Senior Itamar Lewin-Arundale is a double major in communication and history, two disciplines that he believes blend well together.
Lewin-Arundale has thoroughly enjoyed his experience at Wake Forest. “I really like the academic environment of Wake Forest. It combines with the size of the campus. I am into going to the basketball and football games, so it has a big school feel in those aspects but also has the aspect of it that is academically challenging,” Lewin-Arundale said. “I’ve been able to explore a bunch of different facets of academia.”
One thing that drew Lewin-Arundale to Wake Forest were some similarities it holds to his high school. “I [have enjoyed] engaging with the professors one on one. I’ve talked to a lot of my peers who went to different colleges and universities, and they say it is very impersonal in comparison to my high school. Here I feel like it is similar to that,” Lewin-Arundale said. “You can engage with them personally, and I think that comes with the small classes.”
Lewin-Arundale chose communication for a variety of reasons, one being that it fits in well with his long-term goal of attending law school.
“I realized how cross applicable it was — I am interested in law so these two things pair really well. I realized that communication was cross applicable, everything is really rhetoric and that is the part that I am interested in,” Lewin-Arundale said. “If you are going to understand people’s information and what they present to you then you have to understand the way in which they are persuading you with that information.”
Lewin-Arundale has also excelled in the classroom, according to Alessandra Von Burg, a professor of communication.
“Itamar has a contagious passion for learning, always ready to ask insightful questions, and advance class discussions through both his personal experience and a deep connection to the material,” said Von Burg. “He is simultaneously low-key and high-energy, always kind and respectful toward his classmates, but also willing to challenge their arguments, a curious listener and an incredibly intelligent discussant.”
Von Burg has taught Lewin-Arundale in three classes, and has had the chance to work with him outside of the classroom as well.
“I have had Itamar in three classes, including two that were related to the WFU Argumentation Conference,” Von Burg added. “Itamar suggested one of the scholars whom we invited as a keynote speaker. Along with other classmates, Itamar was instrumental in all aspects of planning, organizing and hosting the conference. He even acted as chair of a panel, keeping speakers on time and moderating questions.”
Von Burg added that this conference was an influential experience for Lewin-Arundale, one that has left a positive impact on him.
“He enjoyed the conference so much that now he is considering an academic path, one his other professors and I highly encourage him to pursue,” Von Burg said.
Lewin-Arundale will be moving to Israel after graduation, hoping to remain there for a year, to spend time with his family who live there. He hopes to one day go to law school and see where that takes him.
