent, had left her with relatives in Poland when she emigrated to the United States in hopes of making a better life for them both in this country. In the process, however, the two had become strangers.
Once in this country, and unable to speak English, a homesick Stepinska wanted only to return to family and friends in Poland. A strong maternal bond developed, however, and intervened in those plans. Today, in addition to her prowess in economics, she has developed an impressive competence in English and now writes poetry in both her native tongue and her new language. She is happy that her mother, whom she now calls her best friend, prevailed upon her to remain in this country.
After graduating from a public high school in Chicago, Stepinska was ready to leave behind the large, close-knit Polish immigrant community in Chicago and hoped to immerse herself in American culture. Like many other college-bound high school seniors, she searched the guide books for the ideal college and soon became interested in Trinity for its outstanding learning opportunities, low teacher-to-student ratio, and wide array of majors. Stepinska admits, however, that Trinity's attention to one very important detail made a huge difference to her.
"Trinity was the only school that didn't misspell my name in their acceptance letter! They really took care to get my name right and I respect them for it," she said.
The international connection
Having never been to the East Coast before, much less Hartford, Stepinska felt slightly out of cultural step with her new American classmates. Seizing the opportunity to connect with students from international backgrounds, she joined the Asian-American Association and the French Club, whose members' life-experience more closely matched her own. "It was much easier for me to connect with them. We had all been exposed to similar things," she noted. Joining the Polish-American club at Central Connecticut State University has provided her with a much welcomed social outlet where she can speak her native language, she said.
Stepinska also found that her transition into a new culture was eased by her participation in the Trinity College Activities Club and its Community Outreach program, where she assisted in a Hartford elementary school.
Ask Stepinska about her plans upon graduation, and one quickly senses that her passion will take her far. She said that she hopes one day to find her "dream job," working in investments or research for an American company back in Warsaw. "I really appreciate being named a President's Fellow," she added, but there is still so much to learn. I can't stop at this victory."
-- Suzanne Zack with input from Michael Bradley '98