Summer 2012 - Robert Morris University
Summer 2012 - Robert Morris University
Summer 2012 - Robert Morris University
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UP CLOSE<br />
STUDENT PROFILE<br />
Besart Stavileci '12<br />
When Besart Stavileci '12 came to RMU, one of the biggest surprises came in<br />
his first 8 a.m. class — homework. When he received that initial assignment,<br />
he looked at his classmates and said, "What is this?!" Stavileci had just<br />
arrived in America from Kosovo, where even his high school teachers didn't<br />
assign homework.<br />
He caught up. Stavileci graduated with a 3.93 GPA in actuarial science, one<br />
of the university's most demanding and selective degree programs — RMU<br />
is one of only 14 Centers of Actuarial Excellence in the United States, as<br />
designated by the Society of Actuaries. He also was elected president of the<br />
Class of <strong>2012</strong>, and most recently, he was awarded the Presidential<br />
Transformational Award, the university's highest honor, given to the<br />
graduate who most epitomizes the RMU experience through active and<br />
engaged learning, academic excellence, leadership, and community service.<br />
During his career at RMU, Stavileci was a frequent volunteer at the Office<br />
of Student Civic Engagement. He said the service projects with homeless<br />
people in Washington, D.C., which he did as an alternative spring break<br />
trip, was the most meaningful. "We forget that the homeless<br />
are people too. These men, women, and children want<br />
the same things we want — security, a roof over our<br />
head, food, water, and people who care about us and<br />
talk to us. By working with these people, it changed<br />
my perspective on life."<br />
The former R.A. says he always enjoyed getting to know<br />
so many fellow students. "This campus is like one huge<br />
family, all here for the same purpose," he says. "It's big<br />
enough for students to stay here all the time, yet small<br />
enough to get to know everyone."<br />
WRITTEN BY SARA MEIER '11<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BY BESART STAVILECI '12