The championship MSU Debate Team brought Joanna Gusis to MSU. The generosity and support of the Spartan community keeps her actively involved.
Debate Team is a lot like having a demanding part time job, Joanna explains. She devotes several hours every day to the team’s practices and preparation work and at least one three- to four-day weekend each month to competitions around the country.
So, scholarships and support for the team’s operations means a lot.
“Knowing there is someone there supporting us means so much to students,” she says. “It’s the reason we’re able to pursue the careers we’re interested in and participate in the activities we adore. It’s an integral part of the community we’re able to build at MSU.”
Joanna is a member of Honors College, majoring in statistics and in political theory and constitutional democracy, and aspires to a career in data privacy law.
Her career pursuit was ignited by an MSU law course on the intersection of free speech with social media and technology. On the one hand, she says, no one wants intimate details of their personal and medical history shared, but on the other hand certain elements of your history could lead to cures or treatments for diseases.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the way that data can be used,” she says. “And I think that is one field where I can see myself, in the long term, having a big impact.”
Interested in helping other students connect with Spartan organizations and programs on Give Green Day this year? Learn more at givingday.msu.edu