“Even if I’m sluggish in the morning I’m like, ‘Hey, at least I get to go to school.'”

Graduate student Mary Beth Drabiszczak tells Grayson Sewell about navigating a new campus while it returns to in-person learning during a pandemic.

(Grayson Sewell) With how crazy the past year, year-and-a-half, has been what would you say has had the biggest impact on you as a student?

(Mary Beth Drabiszczak) I think, probably, having to study remotely, because I realized that you don’t necessarily have to travel, or be in a different state necessarily, to pursue an education. You have resources locally that, you can kind of just commit to a place. I was in Pennsylvania, I grew up here in Brookfield, but I was finishing my undergraduate online. Which I was bummed about, because I had just transferred to The Academy in Philadelphia. But it made me realize that I wanted to stay here in Wisconsin, because my family and my boyfriend is here. So, it was actually kind of eye opening.

(Sewell) You mentioned going into online learning, which some people did better with and others not so much. How much did that switch impact your experience compared to your first few years of school in person?

(Drabiszczak) I think it was especially different being an art student, because it is really hard to study studio arts with an online learning system. It really made me cognizant of being able to reach out to professional organizations and kind of marketing myself more. I needed to be proficient with digital technology and document my work so professors could accurately see it. Then also just kind of realizing stuff I took for granted like all the campus resources. I was in a print making class and then with covid, you know, we couldn’t really do anything so he told us to just go outside and draw on rocks. There was really nothing else we could do so he said “just go find some rocks outside and draw on them with crayons.”

(Sewell) How was that experience compared to being back on campus now as a graduate student?

(Drabiszczak) I’m really thankful to be in person. It’s still not completely integrated back to the way it was, because there are still some online aspects obviously. But it definitely makes me happier and more thankful to be on campus. I try to be a little bit more motivated. Even if I’m sluggish in the morning I’m like “hey, at least I get to go to school.”

(Sewell) What still is different about campus to you compared to in-person learning before the pandemic?

(Drabiszczak) I guess, not necessarily touching on the obvious with masks and everything, I really like working with professor Schaefer who mentions that people are more empathetic when interacting with people. But, I’m not really sure yet. I think I’m still getting used to UWM. It’s still a very new experience. I definitely feel overwhelmed, because with covid there wasn’t a lot of orientation. So, I’ve definitely emphasized with the freshmen, because I felt like a freshman. I was just plopped here and expected to go to my graduate classes even though I had no idea where to go.

(Sewell) Was there anything that made you think about delaying your start to graduate school with how the past year has gone?

(Drabiszczak) I decided to go to graduate school because of covid. My boyfriend and I were living in Shorewood and we used to be walking distance from UWM. So, I decided to apply here since he went to undergraduate here. I figured why not. I didn’t know what else to do, and I thought if I was going to stay in Milwaukee the best way would be to get in contact with local museums or the art community was through the university. If anything, covid kind of made me realize that I should maybe drag this out a little bit more, because arts isn’t really an essential field when it comes to the workforce. I wanted it to open up a little bit more, and I figured I could use this time to study.

(Sewell) Was there anything else that led to that determination to stay in school?

(Drabiszczak) Just understanding that if I want to go into art history or art that I can’t just approach an institution by myself. I was trying to contact the Milwaukee Art Museum, and I had a hard time reaching out to people. So, really, it’s not even about the degree it’s about working with people and finding connections. Degrees don’t necessarily matter to a point, because it is, from what I’ve learned, who you know. Not necessarily in a bad sense, but just forming relationships and working hard.

(Sewell) You mentioned how school has inspired you when you aren’t at your best, is there anything else that you have drawn motivation from over the past year?

(Drabiszczak) I think I have a greater appreciation for art. At my previous institution I wasn’t a huge fan of making artwork, because I had a bad experience with a professor. But I’ve just been feeling more comfortable. Art making is kind of a therapeutic means. So just trying to integrate that into my week. Whether it’s just once a week making something to supplement my studies in art history, because it’s a little crazy studying art and never making art.

(Sewell) A lot of students have felt let down, or failed, during this pandemic. Has there been anything that you felt failed you as a student or personally over the past year?

(Drabiszczak) I’m a little disappointed with my undergraduate experience, because I transferred to my pervious school right before covid and was actually only on campus for a little over a semester before everything was remote. So, the majority of my experience with school was online. I just felt like an imposter graduate, because I still got a degree even though my time was spent mainly on my laptop. I wish I could have utilized that facility more. I really liked the school, and the professors were great. I was more just bummed, because I feel like I could have gotten a lot out of the school. As an alum I do feel like I can reach back out to them, but I wish I could go back and have done more.

(Sewell) Was there anything that helped you get through the year that you didn’t expect? (Drabiszczak) Yeah, actually realizing that I don’t need to be somewhere specific to study was really helpful. It allowed me to then focus on my personal life and not make my whole life about school. When I focused on staying in Wisconsin, I reached out to art organizations in the area. I started learning about the art community in Milwaukee and getting to know local artists which has been really helpf