After growing up around the world, Katerina found a home at XU. She is a Public Relations major and Advertising minor with a passion for traveling. You may have seen her around campus walking quickly as if on a mission, and we are grateful that she found the time to sit down and talk with us about her life abroad and on campus.
Campus Celeb: Katerina Rengepes
Year: Senior
Hometown: Garnet Valley, PA
Major: Public Relations
Minor: Advertising
Activities on Campus: Public Relations Student Society of America, TEDxXavierUniversity
What was it like growing up around the world?
It was always an experience. I loved experiencing different cultures and seeing different sights. I also got to learn different languages and meet tons of interesting people. There’s really nothing to compare it to because those experiences can’t be replicated, but there’s always something missing and that really sucks. It’s something I wish everyone could experience because it really changes the way you see the world, and it makes it much smaller. You realize this when you run into old friends in a random alley in Athens, Greece because both of you are lost or some friends from church on a beach in Vouliagmeni (an Athens suburb) that you haven’t seen in 10 years. There are unforgettable stories and experiences attached to every place, and that’s something I wish everyone could experience.
How do you spend your free time?
I spend a lot of my spare time on Facebook, and although it sounds super lame, I’m usually talking to some cousins or faraway friends. I also love going out and finding little niche coffee shops around the city with my PR friends- OTR has some great places to go. Now that TEDx is coming up very, very soon, I’ll be spending a lot of my spare time preparing for it, so spare time will be very rare. Luckily I have an awesome team beside me and we are a force to be reckoned with. I also like hanging out with them, they’re super awesome and keep me laughing.
What is your favorite thing to do on campus?
I love people-watching in some of the larger buildings or hanging out in Ryan’s Pub with some friends. Sometimes we hold PR team meetings for TEDx in there as an excuse, sometimes I go in there to watch a sporting event. Right now, my obsession is watching the World Handball Championships in there, especially now that the finals are this weekend. It’s down to the wire and my favorite team is still standing strong!!! Go Denmark!
Who is TED?
TED is a series of talks given by people in all different fields that all have a common theme. TED stands for technology, entertainment, and design. The talks are given all over the world at various places and every place has a different theme. They’re meant to inspire and provoke those who watch or listen to them and really ignite something within them to find their passions in life. Some of the talks we’ve watched have been super inspirational and have made us cry and some have made us want to start a revolution- they all vary and that’s the beauty of them.
What inspires you?
Erada once said, “if it’s both terrifying and amazing, then you should definitely pursue it,” and that’s one of my top 10 favorite quotes that I tell myself when I start to cower from things, so I guess I’ll say terrifying things. Doing the unthinkable inspires me. That’s probably super cliche, but I don’t care at this point. I thought TED was a huge undertaking and I could never do it, but Sean and I built an awesome PR team (and an incredible board behind us) and we are seriously hoping to knock this TEDx out of the ballpark and really make it the best to date.
Can you give us a hint about the theme?
Unfortunately, you’re just going to have to wait a few more days to hear anything about a theme. I promise we won’t keep you waiting too much longer! Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages for the official announcement!