Dr. Heidi Bostic has an artist’s spirit. A drawer and a painter, the South Dakota native has traveled the world and lived in nine states and three countries. That spirit has no doubt come in handy as she took the reins of Marquette’s largest college amid a global pandemic and just as the university was wrapping up a semester like no other.
Heidi took some time recently to sit down — virtually, of course — with Marquette Today to talk about her extensive travels, the strong women she admires and her dream of becoming a graphic novelist.
Hometown: Brookings, South Dakota
Family: Husband of 28 years, Stephen Pluháček
Hobbies and interests: Taking long walks around Milwaukee, baking, reading, travel, playing the piano (which I have done very little over the past five years), enjoying great meals and conversation with friends, drawing, and creating watercolor-painted greeting cards
Favorite movies: For classics, anything starring Ingrid Bergman. For contemporary films, anything directed by Omaha native Alexander Payne. I recently saw the powerful 2019 film “Just Mercy” and would highly recommend it.
Heroes: My mom, whom we lost 20 years ago but who is still with me every day. And leaders like Chile’s Michelle Bachelet or Germany’s Angela Merkel or New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern.
Favorite quotes/mottos: “Let us not grow weary in doing what is right” (Galatians 6:9).
Currently reading: Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning
Favorite vacation spots: Yellowstone National Park. My husband and I spent our honeymoon there and have returned every five years for our anniversary. We had the opportunity to visit eastern Tibet a few years ago, and I would love to go there again. We also enjoy traveling to the Czech Republic to visit his relatives and soak in the history along with the fairy-tale beauty of Prague. And we love visiting U.S. cities ranging from New York and Boston to Omaha and San Antonio.
Biggest career learning experience: I would say, mission matters. Go where your heart leads. Help others grow and flourish. You can never listen or communicate too much.
Fun facts: My husband and I have lived in nine U.S. states as well as in Chile and in France. We have loved all these places, and now we are thrilled to be in Milwaukee, which feels like home. One of the first things I did upon arriving was participate in the St. Joan of Arc Memorial Mass in St. Joan of Arc Chapel, where I read a scripture passage in French. I love graphic novels and harbor the dream of creating one someday. Alison Bechdel or Chris Ware, if you’re reading this, you are my role models.
