Brandeis Inside Out: Stephanie Anciro '16

With more than 200 clubs, Brandeis allows you to discover who you want to be

Photo/Mike Lovett

As a public high-school student in Queens, New York, Stephanie Anciro '16 had few options in the way of extracurricular activities, and the interesting ones often posed scheduling challenges with her studies.

That all changed when she came to Brandeis. At the Department of Student Activities' annual activities fair during Orientation, she was astounded by all the choices.

"That small, little window of what I could do in high school exploded to 200-plus activities at Brandeis," Anciro said. “It was overwhelming, but it was also so liberating. I realized that, here, I can be anyone I want and discover who I want to be."

She fit as many activities as she could into her schedule, attending general meetings for cultural clubs where she made new friends, and she found a passion for all things dance. She became a member of hip-hop dance group the Kaos Kids, started taking salsa lessons and joined the Brandeis Ballroom dance team, of which she is now president.

But if she pursues social activities like a whirling dervish, the Housen Foundation Scholar tackles academics with equal flair. Anciro is majoring in international and global studies and biology, and is minoring in chemistry and anthropology. She also co-founded and organized the first-ever Brandeis Diversity Conference, held in February. 

“I've changed and developed in so many ways over the last four years, and that's because I ended up here at Brandeis," she said. "I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

 

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