Senior Allison Zengilowski grew up on thirteen acres of land in Hinesburg, Vermont. Zengilowski’s older brother went to Colgate, and she specifically did not want to go to the same school as him when applying to schools. However, Zengilowski visited her brother one more time before making a decision and could not say no to the Colgate community.

Zengilowski is a double concentrator in Psychology and Peace and Conflict Studies. Zengilowski has completed the breadth of an Education Studies concentration as well, although it is not officially recognized as another concentration. Zengilowski knew she wanted to concentrate in Psychology coming into Colgate. Realizing that she had enough time to double concentrate, Zengilowski came across Peace and Conflict Studies and found that the goals and classes aligned with a lot of the work she had done. Unexpectedly, her Educational Studies courses have greatly influenced her Colgate education.  

Zengilowski is a Senior Fellow at the Office of Admission, a Student Athletic Trainer for the Varsity Field Hockey team, a Benton Scholar, a co-leader of FUSE Dance Company and President of the Colgate Dance Initiative. In addition to her involvement during the school year, Zengilowski has spent every summer at Colgate, interning for the Office of Admission and conducting student-initiated research projects in the realm of online education.

Zengilowski studied abroad in Australia with the Colgate study group to the University of Wollongong. She notes that the advantage of the study group was having other Colgate students there with her, which made her more comfortable. Zengilowski had many adventures while in Australia, including surfing, scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef and skydiving, as well as a 300-level biology course taught by Professor Eddie Watkins.

“While being in Australia was an indescribable experience, forming relationships with Australian students and members of the Colgate community was by far the most rewarding aspect,” Zengilowski said.  

After graduation, Zengilowski will attend the University of  Texas at Austin’s PhD program in Educational Psychology for a concentration in Human Development, Culture and Learning. Like many seniors getting ready to graduate, Zengilowski says she will miss the people at Colgate the most.

“There are an immeasurable number of people on this campus who have challenged and supported me over the years, and I will never be able to adequately thank them,”

Zengilowski said.