Why I Give: Linda Lesniak

Contact: Megan Looker
February 24, 2023
Image
Linda Lesniak, BA '70, MA '71, PhD '74, has a passion for empowering women in the field of mathematics, which inspired her to give to future Bronco alumni through scholarships.

KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擠o the math on Dr. Linda Lesniak. A bachelor鈥檚 degree in elementary education + master鈥檚 degree in mathematics + PhD in mathematics = She鈥檚 more than held her own in a male-dominated field.

Before she came to 澳门六合彩官网直播, she鈥檇 barely left the state of Indiana. Flash forward to today, and Lesniak鈥檚 life in mathematics has taken her around the globe as well as garnered her many accolades.

鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 most proud of the book 鈥淕raphs & Digraphs鈥 that I co-wrote in 1979 with another Western faculty member,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in its sixth edition, has been translated into Japanese and now Indonesian, and has been used all over the world. I even get asked to autograph it when I give lectures!

鈥淪o, I guess in the world of graph theory, I鈥檝e made it,鈥 she jokes.

Image
Women in Graph Theory and Applications research colleagues Zhanar Berikkyzy, left, and Bariela Araujo, right, visited Lesniak on 澳门六合彩官网直播's campus in summer 2022.

Officially 鈥渟ort of retired,鈥 this first-generation college graduate has held tenured professorships in mathematics at Louisiana State University, Western and Drew University. Along with co-authoring 鈥淕raphs & Digraphs,鈥 she has also written about 100 research articles on graph theory. She serves on several mathematical journal editorial boards and travels extensively to give mathematical talks.

鈥淪ince I retired from teaching at Drew and am now an adjunct faculty member at Western, I have the time to do more mentoring of female math students and was an organizer of the National Science Foundation-funded workshop Women in Graph Theory and Applications in 2019,鈥 she says. 鈥淥ver 40 women spent a week at the University of Minnesota, working in six research teams. All these teams are still working in some configuration and have published at least one paper.

鈥淲hy did I do this?鈥 Lesniak asks. 鈥淏ecause the percentage of full professors in STEM areas who are women is woefully low, and this was some way I thought I could help.鈥

At first, Lesniak had planned to become an elementary school teacher. The Gary, Indiana, native chose 澳门六合彩官网直播 because of the University鈥檚 location, reputation for preparing teachers and financial support. 

鈥淚 was a very smart girl鈥攏ot a plus in the 60s鈥攁nd wanted to go to school somewhere that nobody knew me or that I was smart,鈥 Lesniak says. 鈥淎 friend of mine who also wanted to be a teacher was going to 澳门六合彩官网直播, and she told me that it was a good school for teacher training. Finally, since I was poor and 澳门六合彩官网直播 offered me enough money in a financial package to make it comparable to staying in-state in Indiana, Western fit the bill.鈥

Image
Lifelong friends, first-generation college students and 澳门六合彩官网直播 roommates from top left to bottom right: Lesniak, BA '70, MA '71, PhD '74; Tobianne (Calbeck) Price, BA '69, MA '70; Barbara (Greenmail) Johnson, BA '70; and Carolyn (Mallard) Zafiriades, BA '70.

Repaying the alma mater that supported her during her academic journey is one of the reasons she decided to help fund completion scholarships for the College of Arts and Sciences as well as the Department of Mathematics, including the Linda Lesniak International Study Scholarship in Mathematics or Mathematics Education, which is awarded to undergraduate students who wish to study mathematics in Budapest for a semester. Her dedication to mentorship has also nurtured her philanthropic giving.

鈥淚 had amazing mentors at 澳门六合彩官网直播. They were all men, since there were no female math faculty members (at the time),鈥 she says.

Lesniak has never shied away from a challenge. She used to work at U.S. Steel in the summers to help cover the cost of her undergraduate education. Her mentors 鈥渢ook a mill rat鈥 and suggested she get an advanced degree in math. 

鈥淚 had to toughen up early on but, luckily, for many years when I was young, I did a lot of work with three guys who became like family.鈥

As an undergrad, Lesniak student-taught fifth grade and hated it. Fortunately, she was offered an assistantship in math at Western, and after teaching her first class, she knew she was right where she belonged. Upon earning her master鈥檚 degree, she briefly considered teaching at the community college level.

鈥淚 was then encouraged to get my PhD. Other than my college professors, I had never met a person with a PhD. So, I continued and had my wonderful career. But never did I see a woman in front of me, and there are still not enough beside or below me. This is why I mentor young women.鈥

Her passion for empowering women in the field of mathematics also inspired Lesniak to by putting Western in her will.

鈥淚 want everyone, but especially young women, to have dreams and goals,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd I don't want talent to go to waste because of gender stereotypes that limit the dreams of young women or because there鈥檚 no one to reach out and encourage and help with finances.鈥

She hopes others will follow her lead, whether they give dollars, time or both. 

鈥淲hen we first graduate, we feel a lot of connection with our university but likely have very little extra money. Don鈥檛 be embarrassed to send $10 if that's all you have. You can always send more later, or you can also give time if you鈥檙e local.鈥

In addition to giving back, Lesniak offers these words of wisdom for current Broncos: 鈥淒ream big, but get advice from everyone you can. Talk to your professors for both advice and so they get to know you and your goals. After all, we鈥檙e the ones who write your reference letters for grad school and jobs.鈥 鈻