This is an archived UW-P news item,
originally posted: 11/5/2007.
International Scholar as Change Agent
How do you say "outstanding" in Romanian, and why does it matter? Well, it's spelled remarcabil, and it matters because one of UW-Parkside's highest ranking student scholars hails from the Republic of Moldova--and he has more than earned that adjective.
Vladimir Mocan, now a junior, came to Wisconsin to pursue two majors: business/finance and economics. He is receiving UW-Parkside's James J. Polczynski Memorial Endowed Scholarship. How did he end up at UW-Parkside? It's a long and interesting story, but, in short, Molly, a Peace Corp. volunteer who came to his village to teach English, was from Racine. One connection led to another and now Judley and Mary Wyant (Molly's parents) are his U.S. sponsors. Lest this arrangement sound a little too serendipitous, you should know that Vlad has always been a man with a plan.
"I think that the Republic of Moldova needs a young generation of people who have gained experience outside the country. It is almost impossible to change something in a country where the political elite think, share values, behave and try to solve economic and political problems in the same fashion as in the 1970s and 1980s" (the decades just prior to Moldova's independence from the Soviet Union). "My goals," Vlad goes on to say, "relate directly to the development of a strong, free-market economy in the Republic of Moldova. I intend to...develop initiatives that will make our economy stronger."
Along the way, Vlad says he has been profoundly moved by "the great people I have met in Wisconsin." In addition to his sponsors, he mentions some words of encouragement he gained from UW-System Regent (and UW-Parkside graduate), Mike Falbo: "don't say no to challenges; it's the only way to find out what you're good at." Vlad also credits Profs. Kaufman, Cloutier and Wright for encouraging open thinking about political, economic and business systems without making overly simple judgments such as "this is good, and this is bad."
Working ten hours a week in UW-Parkside's Advising Center while carrying 18 credits, one wonders if Vlad has much time for fun. "Oh, I'm always having fun because everything in the U.S. is a new experience for me. I feel like I'm on vacation all the time."
So what's next for this scholar from a landlocked country one-forth the size of Wisconsin? Well, an MBA, of course! He has his eye on Harvard. Remarcabil!
Publish date: 11/5/2007
