Mike Sliwinski

SFS ’16
Age: 20
Hometown: New Britain, Conn.
Major: International Politics (Security Studies)
Certificate: Asian Studies

What do you do on campus?
I am in the IRC, where I do a lot of different things. I travel with the Model UN Team — this year I went to six conferences — and am also on the leadership of the team as a director of training. I am on the Special Events Staff of the IRC as well, which is responsible for planning the social events of the IRC; my specialty was in cultural dinners, where we would take groups out for ethnic foods at a subsidized rate: This year I chose Indian, Thai, Mexican and Ethiopian food. The IRC has a bit of a “cult” reputation, which I think may be fair on some level, but it also just means that you want to be there for your friends. So I go to a lot of IRC events as a participant or to support my friends, who plan different sorts of events. Outside of the IRC, I am a section editor for the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs online edition (Human Rights and Dignity), which I took on this semester because I wanted to branch out a bit more. I’m a brother of DPE as well.

What do you find most frustrating about Georgetown?
I’ve found that Georgetown doesn’t give you a lot of freedom and leeway in picking the path that you really want to choose in some respects. For example, the bureaucracy of the SFS makes it so that I cannot have a double major, or a double minor or major or minor outside of the SFS. I know that there is a rationale behind this restriction, but it still limits my options. More abstractly, I feel like I am far more career-oriented than I used to be, because the activities that seem most worthwhile tend to be the ones that are more focused around making your resume stronger — public speaking, networking and interning are the big ones that come to mind. I have a creative side: I love to play music and write, but I don’t really have any outlets for this.

What do you hope Georgetown will help you accomplish?
I hope that my time at Georgetown proves to have prepared me to provide insights into my area of expertise — China and international affairs. At the end of the day, I feel that Georgetown has already provided me with incredible friends, opportunities and experiences. I just hope that it also pays off in the long run in terms of living a successful life. That part I’ll have to get back to you on.

What’s your favorite class you’ve taken?
I was lucky enough to be selected for the Krogh Seminar this year, a small class for SFS sophomores which lets you do your own independent research study. I got to work with an amazing partner, Elaine, and with a group of extremely bright, talented and lovable people. The class taught me so much about research, but moreover it provided the chance to work alongside some of the smartest people I’ve met at Georgetown — and actually have fun doing it. Special thanks also go to professor Vreeland for keeping my stress level in check and working tirelessly to improve my abilities.

Do you feel obliged to be busy at Georgetown?
Oh definitely. Or at least, even if the obligation isn’t there, I never find myself not feeling busy. There’s always a huge stack of things waiting to be done. Whether it’s assignments for class, meetings I need to attend for different clubs or events that I am running, I have found that during the semester I rarely have any unplanned minutes in my day. This past semester was the most extreme example of that, when I had meetings that started at 1 a.m. because that was the soonest that I was free. In general, I think that there is an attitude that if you aren’t piling as much as you can onto your plate, you aren’t working hard enough.

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
Big tossup. I’d probably say that as a single event, going to Panama for six weeks with Learning Enterprises this past summer was extremely challenging but very rewarding. There was the daunting logistics of being more or less alone in a foreign country for six weeks, but also the bigger implications of taking time out of my life and doing something to help others. I had to give up six weeks in America, six weeks that could have been devoted to an internship or a job or just being at home with all of my friends after my freshman year, but I’m so glad I went through with going to Panama because it showed me that even if I am missing things by being away from home, I gather invaluable experiences and personal insights in the process. And at the end of the day, home is always still there for me, which I’m so thankful for.

What’s your greatest fear?
I hate flying insects. Crawling ones you can always outrun, but flying ones can chase you down. The fluttering wings make my skin crawl.

Interviewed by Kim Bussing