Seniors Stephanie Kimec and Kuong Lam are two students who have proven that hard work can lead to a successful college career. Both are Honors and Scholars students and are involved in campus life. They are among the top students at Virginia Wesleyan College because of their work ethic and dedication to learning.
Stephanie Kimec
Hometown: Chesterfield County, Va.
Majors: Political Science, Religious Studies and Spanish
Balancing Act: At Wesleyan Kimec said she learned to balance personal enjoyment and extracurricular activities while maintaining grades. Kimec was a peer adviser, Wesleyan Ambassador and member of Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, Spanish, political science and religious studies honor societies, Phi Eta Sigma freshmen scholarship honor society, Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society and Rho Lambda Greek honor society. She also participated in campus worship, the Wesleyan Activities Council and the Model United Nations.
Kimec also finds balance in her academic studies with a unique pairing of majors in political science and religious studies – two subjects most individuals try to keep separate. For Kimec, who describes herself as cynical but optimistic, these two interests create an opportunity. “As a political science major, I learned about all of the horrible things that happen in the world,” she said, “so I see the ministry as the hope and an opportunity to make change.” Faith in Action: Growing up in the United Methodist Church, Kimec has been involved with youth groups and mission trips. She recently conducted research about missionaries and their changing roles, adding to her growing interest to make a difference wherever she can. With plans of becoming a United Methodist minister, Kimec said she’d like to be active in pushing for more equality for women in the church. “It’s not equal, but it’s getting better.”
Personal Motto: “Live life without regrets. Try to do everything you can do to better the world, but do it on your terms, not someone else’s.” Kimec says that Mother Teresa is one of her heroes. “She seemed to be very humble about all she had done and all she could do. And even through challenges she still looked forward and did not stop making a difference.”
Future Plans: Kimec graduated in December 2007, completing three majors in only three-and-a-half years. She plans to attend seminary on her way to becoming a minister in the United Methodist Church. And after spending a semester in Seville, Spain, she said she hopes to travel more, perhaps with missionary trips.
Kuong Lam
Hometown: Fitchburg, Mass.
Majors: Communications and Spanish
First Generation: Fluent in three languages (English, Vietnamese and Spanish), this first generation college student is also in the first generation of his family to live in the United States. Lam has a tremendous sense of family and isn’t shy about expressing his appreciation for his parents. “My parents are my motivation to be here,” he said as he described his parents’ sacrifice to send him to school. “I’m not here just for myself, but for my parents too.”
Personal Motto: “If you want it, do it.” That’s Lam’s motto, and he’s not taking his college career for granted. Coming to Wesleyan with a desire to major in communications, he later decided to add Spanish to his academic agenda. A number of other activities followed, including memberships in Phi Eta Sigma, the freshmen scholarship honor society, Sigma Delta Pi, the Spanish honor society, and the Society for Collegiate Journalists. Lam is also a peer adviser, writer for The Marlin Chronicle and leader in the Wesleyan Activities Council. “I have a lot of opportunities here that I wouldn’t have at another school,” said Lam.
Making Moves: One of those opportunities came in the form of establishing a dance club on campus, in which he serves as president. With no formal training, Lam started dancing as a teenager by mimicking dance moves in music videos. To see Lam perform the streetbased but stylized moves of “hip-hop,” you’d never guess that he thinks of himself as a shy person. “I don’t get nervous performing,” he said. “It de-stresses me, and I love it because I know people enjoy watching.”
Future Plans: As a junior, Lam still has an entire year ahead of him, but he’s on track to graduate with honors and plans to go to graduate school. While his exact future is not known yet, Lam has some ideas about where he wants to be and has the persistence and ambition to get wherever he wants to go. “I just picture myself in a large office… maybe as an advertising agent or PR [public relations] specialist for a record label.”