Presidential Scholar Mary Risius is majoring in Actuarial Science with a minor in French. She will graduate cum laude in May 2007 with the Honors Program Scholar and Certificate in University Honors designations.
Mary studied in Angers, France, the spring semester of her sophomore year, and believes it has changed the course of her life. She went to France with the enthusiastic expectation that she would learn about French culture. However, she gained much more—a multi-cultural experience. She was afforded the opportunity to spend several months with students from all over the world. She especially remembers celebrating Easter in 2005 with students from Taiwan, Denmark, and Ireland, among others. It was the first time Mary had fried rice for Easter dinner, and for some, it was their first Easter egg hunt.
One of the most important things Mary learned while studying abroad was how difficult it can be to be an international student. When she returned to the United States, she decided to move into International House so she could connect with international students at ISU. Her current roommate is a French-speaking student from Cameroon, Africa. She loves the opportunity to connect with students from all over the world!
After studying in France, Mary realized she was interested in working with an international company. With the guidance of one of her professors, Mary was hired as an intern with Axa-Equitable in New York City last summer. She was especially interested in this company, because their global headquarters are located in Paris. Through the internship, Mary’s confidence in her abilities grew and she gained a greater understanding of life in the corporate world.
While at ISU, Mary has been very involved in Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF). She is currently the president and has served on many committees, facilitated meetings, and coordinated speakers, among other leadership roles. Over spring break this year, Mary and some other IVCF students went to Tennessee where they served others by painting and helping at a camp for African American youth. She also has participated in Relay for Life for the past two years.
The Honors Program provided opportunities that have broadened Mary’s horizons. While she always thought it would be neat to study abroad, Mary doesn’t think she would have if it were not a requirement for Presidential Scholars. You may wonder where life will take Mary after graduation…. The first two months of the summer she will be in Mali, Africa, with Wycliffe Bible Translators where she will learn about translating the Bible into tribal languages. Then in August, she will start her career at Axa-Equitable in NYC. After a few years, she hopes to move to their Paris office. However, Mary said she is not locking herself into anything—who knows where life will take her!
