Sowad Ocean Karim '23
BA Political Science, BS Biology
Minors in Environmental Studies, International Studies, and Health, Medicine, and
Society
Pronouns: he/him
How did you hear about Stony Brook University?
I've always known about the public universities in New York as a New Yorker. The SUNY
and CUNY schools were on the radar. I first heard of Stony Brook from my local pharmacist,
who has a daughter who went to Stony Brook for medical school. I learned more about
SBU from my high school, The Bronx High School of Science; SBU does on-site admissions
for Bronx Science students, so I gave it a shot and got my acceptance right away.
On Stony Brook:
As time went on with my college selection, the biggest thing (besides affordability)
that drew me to Stony Brook was its diversity. If America treated diversity like a
melting pot, Stony Brook treats it like a mosaic, where each individual and background
is a piece of broken colored glass that comes together to create the image that is
Stony Brook. We celebrate diversity and identity and much more without losing our
individuality here, and I dearly treasure that.
On his major:
I am on a pre-med track, double major in biology and political science, and a triple
minor in environmental studies, international studies, and health, medicine, and society.
I am very interested in understanding both the natural and social sciences and felt
that all of these combined will truly aid in furthering my endeavors of gathering
more knowledge and perspectives to work towards addressing the many problems that
continue to plague our society. With biology, I learn more about the intricacies of
the human body and how it functions, as well as the environment and how all of those
interact with each other. With political science, I learn more about human nature,
society, governmental structure, policy, why people consent to the way they are governed,
foreign affairs, and much more. With my environmental studies and international studies
minors, I work towards enriching and furthering the depth of knowledge in my respective
majors. With my health, medicine, and society minor, I gain an applicable perspective
that bridges the two majors together.
Favorite Class:
SOC 340 and POL 102 are tied for my favorite classes. SOC 340: Sociology of Human
Reproduction as a class helped me to shape and give me a greater reason as to why
I wanted to pursue medicine and become a doctor in the first place. POL 102: Introduction
to American Government was a very light-hearted class that, had I not taken it in
my first year, would not have shaped me to consider including political science as
a second major nor be involved and work all in the pursuit of knowledge.
Greatest achievement:
I would say publishing a book would probably be one of my greatest achievements thus far. This was an ambitious
project of both mine and my friend, Kellianne Ticcony. The goal was to have a collection
of various poems, drawings, and other forms of art to celebrate the importance of
nature, the environment, and the Ashley Schiff Preserve located in Stony Brook University.
What is really cool is that the works were all made by Stony Brook students, and all
proceeds collected by the book will go directly to the Friends of Ashley Schiff foundation.
Awards & Accolades:
Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), Upstander Award, Benjamin A. Gilman International
Scholarship, SOULE Foundation Book Grant
Plans for post-graduation:
Graduate school at Stony Brook! I am in the process of applying for the Master in
Public Health at Stony Brook, and working towards the dual master’s program to also
do the Master in Public Policy.
Career aspirations:
Becoming a pediatric primary care physician who also works towards advocating and/or
writing legislations that work towards improving the quality and accessibility of
healthcare in this nation, especially for those living in historically marginalized
communities.
Clubs and organizations:
The Undergraduate Student Government (USG), College Democrats of Stony Brook, College
Democrats of New York, Phi Delta Epsilon International Pre-Medical Fraternity (PhiDE),
Pi Sigma Alpha National Political Science Honor Society, Environmental Club, National
Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), Company of Archers (COFA), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ),
Haitian Student Organization (HSO), Cat Network of SBU, Faculty Student Association
(FSA), Students Helping Honduras (SHH), Suffolk County Board of Elections, the Thacker
Lab inthe Department of Ecology and Evolution, Seawolves Team for Admissions Recruitment
(STARs), SUNY SA, and SBU Hillel.
Advice for potential Seawolves:
#1: Do not be afraid to take risks (smart ones, of course). College is one of the
best environments where trying out new things, shooting for the stars, and getting
out of your comfort zone, is all highly encouraged. It is a more controlled environment
for you so that you can get a much stronger understanding of who you are before adulthood.
#2: Have hobbies and passion projects. Stony Brook is an academically rigorous environment,
and prides itself on being such a reputable institution (as it should!). But this
also means that you can get overwhelmed and stressed out, and risk burning out. Having
a hobby (or hobbies) that you can turn to will help out with managing stress, as it
is something that you enjoy doing. For me that was cooking, exploring, board games,
and hanging out with my friends. Passion projects are independent goals or achievements
that truly inspire you, and allow you to have a visualized goal to accomplish; this
will allow you to be consistent in fueling your ambition. I truly believe that having
a passion project every academic year (or even every semester) would help out a lot,
as four years to reach graduation is too far ahead of a goal. For me, my passion project
was to leave my mark on Stony Brook University, and I truly believe I have done so
with the book my friend and I published to further support green spaces on campus, creating PrideFest
(a whole new tradition on campus to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community) and having two
successful years of hosting that, and connecting/bonding with a lot of people!
#3: You deserve every award or election you won, every achievement, and much more.
There will be times where you may face imposter syndrome. Learning about how you can
love and appreciate yourself and the hard work you put in is going to be important.
Favorite SBU memory:
I will be remembering all the friends and connections that I have made here at Stony
Brook. The people here at Stony Brook are beautiful and amazing, and they all genuinely
shaped and made me who I am.