Student Profile: Ryan Zavacky
St. Joseph sophomore Ryan Zavacky is a culture buff who is creating a worldly undergraduate experience for himself through his double major in religious studies and political science.
“I love learning about a country’s culture,” he says. “I knew that by studying religion, I could learn about a specific aspect of culture that relates to culture as a whole, often in connection with politics.”
Not surprisingly, it was the interesting culture of Alma—the tartan, kilts and bagpipers—that attracted Zavacky to the College.
“I thought Alma’s Scottish connection was really cool and unique,” he says. “I didn’t know of any other schools that had anything like that, so I instantly knew I could fit in here. Alma felt like the right place to be.”
Through Model United Nations, Zavacky gets to experience other cultures firsthand. He says he has become particularly passionate about human rights and AIDS prevention in subsaharan Africa and Asia, two issues he researched while representing Zambia and Tuvalu.
“Dr. Hulme has the amazing ability to make you find a passion for something that you never thought you’d care about,” he says. “We all have different passions in MUN, but we all want to change the world for the better through our passions.”
In addition to Model UN, Zavacky is a member of the German Club, Interfaith Council, Amnesty International, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Squirrel Club.
