Good morning everyone! As we begin finals week, we continue with our seventh installment of our ongoing Senior Series! Today, our graduating senior is Wayne Borowski. Wayne is originally from Los Angeles, California and has majored in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, studied abroad at Oxford University, and loves dogs with smushed faces. Here is a little more about Wayne!
What was one thing you learned during your time at UW-Green Bay that really stuck with you?
I am capable of perseverance. No matter how hopeless an endeavor may seem, those lightbulb moments are never far away.
What was your favorite course or courses?
1: The Literature of Suffering w/ Dr. Ransom – Reading intensive and challenging, this class changed my perspectives on pain and loss, introducing me to profound themes and philosophies which I’ve held since.
2: German Cinema w/ Dr. Coury – I thought I was a film junkie *before* taking this course. The cultural and historical explorations of cinema, presented through lenses so radically different from that of my own were both humbling and enlightening.
How are you feeling about the timing of the pandemic?
The timing of the pandemic was unfortunate and deeply upsetting, but I’ve since resigned myself to accept the hand which has been dealt. In reflecting on my lengthy journey in pursuit of this education, I’ve been stranger to neither setbacks nor obstacles. There was a time in which I believed I would never reach the finish line, never don the cap and gown in celebration. Turns out I was half right all along. Relief by way of pessimism — there’s some Schopenhauer from The Literature of Suffering.
What will you miss most about UW-Green Bay?
I will most miss my professors and the privilege of tutoring fellow students at the writing center.
What was most memorable about your senior year outside of the pandemic?
Playing Barrister! I staunchly defended the antagonistic actions of Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice with a classroom full of passionate dissenters. That was a good bit of fun. But the best part? I wasn’t even enrolled in that course.
Any advice for future graduates?
My advice would be to take more time engaging with the professors whom you most admire. It might not seem like it now, but there will later come a time of longing for their counsel and support. Also, try to avoid graduating during a pandemic. Do not go forth with a whimper, but with a bang.
From all of us here at Widows and Orphans, congratulations Wayne!
