Induction into the President’s Society is the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a St. John’s University student. Throughout their final year of studies, inductees support the Office of the President at various events and act as ambassadors of the University. Now, as these graduating students prepare for life after St. John’s, we asked them about their experiences and the impact the University made on their lives.
May 10, 2021
Špela Kunstelj
Chemistry
Minors in Biology and International Studies
What is your proudest accomplishment over the past year?
I took all of my courses last year online from my home in Slovenia, and I would consider it the hardest semester of my entire college career. I am proud that even though it was challenging, I did not back down. At the same time, I managed to still remain involved in the student chapter of the American Chemical Society and apply to graduate schools.
What advice do you have for incoming students?
Use your time as a first-year student to explore all of the different things St. John’s has to offer and then decide what you really want to pursue.
What was your favorite class and why?
It is hard to name just one. I really enjoyed my Environmental Chemistry and Anthropology of Global Poverty classes. While they are in completely different fields, they complemented each other very well. In Environmental Chemistry, I learned about chemicals that pollute the planet, while in Global Poverty, I learned about how different factors affect poverty. Together, these two classes affected how I see the world and how I envision my future career as a scientist.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
As we have seen through the pandemic, life is constantly changing in unexpected ways. However, I plan to continue my education by pursuing a doctoral degree in Chemistry at the University of Chicago, which should take five years. In the five years following that, I hope to be working in some aspect of research in chemistry.
Namosha Mohite
What is your proudest accomplishment over the past year?
I am most proud of being able to pursue an advanced pharmacy practice experience rotation at the University Hospital in Newark, NJ, and support the hospital’s pharmacy team during the pandemic. During my rotation, I was responsible for reviewing the medication therapies of patients in the emergency room. It was very exciting to apply what was studied in class while learning about new COVID-19-related therapies.
What was your favorite class and why?
Discover New York was one of my favorite classes. Having moved to the US only two years before enrolling, I looked forward to exploring New York City. We visited famous sites like the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, and the Brooklyn Bridge and were able to discover different neighborhoods and admire the cultural melting pot that the city is.
What advice do you have for incoming students?
Come in with an open mind and get involved. There are so many new people to meet and activities to get involved in, and it’s a great way to make friends, develop valuable skills, and take a break from studies. Focus on developing your time management skills. Be sure to set aside some “me time,” which is essential to recharge. Believe in yourself and have fun.
How has the pandemic changed you?
Having classes transition to online learning in the middle of the semester required getting out of the routine. While the experience tested my resilience, it also made me more flexible and taught me to be optimistic for what is to come, to look at the bigger picture, and to be thankful for what I have.
Arpit Nagra
What is your proudest accomplishment over the past year?
I am most proud of the resilience and adaptability that I have not only seen within myself, but within society as a whole.
What advice do you have for incoming students?
Seize every opportunity, get involved with different organizations, run for leadership positions, and step outside of your comfort zone. You will be amazed at what you can accomplish when you test your limits!
What was your favorite class and why?
My favorite class was Phonetics, CSD 1710. As the first course that I took for my major, it solidified my interest in Speech-Language Pathology. Gary E. Martin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, made content fun and interesting, and my peers and I were always engaged during every lecture. Learning the phonetic alphabet was intriguing—it felt like I was learning another language!
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself conducting research and working as a professor in the field of communication sciences and disorders. I envision a future for myself not only as a clinician, but as a leader in the field—a professor and mentor for future speech-language pathologists. Ultimately, I hope to foster positive change in patients’ lives on a small scale and conduct meaningful research on a grand level.
Anthony Salvia
What is your proudest accomplishment over the past year?
I am most proud of my acceptance into the President’s Society. It’s something that I strived to accomplish since my freshman year. I knew it was going to take a lot of hard work, dedication, and time to achieve. It has given me great joy; I am truly grateful for all of the opportunities St. John’s has provided.
What advice do you have for incoming students?
Get involved on campus as much as you can. It will change your college experience for the better and allow you to meet different people from around the country—and around the world, as well.
What was your favorite class and why?
My favorite class has been Economics of Sport. It exposed me to the problems that sports organizations face and what can be done to solve them. My professor was also able to bring his own experiences and knowledge into the class to supplement the material we were learning.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself working for a sports organization here in New York City and being part of a championship-winning team. I would love to use my undergraduate degree, as well as the M.B.A. I will work toward at St. John’s, to make a positive difference in the workplace.
Katherine Sheldon
Pharmacy
What is your proudest accomplishment over the past year?
In light of a pandemic, I managed to navigate the world of pharmacy, embark on new rotations, and overcome the obstacles that were associated with the shifting global environment. We all learned an incredible lesson about resilience, overcoming schedule changes, site cancellations, and countless safety checks to get to the finish line: graduation. Whether it was coauthoring a textbook chapter or case report, or turning a past rotation into my postgraduate career, I wouldn’t have traded any of my experiences of the past year for the world.
What advice do you have for incoming students?
There is no cookie-cutter way to complete your degree and time at St. John’s! Get involved, and do whatever makes you happy, because there are so many opportunities for you. Your time at St. John’s will never truly end, because once you are a Johnny—you’ll always be a Johnny, and you will leave with memories, friendships, experiences, and connections that will last a lifetime.
What was your favorite class and why?
My favorite class was Vincentian Health Care with John M. Conry, Pharm.D., Clinical Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Chairperson of the Department of Clinical Health Professions. Dr. Conry has such fervor for bringing to light the many health care disparities that exist for different people in underserved communities. This course helped me take a step back to assess the challenges that my patients can encounter when attempting to access health care and medicine.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I see myself at an institution where I can both work one-on-one with marginalized or underserved patients while advocating for policy changes that can help increase health-care access for these special populations. I plan on also pursuing a public health degree in order to broaden my knowledge and using my St. John’s network to gain experience and a deeper understanding of the field.