main header picture

LCC International University > News and Events > Karolis Manšas: From English major to IT Systems Administrator

Karolis Manšas: From English major to IT Systems Administrator

2021-11-16

Though Karolis Manšas has only been working here for a couple of months, LCC is not a new place for him. Karolis, born and raised in Klaipėda, studied at LCC and graduated in 2018. Now he works as a Systems Administrator in our IT Department.

His first experience with LCC was at a Summer Language Institute in 2011 where he had a chance to improve his English and had a wonderful time making new friends. Karolis shares,

“The LCC community and culture charmed me. When the time came to choose where to study for university, LCC was on the top of my list.”

Karolis graduated with a degree in Contemporary Communication, but when he first started LCC he had a different major. He says, “I started as an English major yet soon I realized syntactic tree diagrams and literature essays were kind of ‘rocket science’ to me. The next year when Contemporary Communication kicked off as a new study program, I decided to switch my major.”

When talking about his memories as an LCC student, Karolis has many to share. While at LCC, he also worked as an IT Help Desk Assistant, which made monotonous days much more amusing. One of his adventures at LCC that he recalls sounds very exciting. “Once, along with the receptionists, we were able to catch thieves trying to loot the vending machines and the story even got covered on TV.” Besides working with IT during his student days, Karolis was a part of the Rotaract Club too, which was a meaningful experience for him. During his time with the club, they planted 50 oak trees around LCC campus. One December, they also brought a Christmas tree and placed it in front of the DeFehr building for the holidays.

Karolis has traveled quite a lot. After his freshman year at LCC, he went to work in the U.S. through the Work and Travel program. He shared about his first trip,

“I just took a small backpack and flew to New York. The first time I saw Manhattan I thought I was on Mars. It was quite a change from Klaipėda. I could not even see the tops of the skyscrapers because of the fog.”

He continues, “Then just a bus ride away and I was in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the ‘Vegas of the East Coast.’ However, my work was in Ventnor City, not quite Atlantic City or New York. Throughout the summer I worked in a small bed-and-breakfast hotel, and an ice cream store. After an intense summer of work, I was able to travel for a few weeks and experience some amazing things. I got to eat cheesesteak in Philadelphia, walked around the inner harbor of Baltimore, saw the White House in Washington D.C., and watched an exhibition basketball game in Madison Square Garden, New York, in preparation for the FIBA World Cup between the U.S. and Puerto Rico.”

His second trip to the U.S. was the following summer. This time, he went with his friends from LCC, Julius and Jonas, and they worked on the West Coast. “This next time in the U.S. was even better. We worked in the most beautiful place I have ever lived, South Lake Tahoe, in California. This time I worked in a casino as a Stage Technician for a magic show with the illusionist, Rob Lake. My job was to prepare props before and during the show. For example, firing confetti at the end of the show when Rob miraculously ‘teleports’ from being locked up in a cage on stage, to behind the audience on a motorcycle. Also this trip with work and travel, the ‘travel’ part was great. I visited Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Las Vegas, and the Grand Canyon.”

Along with his trips to the U.S., Karolis spent a semester in South Korea with the Study Abroad program. “Another major student highlight was semester in Kyung Hee University in South Korea by Study Abroad program. As a teenager I was always fascinated by the East Asian culture. Thus, when I saw the CIE office presentation about Study Abroad program opportunities, I realized I cannot miss such a chance.

“Not only did I get to live half an hour away from the capital Seoul, but visit the second largest city Busan, the Jeju island, and travel to Japan during the fall break. The campus of the university was probably one of the biggest culture shocks – my dormitory even had a room full of karaoke boxes. 1000 Korean won and you get to enjoy singing your favorite K-pop song. We totally need this at LCC.”

After graduating from LCC, Karolis was able to do many Erasmus projects in Romania, Germany, and Portugal. To take a break from studying, he tried for a career in the IT field. He successfully got a job with DFDS Seaways Company, where he worked for the last two and a half years he worked as IT Administrator. He believes that this new position back at LCC is a step forward. “I have a role with more responsibilities and fewer call-center calls.” His job requires him to make sure that “the IT infrastructure and systems are running well. Most IT-related requests and issues go through our office.

When it comes to my job, my favorite part of my work is the magic moment when something finally works, and the problem is solved.”

During his free time, Karolis likes to go to trivia nights and enjoys playing board games. He is also a part of the Klaipėda choir within the community. When asked about the future, Karolis says that planning is hard for him. However, he does have some more short-term plans. He hopes “to travel the world more, learn to invest better, read more great books, and see all IMDB top 250 movies.”

When asked what he likes most about LCC, Karolis refers again to this “charm” that he mentioned previously, which simply comes from the amazing atmosphere at LCC. LCC just has something different, which made studying here, and now working here, so enjoyable.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of LCC International University, Karolis’ wish for  LCC is that they “have the 300th anniversary.”

Photographs are taken from Karolis Manšas' personal archive.

Return to previous page