Adam Pečeňa

I was born to Czech-Slovak parents in Prague and have been living in Unhošť, a small town near Prague, since age six. This is also where I went to elementary school until my fifth year. I successfully proceeded to the eight-year Nad Alejí Grammar School, and I fell in love with the institution, which I graduated from this summer. It was time to move on and find a new school to be loyal to and to develop my abilities.

Thanks to several schoolmates with similar ambitions, I came across an opportunity to try for studies abroad, which I eventually made reality. So I am flying to study at Northwestern University in September. What will I do there? I plan on making use of the liberal arts college system, which lets me discover what studying various subjects is about, to the fullest. I have been fascinated by all kinds of media since childhood, so I chose communications studies for now. Where else to study stuff like that, than at one of the world’s best schools in the field and in the country that is home to modern media?

But what if I find that the subject does not suit me, or that I also want to focus on something else, such as economics? It’s simple – I’ll just add another “major” or “minor”, or simply extend my schedule with a few classes on the topics that I want to learn more about. Simply, my education will only be limited by my own diligence and time, and not by pigeonholes. While studying, I would also like to pursue sports, foreign languages, and acting, and try many other activities, as the university setting represents the era of discovery. Can I succeed in tough sport competition, find enough discipline to improve my language skills, and make people from different cultural backgrounds laugh onstage? We’ll see. I will try, at any rate. I owe a debt of gratitude for this opportunity to The Kellner Family Foundation, among others, which I would like to thank on this occasion.

Secondary

Nad Alejí eight-year grammar school in Prague

University

Northwestern University, Evanston, US

E-mail

adampecena2016@u.northwestern.edu

Goals

Capitalize to the fullest on being around exceptional people, and put my education to good use at work that I can be proud of when one day I look back on it.

Interests

Languages, acting, politics, economics, soccer, dancing, all kinds of media