Stefanie Aucoin '08: Fencing
Stefanie Aucoin is a senior captain of the women's fencing team. She didn't have to go far to come to Brandeis, having grown up in Waltham. Learn more about Stefanie in this installment of Seven Questions
1) What has been the highlight of your athletic career so far?
Unfortunately I’ve had a lot of injuries and illnesses during my sports career so far. So I would say that it’s probably winning the Big One [a/k/a/ the New England Fall Collegiate Tournament] my sophomore year.
2) What makes your team special?
The women’s fencing team is special because of the people on it. Everyone comes from a different background both fencing wise and personally. No one needed to be at a particular level before they came to Brandeis and it’s the effort and dedication that our team puts into our practices and our meets that really makes our team special.
3) How do your experiences on the court translate to the class room/world?
I’ve heard that fencing is a lot like physical chess, it’s a pretty apt description because you have to think two or three moves ahead of yourself in order to score a point sometimes. I feel like fencing can help you be prepared to transfer from school life to the “real world” because fencing teaches you to anticipate problems and deal with the obstacles that life sometimes unexpectedly throws your way.
4) What is your favorite class and why?
My favorite class at Brandeis so far has to have been American Revolution with Professor [David] Fischer. I’m a history major so it’s no big surprise that I chose a history class, but Professor Fischer’s class isn’t like a big boring lecture. He is such a talented speaker that every class is like being able to go and listen to someone tell a story.
5) What is your favorite non-athletic activity at Brandeis and why?
Anything during the the downtime after tournaments is nice. We have practice five days a week with a tournament pretty much every weekend during the season. The buses leave early in the morning and tournaments often go all day. Sometimes its just nice to be able to sleep in on a Saturday!
6) What are your aspirations after Brandeis?
I want to go to Simmons College for Grad School in Archives Management and History, secretly I want to work for a museum or an archive with preservation methods and/ or acquisitions.
7) What is something surprising we might not know about you?
I never really learned how to cook so this whole year living off campus has been an experiment in how well can I feed myself :-)