Elena Gajewski-Nemes '21
"As a sophomore, I had planned to graduate early, in the spring of my junior year. While debating the decision with my sister, she expressed that what made her senior year so valuable was developing relationships with professors. Ultimately I decided to stay for my fourth year and just one quarter in, I already feel so grateful to have more time with the sociology faculty, my advisor Dr. Nichols, and my fellow students in the department. Each professor has something different to offer but one thing that remains constant is the support that you can expect both inside and outside of the classroom.
After helping me find internships in marketing and social media, Dr. Chiaraluce referred me to Dr. Pumar to manage the department’s social media. Through social media outreach on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin, I hope to connect students and alumni, increase awareness of department resources, and highlight newsletters and events. With so many of us working from home now, we are not able to connect like we once did in the classroom or third floor of O’Connor, so it is even more important that we bring the department community to digital platforms.
Throughout my time at SCU, the sociology department has provided my greatest sense of community while also helping me grasp my place and purpose in the world. I have thoroughly enjoyed the wide variety of topics covered across courses as my interests do not fall into one specific area. This diversity has revealed how sociology applies to all areas of life. Joining the International Sociology Honor Society, being asked to host a meeting with students and a potential new faculty member, and being hired to run the department’s social media are just a few ways that I have come to feel like a valued member of the sociology community at SCU. I will forever be grateful for these experiences.
Sociology has changed the way that I think and see the world, and I have the department and all of its amazing faculty to thank for that. I have developed a sociological perspective that goes with me everywhere, and I am so excited to apply all that I have learned to my future career."
--Elena Gajewski-Nemes '21 (Sociology major, Women’s and Gender Studies and Studio Art minors)