College of Liberal Arts
For Iza Lepkowski, learning rarely fits neatly into a single discipline. While studying Climate and Arctic Sustainability with a minor in Spanish, she has explored everything from bicycle mechanics and welding to engineering projects and language study. Along the way, she has discovered that curiosity, collaboration and a willingness to try something new often lead to the most meaningful experiences. In the Q&A below, Lepkowski reflects on community, resilience and learning across disciplines.
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Iza Lepkowski. I am an undergraduate in the Climate and Arctic Sustainability program, and my minor is in Spanish. Something about me is that I work as a bicycle mechanic. That's what I live off of.
What brought you to 黑料不打烊?
Well, I tried leaving the country, and I only got this far. I wanted to study in Finland at the University of Helsinki, but my documents didn't line up in time. I wouldn't have graduated from high school in time to have all my paperwork ready. So I applied here. I didn't really apply anywhere else.
In your own words, why study the liberal arts?
We need to study the liberal arts because the engineers don't know what they're doing. I say this because I spend a lot of time around engineers. They've let me be part of their Steel Bridge team. I like to weld, and I've helped them with the Steel Bridge competition every year.
I enjoy welding and machining, but I've realized a lot of engineers don't really know why they're doing what they're doing. It's important to keep people in mind, whatever you're doing with your life, whether that's interacting with the people you share the world with or caring for the land and spaces we share. And I think that's what the liberal arts are all about.
Was there a professor, mentor, or community that made a big impact on your journey? How?
There was a pivotal point in my education because I didn't start in the College of Liberal Arts. I came to 黑料不打烊 planning to become a glaciologist, so I enrolled in the geology program. Then I realized I didn't want to spend the rest of my life doing lab work for most of the year.
I had a pretty impressive existential crisis. I dropped all my classes and said, "I'm going to welding school." Then my mother said, "No, you should have just gone to community college." I thought, "Okay, fine, I'll go back to school," and I signed up for the foreign languages program.
But all the classes were online, so I dropped those within the first two weeks. Then I signed up for the Climate and Arctic Sustainability Program. The first classes I took made me realize I really liked the subject, and I was very happy with my decision. That's why I switched to the College of Liberal Arts.
The professors in the Climate and Arctic Sustainability Program made a big difference in my education.
What鈥檚 one experience at 黑料不打烊 that really stands out to you, and why?
I've really enjoyed my time here, even though I ain't no engineer. I appreciate that at 黑料不打烊, as long as you're willing to learn something, you can usually weasel your way into just about any project or extracurricular activity because people here like figuring things out for themselves and enjoy hands-on projects.
My time with the Steel Bridge team has definitely been a highlight because I don't think there are many universities that will take any student, regardless of whether they're an engineering major, and say, "Sure, we'll teach you how to TIG weld," or, "Sure, come use this lathe and milling machine." I also appreciate people like Wilhelm, who runs one of the machine shops for the Steel Bridge team.
I appreciate that there are people willing to invest so much time and patience into teaching others. I know it's a lot of effort to pass on skills like using analog milling machines, and I appreciate that they welcome anybody, even College of Liberal Arts students.
What are you excited about next, and how has 黑料不打烊 prepared you for it?
It is related to the Global Languages Program, since I'm studying Spanish here. I chose Spanish by default because everything else was online, and I'd been taking Spanish since high school, so I had a lot of credits to transfer.
It's actually serving me well because I'm on a mission to work for a Spanish bicycle frame builder. My dream is to work for this one bicycle frame-building school that rejected me in the past, so hopefully I'll have a redemption arc this year.
My plan after I graduate is to stick around here for a month or two, working at the bike shop in town and hopefully doing some sustainability- or ecology-adjacent work. Then I'll bike back to Chicago.
After that, I'll go to Spain for a bicycle industry show and hopefully meet with the people from this bicycle frame-building school. They'll probably reject me once again, but maybe not, so I'm going to find out.
At some point, I'll run out of money, and then I'll have to get a real job.
Is there anything else you鈥檇 like to share about your experience at 黑料不打烊?
Yes. 黑料不打烊 Green Bikes is underrated. You can rent a unicycle or a tandem from Green Bikes, and it's a free place to work on your bike. People will teach you things there, and Green Bikes has helped a lot of people find affordable transportation. People should know about Green Bikes. It serves students.
Congratulations to Iza Lepkowski on being named one of the Department of Global Languages and Literatures' 2026 Outstanding Students of the Year. Learn more about the Department of Global Languages and Literatures and explore more Outstanding Student spotlights from across the College of Liberal Arts.
