Alexandria Austin '25
BA Economics, minor in Writing and Rhetoric 

On Stony Brook:

I ended up choosing to study at Stony Brook because of transportation convenience when I moved to Long Island. My commute went from 40 minutes to an hour (on a good day) traveling to Old Westbury, to 25-30 minutes going to SBU.

Secondly, SBU is known to be a great school. Who wouldn’t want to graduate from Stony Brook?

The third reason is that I felt I was able to grow at Stony Brook after I did a lot of research on what they offer, from the different degrees and programs available. Even though when I first came I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a major, I knew that even if I was in the wrong major, I would find my passion and be able to switch to a major I wanted. I would still be able to grow.

I also was attracted to the multiple opportunities and resources available and wanted more out of my college experience. When you converse with others, most people in NY recognize Stony Brook.  I was receiving more “Oh, that’s a great school you’re going to!” Hearing those words definitely boost my confidence and gave me a lot more peace about my decision to attend Stony Brook as a student.

On her minor: 

 I decided to do my minor in writing and rhetoric, because Professor Kaplan actually convinced me. He felt like I would be a great writer. I was not confident with my writing, and always overthought things, feeling I didn’t have the proper structure and all the important skills when it comes to being a writer. Professor Kaplan convinced me that it's really just me needing to get out of my head and develop a habit of writing more So I decided to take on the challenge of adding the minor of writing and rhetoric. I was able to complete it all and during my senior year, my writing courses were the most fun courses I took. It also grew my confidence as a writer. I do appreciate this minor, as it helped me change my mindset on writing and the opportunities and possibilities that can come with it.

Favorite class:

Honestly, my favorite classes are the ones that I was able to really express who I am, my thoughts, what I love about life or even love about how I was shaped into this world. Most of the time that was either my writing courses or the art courses I took when I first came to Stony Brook. I’m really a creative person, and I love tapping into those creative outlets when it comes to the arts, which honestly fits my degree perfectly. I’m an artistic kind of person in different ways. Maybe not in poetry or painting or theater, but when it comes to being able to write about who I am as a Black woman introducing herself to Stony Brook and to the world, I was able to express about my natural hair texture through multiple projects for foundational art. Even have class discussions some of the challenges that a Black woman had to experience through photography, or making a McDonalds amusement park for my anthropology course. Those were the classes that truly resonated with me when I look back at my assignments in my Google Drive and I can say “that was such a great class. It was so much fun and I want to do more of that.”

Interests and accomplishments:

I love rollerskating and crocheting! I also love watching movies at the movie theater with the whole popcorn experience but also playing movies like Grease and the High School Musical series at home all day. I love riding a bike. I love traveling to different islands and learning the culture. I love doing a lot more but we will be here all day!

An accomplishment is being able to graduate college. That may sound silly to add here but when I look back, I could’ve continued working full time only, and most people who drop out of college find it hard to get back. Graduating really feels big and I’m proud of me for not throwing in the towel permanently.

Plans for post-graduation:

After graduation, I plan to launch multiple businesses I’ve been wanting to start for a while. I am a business woman/entrepreneur at heart, and I always told myself after graduating, I will put my heart and soul into by businesses so they can grow as I always envisioned.  I do plan to get a corporate job in NY where I can just gain more experience, skills, opportunities, and income in the business field. I do plan to get my master's in business in a year,  because after being in college for seven years for undergrad, I would like a break to relax my mind a little. 

Advice for future Seawolves:

Take all the opportunities that your school has to offer.  I am a commuter and when I first came here, I always said I’m just gonna go to class, I’m gonna go home or I’m gonna go to work and that’s it. In my senior year, I decided to be more open-minded to what the school has to offer because I wanted to really get that college experience that I’ve always seen on YouTube and Instagram, and honestly I came to an understanding it’s YOU that makes the experience that YOU want.

Since I decided to be more open minded in my senior year I was able to join a performance club aka Cadence Step Team and become Treasurer. I was able to do an internship creating and teaching financial literacy program to high school students at my church in Brooklyn, and receive a scholarship from the Career Center to help out with funding for that internship, because the internship was not paid and mainly for experience.

I was able to start a minor in writing and rhetoric in my last year of college. I was able to make friends that I didn’t have before on campus, because I joined a club. I also created a senior bucket list of all the things that I wanted to do in my senior year to get all the experiences I felt I missed throughout the years, and I was able to complete at least 75% of that bucket list. I saw so many amazing things I didn’t even know the campus had to offer.

My point is: with all that I was able to accomplish in my senior year, take advantage of everything because there’s so much that the school has to offer. YOU have to make the decision if you want to take it or not and you pay to go here so why not get that full experience of what it means to be a Seawolf at Stony Brook University.

Favorite SBU memory:

I can say performing with Cadence Step Team, going to Stony Brook men's basketball games, going to the homecoming weekend football game (which was so much fun), and attending events from clubs. But honestly, my favorite memory is walking on campus. There's something about walking on campus that is so peaceful, so serene. And don’t get me started when it is spring and all the flowers and the trees are blooming and the sun shining down on the campus, with people walking to their classes, or seeing others sitting on the bench reading their books, or seeing others on the step playing volleyball, or even the food trucks by the SAC, and even when the fountains are turned on and the water coming up.

To me it’s a beautiful and it would be a memory that I will always keep in my mind because I always feel so at peace when I think about the beauty of the campus and being able to walk on campus as a student. I used to pray to God for me to be able to go back to Stony Brook. The fact that I am living a prayer is a miracle for me. One that I’m so grateful that God allowed me to be back and graduate with my BA. It’s a memory that I would never want to take out of my mind. It always reminds me of the goodness of God and how He is a promise keeper. So when I’m walking on campus, I’m really taking everything in, constantly replaying my testimony of what God has done for me. Walking on campus always bring me back to that prayer. So yes - my favorite memory of Stony Brook is not a normal response but I’m just grateful to walk on campus as a reminder of God goodness towards me.

Parting thoughts: 

I want to give a special thanks and shout out to Professor Kaplan. He has been a very big supporter, advocate, and helper in my senior year. I would not have been in the writing and rhetoric minor if he didn’t talk to me about joining. He is such an amazing professor. He’s kind, caring, patient, compassionate and passionate about his work and about the students at Stony Brook. He tries to help as much as he can, and I will always always, always appreciate Professor Kaplan, because those are the kind of professors that students remember the most. I would not have gotten this far in my senior year without his help as a professor. So thank you so much, Professor Kaplan! You are an amazing person, and I hope that more students are able to see or even experience the same blessings when they work with you.