Reaching for Perfection at the University of Nevada Las Vegas

 

Dawid Mzyk and Marta Plominska have not always agreed on where their educational or career paths might take them.

Both students are from Poland. Mzyk was born 28 years ago in the city of Jaworzno. Plominska, age 25, was born in Radzionkow.

Both are musicians. Mzyk plays trombone, while Plominska plays another wind instrument: the flute¹.

The two had been in a relationship for several years when Mzyk earned a master’s degree at the Academy² of Music in Kraków. He completed his studies in 2014.

At that time, Plominska still had a few years left in her own master’s degree program at the Academy of Music. But Mzyk could not wait to continue his education. He felt any delay would limit him from pushing his abilities as a musician even further.

About 10 years earlier, Mzyk had visited the United States and enjoyed his time there. So he decided³ he wanted to attend an American college or university. However, Plominska had no desire to leave Europe.

In the end, Mzyk was admitted to a two-year program at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia. He began studying there on his own in 2015.

But Mzyk and Plominska would not let their differences nor the distance end their relationship. In 2016, they decided to eventually get married. And once Plominska earned her master’s degree, she agreed to come to the U.S. and give its higher education system a try.

From her very first day in Georgia, Plominska says there were major difficulties she had to overcome. For example, Kraków has a large public transportation system, which many locals use, while Columbus has only a few buses. Without a car, she and Mzyk found it hard to do what, back in Poland, had been some of the simplest things, such as going to a store to buy food.

But Plominksa says she also noted⁴ a major difference in the behavior of Americans compared to the people back home.

"The people in the U.S. … they are really smiling a lot, I think. They smiling on the street when they pass you, and they usually can say, ‘Hi. How are you?’ which will never happen to you in Europe."

Slowly, these and other qualities of life in the U.S. began to make Plominska enjoy herself, she says. Then, enjoying life as an international student became even more important. Both she and Mzyk agreed that they would need to continue their education after completing their studies at Columbus State in 2017.

The two knew that to perfect their musical abilities and find university teaching⁵ positions or jobs as performers, they needed to earn doctoral degrees. That is when they learned⁶ about the University of Nevada Las Vegas, or UNLV.

UNLV is a public research university that was established in 1957. It serves about 30,400 students. The city of Las Vegas is well-known as a place for people to visit while on vacation, while Nevada is famous for its gaming industry.

Las Vegas has many casinos and large hotels, where some of the most popular entertainers from around the world perform. And there is a saying that expresses the culture of partying there: ‘What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.’

Mzyk admits that he had never heard of UNLV before he began considering doctoral degree programs. Yet he says he was pleased to find that many professors teaching at the school came from well-respected universities.

However, Mzyk says he and Plominksa had a difficult start in Nevada, just like they did in Georgia.

"We didn’t have the best start in Las Vegas, because our bikes were stolen after two weeks, I think, when we moved in. And then our neighbors’ … below, they were evicted⁷ because of some reasons we don’t know really."

Las Vegas does not have the country’s highest crime rate. But the Federal⁸ Bureau⁹ of Investigation¹⁰ did report over 4,900 violent crimes there in 2017. And Mzyk and Plominska say they did feel unsafe at times.

Anastasia Motiti shares their concerns. The 23-year-old UNLV student is from Nicosia, the largest city of the island of Cyprus. Growing up, she says, her community was so closely¹¹ connected that there was little fear of crime. So she felt a little unprepared for what life was like in Las Vegas.

In 2016, Motiti earned a bachelor’s degree at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. Her degree program was in musical performance.

Like Plominska, Motiti plays the flute. She learned about the school through the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s main program for international student exchanges.

Motiti says she liked the American method of higher education, which lets students take classes in both their major and other subjects. So she decided to seek a master’s degree at UNLV immediately after completing her bachelor’s degree.

Once Motiti moved to Las Vegas, she says, it took her time to learn to pay close attention to her surroundings¹² in order to stay safe. But she adds that life as a UNLV student soon made it so that she had little time to go anywhere or doing anything outside of schoolwork.

For music students, earning any sort of master’s or doctoral degree means hours and hours of playing one’s instrument, says Motiti. But more than that, she feels that her studies helped expand her knowledge and skills beyond just playing the flute. Now she has experience writing music and leading other performers.

Motiti recalls¹³ that one professor showed her different kinds of music she had never enjoyed before.

"He introduced me to opera, which for me now, is much better than theater, than movies … because it combines everything, literally¹⁵. … I was blind to it … and then suddenly I come here and this person just shows me how I want to continue."

Dawid Mzyk and Marta Plominska agree that they now spend much of their week on the grounds of UNLV, especially in the music building. They say that, in a way, it is good for their relationship since they are both studying in such an intense¹⁶ program.

Myzk and Plominska hold positions as teaching assistants at UNLV. They agree that teaching makes them look at the music and their own playing in ways they might not have considered a few years ago. And they say this adds to the list of ways the school helps them reach their goal of being the best musicians they can be.

I’m Pete Musto. And I’m Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

master’s degree – n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after one or two years of additional¹⁷ study following a bachelor's degree

smiling – v. making the corners of your mouth turn up in an expression that shows happiness, amusement, pleasure, or affection¹⁸

doctoral degree(s) – n. the highest degree that is given by a university

casino(s) – n. a building or room that has games such as roulette or blackjack for the practice of risking money on a bet¹⁴

bike(s) – n. a two-wheeled vehicle that a person rides by pushing on foot pedals¹⁹

evict(ed) – v. to force someone to leave the place in which they are living

bachelor’s degree – n. a degree that is given to a student by a college or university usually after four years of study

major – n. the main subject studied by a college or university student

introduce(d) – v. to cause someone to learn about or try something for the first time

opera – n. a kind of performance in which actors sing all or most of the words of a play with music performed by a group of musicians who play usually classical music together and who are led by a conductor

1 flute   

n.长笛；v.吹笛

参考例句：

• He took out his flute, and blew at it.他拿出笛子吹了起来。
• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。

2 academy   

n.(高等)专科院校；学术社团，协会，研究院

参考例句：

• This is an academy of music.这是一所音乐专科学院。
• I visited Chinese Academy of Sciences yesterday.我昨天去访问了中国科学院。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

6 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

7 evicted   

v.（依法从房屋里或土地上）驱逐，赶出( evict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• They had evicted their tenants for non-payment of rent. 他们赶走了未交房租的房客。

8 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

9 bureau   

n.提供或收集消息的机构；局，司，处；署

参考例句：

• The weather bureau makes daily reports on weather conditions.气象局每天报告天气状况。
• The Tourist Bureau arranged everything for our journey to Rome.旅游局已为我们去罗马旅行准备了一切。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 closely   

adv.紧密地；严密地，密切地

参考例句：

• We shall follow closely the development of the situation.我们将密切注意形势的发展。
• The two companies are closely tied up with each other.这两家公司之间有密切联系。

12 surroundings   

n.周围的事物(或情况)，环境

参考例句：

• She is not very well tuned into her surroundings. 她不太适应周围的环境。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

13 recalls   

回忆起( recall的第三人称单数 )； 使想起； 使想到； 勾起

参考例句：

• The sight recalls the days of childhood to me. 那情景使我想起了童年。
• Moreover, extensive use of voluntary recalls can undercut agency accountability. 此外，大量利用自愿撤回会削弱行政机关的责任心。

14 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

15 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

16 intense   

adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的

参考例句：

• Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
• The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。

17 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

18 affection   

n.喜爱；爱慕，感情；倾向，意向

参考例句：

• The handsome young man excited affection in a girl.那位英俊的年轻男子引起了一个女孩的爱慕之情。
• He has a deep affection for his old friend.他对老朋友感情很深。

19 pedals   

n.（自行车或其他机器的）踏板( pedal的名词复数 )；脚蹬子；（钢琴、风琴等的）踏板；踏瓣

参考例句：

• I couldn't reach the pedals on her bike. 我骑她的车够不到脚蹬子。
• The pedals of a cycle are attached to a crank. 自行车的踏板与曲柄相连。 来自辞典例句