Vincent Giacalone '21
BA French Language and Literature

What are your plans after graduation?
After graduation, I plan to pursue a career in journalism. As we speak, I'm trying to secure an internship for this summer at a local news outlet with the eventual goal of working for a large publication.

Favorite class:
Believe it or not, my favorite class was Rock Music. I took this class freshman year to fulfill a requirement and it was so interesting to learn about the history of Rock. I'm a huge music fan and this class broadened my horizons while introducing me to new music and artists. 

Favorite French class:
My favorite French class was Conversation because it was great to use my language skills with others and practice speaking. In a lot of other classes, we focused on reading older works and analyzing them but in this class we combined grammar lessons with speaking and current events. Professeur Laifer taught that class and it was fun and informative. 

How will you use your fantastic French language skills?
I plan on using my language skills to branch out to new audiences with my work and give myself an edge over other candidates. Bilingualism is an important trait to have and I believe it will come in handy when I write articles in the future for global publications/news outlets. 

Favorite SBU memory:
My fondest memories are from the sporting events, actually. I'm a huge sports fan and one of my favorite things to do was go to the sporting events with my friends, cheer on Stony Brook, show my passion and then hang out afterward. We always got into it and loved the atmosphere that the other fans and students created. 

Interests and accomplishments:
My love for sports is one of the reasons why I started writing and one of my accomplishments was becoming a sports writer for The Statesman, the university's newspaper. It was great to be welcomed into that group and to have the opportunity to write about something I love. It also gave me experience for the future. 

Greatest accomplishment:
Speaking of writing for the university's newspaper, one of my greatest accomplishments was getting a story I had written on the back page of one of the issues. I thought I had written it quite well and to see it on the physical copy of the newspaper brought me great joy. I love reading the newspaper and going straight to the sports section on the back so to see my own story there was amazing. 

Advice for future Seawolves?
To the future Seawolves I say this: take advantage of everything the university has to offer you. College can be daunting and scary at first, but Stony Brook has myriad resources to help you succeed. From all the different clubs, to the Career Center to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)–there are a lot of different resources. I regret not taking advantage of these and staying in my comfort zone for the most part. Don't be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something new! College is the place to experiment and figure out who you really are as a person.