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SPECIAL
FALL EDITION |
| Board Establishes Renewal Commission for Antioch College |
| National Search Planned to Find New President |
| University Overview |
Student Reflections from the Field
Alumni Profile – Ken Rapoza ’96
By Jeremy Burks ’01
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(from left) Patrick Beck ’94, Ken Rapoza ’96, Dorte Suchting, and Dave Ottaviano ’96, returning from co-op in Kentucky. |
Originally from Westport, Massachusetts, Ken Rapoza ’96 discovered Antioch at a low point in his life. He was unemployed, had just left art school in Boston, and been rejected from the state school he applied to. He desperately wanted to get out of Massachusetts and expand his horizons. The book Adventure Careers, by Alex Hiam and Susan Angle, introduced him to Antioch. He applied immediately and crossed his fingers.
After getting over his initial trepidation— “I thought I was too old [24], and my hair was black, not blue.”—Ken discovered that he was a perfect fit for Antioch. He loved the academics, especially the narrative evaluations. “What I loved is that, at Antioch, you’re only competing with yourself. That keeps you motivated to work, whether you like the subject or not.” He also appreciated the individual attention from professors. He majored in Creative Writing, under Susan Streeter-Carpenter, who directed the Academic Support Center at the time. He cites her, along with such professors as Jean Gregorek, Associate Professor of Literature; Victor Garcia, Professor of Foreign Civilizations and Languages; and Susan Eklund-Leen, Associate Professor of Cooperative Education, as major influences during his Antioch life. “What I loved most was the community, my friends, campus life, the melodrama, the students’ politics, the music, the parties, all of it,” he said.
Ken’s first co-op was an internship with Rhode Island Monthly Magazine – an internship he had tried, unsuccessfully, to get for the three years prior to entering Antioch. The magazine is owned by an Antioch alum. His next three co-ops were spent traveling and gaining world experience: building homes with the Christian Appalachian Project; teaching English in Brazil (where he met his wife) and in southern California; and learning how to improvise when a job falls through. Ken’s last co-op was with Atlantic Monthly Magazine. The magazine initially rejected his application. Undeterred, he pursued the matter with Barbara Wallraff ’72, Senior Editor, and was hired on to the staff.
Post-Antioch, Ken continued working for Atlantic Monthly Magazine, lived in Beacon Hill Friends House (set up through Susan Eklund-Leen), and did temp work around Boston. Eventually, he took a position as editor for Newswire. During his tenure there, he also worked in an internship for National Public Radio – a position created for him by a producer who had a friend from Yellow Springs. “Every good job I’ve ever had in my life, I owe to Antioch. Every door that opened for me was because of Antioch,” said Ken.
Ken is currently a staff reporter and editor for World Press Review and a freelance reporter for the Boston Globe. In addition, his work has appeared in The Nation and Salon.com.