Anna Lajos '25, International Relations

"I was pleasantly surprised by just how friendly everyone is. Everyone wants to help and is open to meeting someone new."

By the time she applied to Bucknell, Anna Lajos '25 had lived in three different countries and spoke as many languages.

Lajos, the Poland-born daughter of Russian and Hungarian parents, grew up paying yearly visits to family across Eastern Europe — amid a packed extracurricular schedule.

"My mom put me in every activity I could possibly do. Ballet, piano, horseback riding, swimming," says Lajos, who spent her childhood in Russia. "I started playing tennis, and, for some reason, that stuck with me."

She began playing tournaments at eight years old and was soon training at tennis academies in Spain. Spain is home to some of Europe's best training facilities for aspiring champions, including the Juan Carlos Ferrero Equelite Sport Academy, where top men's player Carlos Alcaraz gained his competitive edge — and where Lajos too honed her skills on the court.

Between training in the summer and attending high school in Abu Dhabi during the year, Lajos focused on raising her international ranking through match wins. The higher a student's ranking, the more competitive they are as a recruit for U.S. universities. "I spent some Christmases in the U.S. with my family and came to love the country, so I had my heart set on attending a Division I college on the East Coast."

To pursue that goal, Lajos contacted more than 100 coaches, searching for a school with a high-performing team that would also support Lajos' lifelong dream of working in diplomacy. That's when she connected with Bucknell women’s tennis head coach Tammy Cecchini, who selected Lajos as her first-ever international recruit.

"[Women's tennis players] are like a little family. Being on a Bucknell team isn't just about the sport — it's about relationships too," Lajos says. Photo by Emily Paine, Marketing & Communications

The People Make the Place

Lajos didn't get to visit campus before arriving for her first year, but her nerves were quickly calmed by the welcoming community she found at Bucknell.

"The Pre-Orientation programs here are amazing. I participated in the GC3 program for international students, which helped me meet friends and settle in," she says. "I was pleasantly surprised by just how friendly everyone is. Everyone wants to help and is open to meeting someone new."

Some of Lajos' closest connections are with her tennis teammates, who "are like a little family. We have holiday dinners, team bake-offs, kayaking trips. Being on a Bucknell team isn't just about the sport — it's about relationships too."

The same goes for her academic experiences. After declaring an international relations major, Lajos jumped at the opportunity to intern for the department, partnering closely with faculty to evaluate and improve the course curriculum through comparative research. It's work that not only deepened Lajos' appreciation for her professors' dedication but that she also hopes to apply to a career on the international stage.

With a wealth of international experience under her belt, Lajos endeavors to forge a path in human rights advocacy with the United Nations after graduating. "I've had so much experience living in different places. I want to continue to be in an atmosphere filled with different languages, cultures and political views," she says. "The UN is an organization where there are so many branches and opportunities to make a difference."