Many college students spend
years sampling dishes from the academic smorgasbord, searching for a few
special subjects that are especially satisfying. Just 18 years of age, Zoë
Tobier is already feasting from a buffet of scholarly interests.
Many college students spend
years sampling dishes from the academic smorgasbord, searching for a few
special subjects that are especially satisfying. Just 18 years of age, Zoë
Tobier is already feasting from a buffet of scholarly interests.
"The idea of studying to become an elementary or high school teacher appeals to me," she says. "Or I might enroll in law school some day and pursue the legal profession. Then again, I can see myself becoming a psychoanalyst--or even a filmmaker."
Laughing, she finally ponders the possibility of combining a couple of interests: "Maybe I'm destined to become a filmmaker who specializes in psychological thrillers."
For now, this freshman from New York City has declared her intention to pursue a double major in literature and film. The decision reveals much about Tobier's light and serious sides. "I enjoy reading and watching movies a lot," she says. "But I'm also very interested in critical thinking. Declaring early will let me enroll in some very challenging upper-division courses right away."
Tobier has never shied away from learning. She is one of 48 new Regents Scholars on campus, students whose academic achievement in high school qualified them for the University of California's most prestigious scholarship.
She competed for admission to her high school, an experimental school for academically talented students run by the City University of New York's Hunter College. Even before graduating from Hunter High, she dabbled in cinema, receiving a credit for preproduction work on the 1997 film All Over Me.
The film tells the story of a young woman who begins to understand who she is--and how important it is to be that person without apology. In many ways, Tobier resembles its main character.
When it came time to apply for college admission, for example, she followed her heart, not her friends, "most of whom applied to Brown or Vassar." Tobier narrowed her college choices to three: UC Berkeley, Evergreen College, and UC Santa Cruz--"West Coast schools where I could get a great education." Accepted at all three campuses, Tobier opted for Santa Cruz.
Once on campus, she employed the same independence in making one of her first important decisions as a UCSC student: In the fall quarter, the first in which grades were offered in every UCSC course, Tobier opted to receive narrative evaluations only.
"I can understand why people want grades, but I decided grades are not what motivates me personally. I want to learn to write well, to explore ways to convey ideas to others," she says. "For me, real satisfaction comes from the interaction with others and the exchange of ideas."
--Jim Burns