Senior Spotlight: Maeve Zeleniak
Helena Saven (11-4)
Photo courtesy of Maeve Zeleniak (12-4)
How did you choose a college during a pandemic?
It was very difficult, I have to say. I applied to a bunch of different colleges with the least amount of requirements, like no extra essays or things of that nature. In November, I didn't apply to any early decision but I did for early action, so that way I could get a majority of my applications out of the way and I could spend more time on the ones with more requirements. I'm going to Drexel and I chose it for a couple of reasons. First of all, I got a pretty nice scholarship for it and that’s a major thing, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to go. They have a lot of access to Penn resources- if you have a Drexel ID card you can use the Penn library, which I think is amazing, and Penn lectures. The third thing is the co-op. That’s really the biggest reason why anyone goes to Drexel, right? The co-op program is amazing and you get paid to get experience, and I thought all of those would be really cool opportunities.
What did you miss the most about not having in-person school?
I missed the random casual interactions and comradery you would get from being a part of the senior class. I missed bumping into people in the hallways that I hadn't seen in a while and I missed going out to lunch on half-days, along Spring Garden street. I really missed choir too, something about waking up in the morning to sing helped my mental health in a way that I didn’t understand fully until I left. I miss a lot of those little things about Masterman. Also, usually at the end of senior year we don’t have much going on and everyone’s just playing cards or relaxing in their homerooms, and I miss that because now we’re just asynchronous and it’s just like the start of the pandemic again where you have nothing to do.
In addition to choir, you also did theater too, right? What was your favorite performance?
I did! I wasn’t in this year’s musical, but I was in the school musicals from 7th-11th grade. I thought Shrek was really fun. We had a really cool set. I think it was the first year that Mr. Gilken was working on the set and everybody on stage crew did a fantastic job. I’ve always been in various ensembles or dance scenes- I like doing that because you still have to work but I like dancing and I like singing, and I’d have more free time than maybe the main character who needs to go through lines. But that was another thing with Shrek; there were truly no sole parts and everybody was a fairytale character, which was really interesting.
What always cheers you up?
A cup of tea. Whenever I’m stressed out or sad I like to make myself a cup of tea. Usually earl grey or mint tea.
What’s a quote or mantra you live by?
“Fix it first and freak out later.” My mom used to tell me that a lot when I was little, and it just kind of stuck and became something that I always used. Because once you fix it or take that first step to deal with an issue, then you’re automatically less stressed or panicked, because at least you did something.
What are some activities on your bucket list?
In life, I really want to travel more. I’ve been to London (right after Brexit, in 8th or 9th grade) and that was awesome. I want to go to Ireland, and I also want to go to the south of France but really I’d be happy to travel anywhere. And I’d like to be an extra in at least three films. I think it would be super fun to be an extra, because you’re only on for a few scenes but still get to hang with the actors and other extras. I think it’s kind of similar to being in the ensemble of a play. I could be in the background, show my face, and maybe walk in front of the main character when they do a transition, something like that.
If you hosted a late-night talk show, who would your first guest be (living or dead)?
My first guest would be Audrey Hepburn (I think it would be really fun to do a late-night talk show or theoretical podcast with dead movie stars) because I love Audrey Hepburn’s style and her characters and I really love old movies. And then for someone alive, I would choose Keira Knightley because she’s been in a lot of period pieces as well as my favorite movie, Pride and Prejudice. She started working as an actress super young, at 17 she was in Pirates of the Caribbean. So I would definitely want to interview her about what acting from such a young age would be like and what she’s learned.
What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve overcome?
I guess getting to know myself. The pandemic has been bad for a lot of reasons, but I went into it feeling completely lost and detached. And I think after spending a year and a half in my room, I was able to find more of an identity and be more my own person than just another random Masterman student.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself backpacking, actually. I see myself taking a train across America and trying to travel as much as I can. I’m not sure if I want to be on the four-year or the five-year plan for Drexel but I know that when I graduate I definitely want to travel a lot.