Ekaterina (Kate) Placzek, ‘03, Belarus/US.
Kate, whose maiden name is Terebova, graduated from St. Olaf in 2003 with double majors in Biology and Chemistry. She is currently a graduate student in the Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology program at Purdue University, Indiana.
How did you learn about St. Olaf and why did you choose to attend?
I learned about St. Olaf when I came to the U.S. to spend a year with my American exchange family, the Hagens, and go to Northfield High School. I really wanted to come back and study in the United States because of the amazing opportunities I knew I would come upon once I completed college. But out of all the schools to which I had applied, I wanted to study at St. Olaf the most because it was (and still is) very strong in natural sciences. Plus the school is located very close to the Hagens, and I wanted to be close to them.
What activities or groups did you participate in?
I was a member of the Biology club, and the Tri Beta Honor Society.
How did a liberal arts and science education prepare you for graduate school?
First and foremost, I was terrified when I came to graduate school. I was afraid I was not going to be able to handle the pressure: classes, teaching responsibilities, and research seemed to overwhelming to me at first. Once the semester started I realized that graduate school was not that different from being a double major at St. Olaf. I had to organize my time wisely, and everything else fell into place. I also discovered that some of the upper-level classes I took at St. Olaf were just as, if not more, difficult that the course work in which I had to engage in at Purdue. So from the academic perspective St. Olaf prepared me very well for graduate school.
What is it like to study science at St. Olaf?
For me it was the hardest thing I ever had to do in my life, but also the most rewarding. I grew as a person, as a student, as a scientist. What I am saying may sound very profound and almost superficial, but in reality if I didn't have the experiences I had at St. Olaf, I would never be where I am today. I believe that the classes prepared me well for the classes I would take in the future, in graduate school; and the undergraduate research I did with Professors Anne Walter, Biology, and Mary Walczak, Chemistry, prepared me for the research I took upon in graduate school. Learning about the techniques, the "scientific thinking" was very beneficial for me.
Did you take advantage of any research experiences at St. Olaf?
Yes, I worked on a project that investigated the activity of phospholipase A2 and its dependence on ionic strength dependence.
Is there anything you miss about St. Olaf?
(Yes, I miss) the feeling of belonging to this amazing community of students and faculty who are brought together by similar goals with the urge to learn and discover. Once you're done with St. Olaf and move to the "real world", you realize how alone you are.
Anything else you want to share?
For all international students out there--in order to have a dream come true, first you have to have a dream. Work on making your dream come true every day. My dream came true--I wanted to become a scientist, go to graduate school. And to my amazement, I am in graduate school, I love doing research and learning new things. So believe in yourself, good things happen to those people who, despite all the hardships, persevere and believe.
