Get To Know Skye Bork, Distinguished Young Woman of America 2017

Name: Skye Bork

Age: 18

Hometown: Washington, DC

College: Columbia University

Major: Economics and Math Major

Favorite food: Any kind of pasta! I love basil pesto and spicy marinara sauces. My suitemate at Columbia is an amazing pasta chef and makes us the best homemade spaghetti.

Favorite TV show: Parks and Recreation. Leslie Knope is one of my favorite TV characters. Her perseverance and tenacity are inspiring!

Favorite Christmas/holiday tradition: Dancing and watching the Nutcracker

Favorite quote: “Never, never, never give up”-Winston Churchill

Favorite time of year: Winter because its ski season!

Plan ahead OR procrastinate: I wish that I could plan ahead but I can be a bit of a procrastinator.

Paper OR plastic: neither, always reusable!

Glass half-full OR glass half-empty: I have found that positivity can transform any situation.

Introvert OR extrovert: Extroverted introvert: I love meeting and talking to people but also love a quiet fall walk with earbuds in playing my favorite music.

Cats OR Dogs: Dogs all the way!

Morning person OR night person: Night person! As my roommate has come to know, I am not fully functional until after 10 am. I need my caffeine fix!

If you could be any color crayon, what would you be and why?

Anything neon! I hope to be a positive force in people’s lives and light up their days just as neon lights up any page.

What would I find in your refrigerator right now (if you have one)?

In an ideal world, my roommate and I would have a refrigerator stocked with fruits, veggies, and our favorite ice cream. But lo and behold it is usually empty or holds a lone piece of pizza or a random smoothie. Such is the college life!

What is the one thing you wish someone had told you about college life that you had to find out on your own?

There are so many wonderful opportunities at college that it is easy to feel overwhelmed. I am still figuring this out, but am finding that it is okay to spend freshman year getting acclimated. Speaking from a stressful personal experience, signing up for twenty clubs, auditioning for five groups, and attending all the jobs fairs is definitely not the way to go! DYW girls will understand that as overachievers it is natural to want to try anything and everything but I have learned that it is also important to take time to get settled.

Sum yourself up in three words.

Determined, Passionate, Curious

What do you want to be when you grow up and why?

If I had to use two words to describe my career aspirations, they would be: change agent. No matter whether I am working in international business or pursuing a career in politics and government, I know that I will be working towards the betterment of society. My parents have always instilled in me the importance of working for the greater good, and by reading and learning about the world around me, I have grown to absorb that mantra as my own. Beginning with my community, I hope to enact lasting, positive change. Female empowerment and education are two issues that I hold particularly dear to my heart and hope to impact.

Describe your single-most favorite moment from your Distinguished Young Women experience.

The theater was brimming with nervous energy on National Finals night, especially backstage, as the eight finalists prepared for the final moments of intense competition. As we all stressed out about costume changes and routines, the situation could have been volatile, competitive, and tense, but instead each of us chose to create an environment of positivity, love, and support. Offering each other words of encouragement and high fives, we were there for one another. One moment in particular stands out. We had just concluded the three categories of on-stage competition and were preparing for awards. Drawn to one another as we entered the dressing room, we huddled with our arms around one another. Each of us was brought to tears as we thanked one another for an immensely special two weeks. In that moment, the competition faded into the distance, and the sisterhood that we had built was the only thing on our minds. Sisterhood is a truly unique aspect of the DYW program and this was a particularly emblematic moment of DYW’s sisterhood for me.

Growing up in an extremely competitive high school environment, this moment of solidarity came as a welcome new experience. My interactions at Columbia, a similarly competitive environment, have been motivated by this commitment to building community no matter the situation. I am so lucky and grateful to have felt the powerful energy that can emerge from strong women lifting one another up, a lesson I intend to carry with me throughout the rest of my life.