Nancy Lesnicki, a senior student at Saint Xavier University has recently been awarded by The Lincoln Academy with the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award earlier in the month of November. With this honor, Lesnicki joins many who are allowed to be known as Student Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Recipients are renowned for their work in service and abilities in leadership.
Lesnicki during her time at Saint Xavier has put work into earning degrees in the fields of psychology, sociology, and business. Lesnicki has had a strong leaning towards these areas of study ever since her days in high school.
“I like learning about people and why they do things the way they do,” she says.
Social work, counseling, and research were all professions she considered before coming to the realization that she wanted to implement sociology and psychology research in the business workplace. Industrial-organizational psychology is where all of her various interests coalesced into one.
“That’s kinda how they all meld together. They make sense to me,” she commented.
Using her knowledge of the previously mentioned categories she’ll help decide on how to better the workplace so that people live easier and happier.
“My big focus is implementing change with an internal strategy so that the organization on the inside matches what they’re trying to exude on the outside,” she explains.
Lesnicki’s extensive organizational and academic work both on and off campus were more likely than not factored into her earning becoming a Student Laureate. She is no stranger to leadership as for the Polish Student Association she holds the title of both President and treasurer. Along with the Lincoln Academy, Lesnicki is an Arthur J. Smchidt Leadership Scholar who does volunteer work helping those affected by domestic violence and does educational programs concerning such topics as domestic violence on campus. Another position she holds is a seat on the multicultural advisory board helping with making SXU a more inclusive environment. She was a student ambassador for a time and worked with Pals for Change, an SXU group that assisted those with disabilities. Other groups she is involved with are Cougars Lead, Cougar Peer Mentoring, Cougar Peer Educator, and Psi Chi International Honors Society.
When asked about her work with first-year students Lesnicki said she did to help them out and to be a support system for them
With the Abraham Lincoln Civic Engagement Award, she was awarded she can add Student Laureate to her resume as well.
Though she found pleasure in earning the Civic Engagement Award she did find the experience to be humbling in its own way.
“I’m really thankful that people have recognized the things that I’ve done on campus and thought that it was worthy of being rewarded,” she says.
She continued by saying, “It’s not really something I anticipated. It was just a crazy surprise to be chosen and I’m just thankful that people saw it and gave me an opportunity to meet people who are trying to change the world and impact humanity for the better. It was humbling really.”
She laughed as she says not to let our personal achievements blind you.
“We should be cognizant that we are not all that just because we do great things,” she says.
Lesnicki would like to thank Saint Xavier University and the many professors and staff that helped her on her academic journey.
When asked how she would encourage others in making a change she responded by saying,
“You need to find out what your passionate about so that you can dedicate yourself to making a change. You can’t make a better world without trying.”