Branch 151
(August, 2008)

A native of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, I am currently a rising junior at Davidson College, a small, private, liberal arts school in Charlotte, North Carolina. At Davidson I am the recipient of the John Montgomery Belk Scholarship, a merit scholarship given based on academic achievement, leadership, and character that covers full tuition as well as money for study abroad. My interests and focuses at Davidson include work with the Student Government Association, the Union Board, and the Emerging Professionals Group. In the Student Government Association I serve the Academic Policy Committee, creating forums informing students and connecting them to faculty and staff as well as serving on the school’s Educational Policy Committee with faculty members to approve new courses and make policy decisions. After being elected President of the Class of 2010, I was chosen to head the Student Life Committee, the largest committee in the Student Government Association. While the Student Life Committee has been dormant in the past, my committee members and I are searching for new ways to revive the activities of the committee and improve Student Life on Davidson’s campus. Lastly, as nominated by the Student Government Association, I served on both the Liberal Arts Study Group as a student representative amongst faculty and staff. These study groups were mandated by the President of the college to evaluate the changes and trends in higher education, to find where Davidson College stands in comparison to these trends, and to suggest curricular changes and improvements.
The Union Board of Davidson College is in charge of all college entertainment and events for the student body, and is highly expected to provide good programming and events all week long. As a member of the Union Board, I served as treasurer, managing a budget of over a quarter million dollars. I then defended this budget and proposed a new budget for the coming year to the college’s Activities Tax Council. The Union Board is a very fun, energetic and satisfying organization to work for when you see successful programming enjoyed by the entire student body. The Emerging Professionals Group is an organization started by alumnae at Davidson to help students prepare for the coming Professional world we will enter upon graduation. The Emerging Professionals Group meets monthly, teaches members about etiquette of the professional world, gives practice interviews and tips to interview successfully, invites successful men and women to share their personal stories and experiences, and overall provides students with the knowledge to thrive and climb in the professional world after college. Other activities that I have been involved in while at Davidson include the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, the STRIDE mentor program, and Room in the Inn, which provides shelter and food to the homeless on the weekend.
At Davidson, I am a Political Science and Economics Double Major. After college I hope to gain some real-world experience working as a Consultant, then continue on to Business School. Upon graduation from Business School I hope to use my degrees to work in the field of International Relations, specifically towards economic development of the developing world, helping the impoverished people of the United States and abroad gain a voice, respect and rights in a world that continues to hold the value above the value of human life. I would like to thank my family, especially my grandparents, Pete and Sylvia Zwierzynski, and mom Lou Ann Zwierzynski for all the support and guidance they provide.

Meikaela was recommended by Director Joe Fabri