Maria Lappas

COL ’14
Age: 21
Hometown: Bethesda, Md.
Major: Government
Minor: Environmental Studies

What do you do?
I play on an intramural soccer team, loving it. We’re in the playoffs. The two main groups I’ve been involved in is Hoya Blue and the DPE sorority. Those have been great experiences, being able to not only advance professionally but also take part in Georgetown school spirit. A big part of the Georgetown experience has been going to the basketball games and participating in a lot of activities that relate to Georgetown whether it be going to particular lectures or different sporting events; it doesn’t even necessarily have to be basketball I love going to lacrosse games, soccer games and I love sharing my experiences with other people so I’ll usually drag my friends with me to the games.

What do you do to relax?
I love to play basketball, so going to Yates and playing basketball is good me time. Also, walking on M Street with friends. And now that I’m 21, I love going to The Tombs. I’m doing the 99 Days Club, so I guess that could count as another extracurricular activity that I’m doing here. You kind of can tell who’s doing 99 days so being able to make friends that are not necessarily in your friend group that you’ve had here, it’s been a really cool experience participating in that tradition. 

Where and with whom do you feel most comfortable with at Georgetown?
I guess within the gates of Georgetown, one of the places I feel most comfortable in is Dahlgren Quad. I love Dalghren. Usually I’m there with some of my closest friends here at Georgetown. And just being able to sit there and take it all in because I feel like Dahlgren Quad is very much a Georgetown landmark. Something I do want to do at some point my senior year is jump in the fountain. 

What’s the biggest change you’ve consciously made in your life and why?
I think it’s being more open with people. I came from a small high school and I got really close with my friends there and I think since coming to Georgetown, I’ve learned that it’s so rewarding to be open with people because everyone is from such diverse backgrounds that you don’t necessarily know what they’ve gone through or what they’ve experienced and it’s really great to share my experiences and you just form a bond with your classmates.

What are your plans after Georgetown? 
Not sure yet. Currently applying to jobs — hopefully going to be employed by the federal government. I thought I was going to go to law school right after college but I realized I wanted to get more experience in the workforce an just learn more things. I felt that I needed a bit of a break too and realized there’s really just so much more learn about myself and to develop. I think deciding to work instead of law school has been the best decision I’ve made. 

What do you hope Georgetown has helped you accomplish? 
I think I’ve grown as a person so I think Georgetown has helped me become more confident in myself and helped me learn how to interact with others and how important it is to build certain relationships and friendships with people because we are such a close-knit group of people and have such a great network. So many opportunities that I’ve had at Georgetown have been through knowing certain professors and connecting with different people and I think Georgetown has helped me connect with people and develop myself.

Do you feel you fit in at Georgetown?
I definitely do. I was scared of that coming in as a freshman but at Georgetown, there’s a very open atmosphere and you’re able to be who you want to be and be who you are well. I feel like at Georgetown you meet people that maybe don’t necessarily have the same interests as you do but you are able to connect with them on different levels and you’re just able to learn from each other and vibe off each other. 

What’s your greatest fear?
Definitely failure. I don’t like to fail, especially when its something that I really want. It’s been the scariest thing so far. But I feel that in the rigorous atmosphere that Georgetown has in terms of academics, but other things as well, when you do fail even though its scary to fail and its really sad to fail you learn something from that experience. 

What’s your favorite class you’ve taken at Georgetown? 
Hands down, it’s been “Elements of Political Theory,” taught by Fr. Schall. I took it in his last semester. It was amazing. I think he’s an example of what a college professor should be. It’s not just about a grade, it’s not just about the subject material, it’s about you learning and cultivating your mind.

If you could lead a protest on one thing, what would it be?
I think women should be able to play professional sports in whatever sport they want — contact sports like football and rugby. And it’s great that Georgetown has a rugby team for women. I think that there are certain life lessons and skills that you learn being on a team and physically challenging yourself and women should be able to pursue those opportunities professionally and be able to make a living out of it — there are great female athletes that can’t just be an athlete all their lives. I think there is definitely that discrepancy. 

Interview by Hanaa Khadraoui