SHORT INTERVIEW: ANNIE ROPEIK

Annie Ropeik, a 20-year-old Boston University junior from Silver Spring, Maryland, sits calmly answering questions about her choices. The curly-haired undergrad decided to come to B.U. after a process of elimination. Out of the three schools she got accepted to—Maryland College Park, American University, and Boston University—she claims her choice was almost clear-cut. “I wanted a city [and] I wanted out of D.C.,” she says.
Born and raised in the suburbs outside Washington, Ropeik attended B.U. for four semesters, but was later forced to stay home due to a spinal injury. Sitting on a swivel chair with her cane perched carefully on the desk behind her, Ropeik explains her story. Last August, “a random stranger” stabbed her in the back, nicking one spinal cord and causing her to lose movement in her left leg. “It’s a lot of physical therapy,” she says about her life now.
Even though recovery was something that made Ropeik appreciate her hometown more, she was still happy to return to Boston. “I love Boston…[it has] a really cool culture,” she says of the diverse city.
Although an aspiring journalist, Ropeik has declared Classics and Philosophy majors. “I have a minor in Journalism,” she explains, but she “is not planning on finishing it. I am using it to take COM classes.”