Emily Carll '20
BA Political Science and Asian and Asian American Studies
Minors in Russian Studies and International Studies
Emily Carll heard about Stony Brook University through her sister, who was a senior Health Science major when Emily came here as a freshman. She was excited to come to SBU because of the increased diversity of the campus and the international opportunities available, as opposed to the relatively low diversity of her hometown outside of Rochester. Looking to get into international relations after completing the Rotary Youth Exchange Program in Slovakia and SBU’s summer study abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia, Emily chose to major in Political Science with minors in International Studies and Russian. She added a double major in Asian and Asian American Studies after seeing the interrelationships of Asia with her other areas of interest. As Emily said herself: “One cannot talk about political science from an international relations perspective without talking about Asia.”
Having a complex academic life - and finishing with a 3.95 GPA - did not get in the way of Emily’s involvement both on and off campus. She was part of the President’s Council of Student Advisors, the Women’s Leadership Council, the Political Science Honors Society, and Camp Kesem, as well as being a student ambassador, a foreign affairs campus coordinator, and an intern for the Office of External Scholarships and Fellowships. She also worked three on campus jobs at the Staller center and two others in Campus Residences. Emily served for three years as a Resident Assistant in Stimson College, where she claims her greatest achievement was developing close relationships with her residents during her senior year. “I feel like I have made an impact on my community and many lives here at SBU, as I am still in contact with many of my residents and ‘adopted residents,’” she explained. “I love them all dearly!” Off campus Emily has had the opportunity to intern with the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C. and at the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. She has also worked with Rotary Youth Exchange students to facilitate people-to-people diplomacy throughout the Northeast, U.S.
Emily’s plans for after graduation revolve around two major awards that she received in recognition of her achievements. The first of these is a highly competitive and prestigious Critical Language Scholarship from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) to learn Hindi. While this was originally set to take place in Jaipur, India, it has been moved to an online setting and is still expected to be a highly intensive course. The second accolade is a Fulbright Award to teach English in Serbia, which Emily will now begin in January due to COVID-19. Emily found her dream career path through the mentorship of Stony Brook University Professor Harsh Bhasin. She hopes to join the U.S. Foreign Service as a Public Diplomacy Officer, and work her way up to the Senior Foreign Service to become a U.S. Ambassador.
Emily’s advice to future Seawolves is to put in the effort to form connections with your professors. “Do yourself a favor and knock on the door,” she said. “Get to know different professors and faculty on campus. They are your best resource and many of them will do just about anything to help you succeed!”
Likewise, Emily became very close with several of her professors, particularly Anna Geisherik, a lecturer of Russian in the Department of European Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. “Professor Geisherik is like a mom that no one wants to disappoint and is what every language teacher should aspire to be,” she said.
Emily is grateful to everyone who has helped her throughout her undergraduate career. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without your push and guidance,” she said. “You had confidence in me when I couldn’t find it in myself. To professors and faculty that have taken me under their wing such as Harsh Bhasin and Jen Green, as well as many others, and my family, friends and boyfriend - your support is invaluable and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”