Lilla Porubek

College of Arts and Sciences
Economics major
Budapest, Hungary

Balancing act

Lilla Porubek is an outside hitter on the Kansas State University volleyball team. In 2012 she made the Academic All-Big 12 First team. The star athlete and College of Arts and Sciences scholar works hard in the classroom and on the court. “I consider both my academic and athletic challenges as opportunities to compete against myself where I can improve a little everyday,” she says. “It is not easy to balance academic and athletics, but it is helpful to plan and work ahead. I try to focus on one thing at a time and procrastinate as less as possible.”

Choosing a major

Being from Hungary, Porubek wanted to find a global major. She found it in economics. The major has helped her find connections among countries. “I wanted to study about issues that are present in our everyday life and greatly influence us,” she says. “Also, I wanted to choose a major that would give me a wide variety of job options.”

Seeing economics

For Porubek, economics is everywhere. She always finds economics connections in her life and in other classes. “My major makes it so much easier to see problems from an economics perspective and helps me make appropriate financial decisions,” she says. “Economics made it easier for me to understand what is happening in the world around me.”

Part of a family

As a student in the College of Arts and Science, Porubek says she feels like she is a member of a small family within the larger K-State family. The college, the largest by enrollment at the university, offers Porubek the opportunity to meet students and instructors from different countries. “I feel like it is a great opportunity to learn more about cultures and the economic situations of other countries,” she says.

Looking ahead

Porubek says she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in economics. She also hopes to learn French and become trilingual. In addition, she wants to stay involved with volleyball as a player or graduate assistant.

Golden advice

Porubeksays she recommends that future College of Arts and Sciences students meet with their professors as often as possible. “We need to realize that instructors are here to help us and they are always available if something doesn’t make sense in class,” she says.