Roark and Biedrzycki Win 2021-22 Wellness and Recreation Friends and Family Scholarships
Student employees Ben Biedrzycki and Katelynn Roark were awarded $500 scholarships for encouraging and inspiring the Wolfpack community to live actively and serving as role models for healthy and balanced living.
By Ben Strunk
Two outstanding student employees were awarded the Wellness and Recreation Friends and Family Scholarship at this year’s Wolfies ceremony. The $500 scholarship recognizes student employees who encourage and inspire the Wolfpack community to live actively and serve as a role model for healthy and balanced living.
Katelynn Roark is a third-year student majoring in chemistry at NC State. She began working at Wellness and Recreation in 2020 as a way to stay involved in the NC State community. With online classes and most meetings becoming virtual, having a reason to leave the apartment was a welcome change.
Becoming a fitness assistant and personal trainer was a great way for Roark to find new passions in connecting with people, and to further her interest in nutrition. Watching her clients grow in their training journey, both physically and mentally, has been a great source of encouragement. Roark has been a positive influence in her clients’ lives, and they have had a great impact on her as well.
Once she graduates, Roark wants to put her minor in teaching English as a foreign language to use. She hopes to live abroad and experience new cultures while sharing her own. After she returns to the United States, Roark wants to pursue a graduate degree in nutrition or public health.
Ben Biedrzycki is a junior majoring in art and design, with a minor in film studies. An avid user of the Wellness and Recreation Center, Biedrzycki first applied to become a student employee during the COVID-19 pandemic on recommendation from friends who also worked there.
“My favorite part about the job is the sense of community and synergy in the facility no matter who is working or when they are there. I see the gym as a second family and have made some lifelong friends at my job,” said Biedrzycki.
Biedrzycki plans to use the scholarship money to help fund his study abroad experience in Prague, Czech Republic and to develop his skills in creative content development programs. Upon graduation, he hopes to work for a film studio producing animated movies such as Disney, Dreamworks or Sony Pictures.
“I would love to be a part of the creative process for a project enjoyed by people all over the world,” he said.
