By Rudo Ellen Kazembe’20
Features Editor
Krista Grund-Wickramasekera’20 is a pro-active junior at the college. The Stentor spoke with Grund-Wickramasekera about her interests, passions and experiences.
Stentor: What are some of your leadership positions on campus?
Grund-Wickramasekera: l am a Resident Assistant, and it’s going really well working with others. l enjoy organizing the weekly events for my hall. l also work for the Center for Chicago Programs. As the ambassador for that program, l lead trips throughout Chicago with my friend Hakob, who is super cool! l grew up in Chicago and I love bringing people to places that l find really fun and fascinating. l love to share that with others, especially if they are international students or not from Illinois. l am really proud of that position, and it has taken me to a lot of different places. I am also on College Council for Student Government, so I get to work alongside President Schutt and other faculty members to contribute to crucial decisions for the College.
Stentor: What are you most passionate about?
Grund-Wickramasekera: l love talking politics. l gave a TEDx talk in October last year. l didn’t think that l was going to do it, because I literally signed up two days before the deadline. My TEDx talk was called “The Glasses We Wear,” and it was about how we need to achieve more of a global perspective instead of just keeping ourselves within one culture. If we expand ourselves and experience other cultures, we will learn so much about the world. Cultural competence is something that is really important to me, because l want to go into government, politics, or business. In order to be successful in these areas, you need to think critically and from many perspectives. l like to think I have a global identity, since I am not one race or ethnicity. As a Polish, German and Sri Lankan, it’s hard to just call myself American, even though it’s the only country l have lived in. The US is such a melting pot of cultures.
Stentor: What small gesture from someone at the College has had an impact on you?
Grund-Wickramasekera: l love Professor Levis; she is my advisor. l took American Constitutional Law and Introduction to Legal Studies with her. She helped me really define what l want to study here, which is political science, law, and economics. One year, she gave me a stress ball that is in the shape of a law school. l loved that small gesture, because it shows how much she cares about her students. She has a personal policy whereby if a student—or even the whole class—doesn’t do well on a final paper, she takes it personally because she feels it’s a reflection on her teaching, as well. I think that is great because more often than not professors sometimes think that it is just the students that are not working hard enough. A professor has just as much of an influence on the grade as the student, and Professor Levis knows that.
Stentor: What would you give a 13-minute talk on without preparation?
Grund-Wickramasekera: I would give a talk about any conversation about culture, communication, or identity because l know a lot about that. l have studied culture throughout most of my life through both experiential learning and academia. l have met so many people from different places all over the world. Especially when l came to college, l had an opportunity to meet a more diverse group of people. This only built upon my experience in high school, as l went to one of the most diverse high schools in the country with 4,400 people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds.
Stentor: What are some accomplishments you are proud of?
Grund-Wickramasekera: l am very proud of what I have done here and in my life. l have made the Dean’s List for the past two years. l worked at a political organization when l was 16 and l met the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel. There, l changed some policies and really helped him get to know his city better by voicing my opinion. l am also proud to be a Resident Assistant and a TEDx speaker.
Stentor: What skill would you like to polish up in college?
Grund-Wickramasekera: I want to become a better writer. Writing and simply communicating are important facets in every career and part of life. I usually have a thousand things I am thinking about, so sometimes I have issues when I am trying to articulate everything. I also want to become more creative. I envy people who have such artistic and innovative minds. I need to practice thinking outside of the box more.
Stentor: What has been your favorite course so far in college?
Grund-Wickramasekera: It would have to be a tie between Principles of Economics and American Constitutional Law. I am a very pragmatic thinker and love learning about the principles and laws that make our world the way it is. I never thought I would like economics because I expected there to be lots of math; to my surprise, it is very conceptual. I got to learn so much about businesses, the American economy, and international business concepts. Because of this class, I decided to minor in economics. Take it with Professor Grot; he is marvelous. Likewise, American Constitutional Law, taught by Professor Levis, is such an amazing class. I am fascinated by the effect that laws have on our daily lives as citizens. More people need to be educated about laws because only then will they be able to understand the greater reasons behind the small details in their everyday life.
Stentor: What are you planning on doing after you graduate?
Grund-Wickramasekera: Most likely, I am going to take a few years off to work and get my feet wet in the business/political world. Then, I will choose to pursue my JD or MBA. Let me know if anyone is hiring and wish me luck!
Rudo Ellen Kazembe ’20 can be contacted at kazembere@mx.lakeforest.edu.
