Justin Kotwicki

COL ’17
Age: 18
Hometown: Crofton, Md.
Major: Undeclared

Do you feel obligated to be busy at Georgetown?
I wouldn’t say obligated, but certainly involved. Everyone at this school is about as ambitious as they come, and if you don’t compete with the intensity that is required, you simply won’t succeed at a school like this. That doesn’t mean be the best at one specific thing but rather try to be the best at something that you enjoy and are good at. 

What do you do?
Personally, I wouldn’t say that I am operating at my full potential, currently, just because my lack of involvement. It is certainly not what is was in high school, but you have to keep in mind that everyone here is much more accomplished then the competition you faced in high school. 

What do you hope Georgetown will help you accomplish?
In a word: connections. This school will give me a fantastic education and a lifetime of memories; however, the biggest thing I am counting on is the connections that I will make and the recognition of the university’s name to get me certain opportunities that I wouldn’t otherwise have. 

Do you feel you fit in at Georgetown?
Yes and no. I think I have my days when I have all my things together — perhaps I just got a good grade or I found out I got into something — but I think we all have days, especially me, when we think that we are literally the worst student on campus and just about everyone is moving faster towards the real world than you. The only thing that I think truly separates me from Georgetown students is money. I’m not poor by any means, but the kids here are some of the world’s richest and I’m, well, not, and that is obvious sometimes, which kind of sucks. 

Where are you from?
I am from Crofton, Md. I feel so much more at home here just because of the pace that everyone moves at. We are in a city, which I love. Kids here are given more than a taste than how competitive the real world will be, and having that leg up on just about every other kid in the country is something I am very proud of.

What’s the hardest thing you have ever done?
I don’t know. Don’t get me wrong — I think I have been pushed academically and socially, too, even athletically to a degree. However, I cannot think of anything that sticks out as truly challenging my will. I hope, and plan, that whatever my career is, it will challenge me in ways that would break 99.9 percent of the rest of the population. Being elite is something that I hope to be able to call myself one day. 

What is your greatest fear?
My greatest fear is not fulfilling my potential. Failure. I feel like when people hire you or accept you into their program or school, they are putting their chips on the table and betting on you to succeed, which I love, but it also nerve-racking, another reason I love it. I like to believe that my happiest moments in life are ahead of me, and I would hate not to realize every last one of them. 

What would you change about yourself? What’s the biggest change you’ve consciously made in your life and why?
I would be able to sing. Everything else God gave me, it’s just whether or not I drudge it out from deep inside of me and maximize its full potential. Will that happen? That has yet to be determined, but I am extremely hopeful. The only thing I can think of trying to really actively change about myself was my physique after I got dumped. It was mostly for me and to get in great shape, but at the same time, I want it to be a small f— you to the ex if we ever cross paths again and my shirt happens to be off. Let’s be honest: There is a pretty high chance of the latter happening.

If you could lead a protest on one thing, what would it be?
Bullying. I can’t stand it. I have four younger siblings, and I don’t let anyone mess with them. I guess it just comes with being the oldest — or maybe it doesn’t. I’m not sure. The sad thing is that I think we have all done a little bit of bullying at one point or another to someone, even if we don’t realize it now. In a way, I would be protesting myself.

Interview by Jess Kelham-Hohler