Former Council Members: 2016-17
James Vassallo
Former Council Chair
James Vassallo joined the Council of Student Advisors as a senior from Bellport, NY majoring in Biology & Sociology while on the Pre-Med track. As a committed student leader on campus, he strived to enrich the overall student experience on campus. His involvement included serving as President of the Commuter Student Association, Vice President of Project Sunshine, Commuter Assistant, Student Ambassador and HeforShe Steering Committee member among other roles. As a returning member of the President’s Council of Student Advisors, James looked forward to strengthening the relationship between the student body and Administration, and ensuring that all students have the resources they need to be successful - both in and out of the classroom.
Sonia Joshi
Council Vice Chair
Sonia Joshi joined the Council of Student Advisors as a senior from Jericho, NY, majoring in biochemistry in the Scholars for Medicine (B.S./M.D.) program. Sonia serves as a Student Ambassador for the Dean of Students, and is a mentor for incoming freshmen in the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program. In the past, Sonia conducted research in the Division of Cancer Prevention and was a Teaching Assistant for BIO 207. In her free time, she enjoys playing the bass clarinet with the Stony Brook Wind Ensemble and dancing with Taandava, Stony Brook’s Indian classical dance team. As a returning member of the President’s Council of Student Advisors, Sonia was excited to continue in helping institute positive change in the campus community by ensuring that her fellow Seawolves both present and future have the necessary resources for success!
Elizabeth Osei
Recording Secretary
Elizabeth Osei joined the Council of Student Advisors as a senior from Uniondale, NY. She majored in Economics Honors and minored in Business Management and Political Science. Elizabeth had the opportunity to serve as the Chief Justice of the Undergraduate Student Government and worked as a Student Assistant for the Office of University Community Standards. Her involvement on campus included being an apartment resident assistant, vice-chair of the Roth Regatta Committee and a member of the Do-IT Advisory Board, amongst other things. With aspirations of becoming a corporate attorney, Elizabeth was a Compliance Summer Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and returned to work at the Fed full-time post-graduation. In her free time, she enjoys reading and visiting amusement parks. She loves being a Seawolf and aspired to be a member of the President’s Council of Student Advisors in the hopes that the experience would help to further her goals of making a better Stony Brook University. After Stony Brook, she hopes to reform Wall Street and maybe run for office someday.
Joel Kovoor
Data Collection Lead
Joeljoined the Council of Student Advisors as a senior majoring in biology on the Pre-Medical track planning to graduate in the spring of 2017. Along with leading the data collection committee of the Council, he served as president of the SB Campus Community Emergency Response Team (SB C-CERT) for the upcoming year. Joel worked as a medical assistant for Three Village Allergy and Asthma, as well as a volunteer for the LI State's Veterans home, and the SB blood drive committee. Joel also worked at the research labs of Dr. Biegon where he’s looked into the effects of drugs designed to reduce stroke induced-brain damage in the rat model; he also worked in the lab of Dr. Szema, where he investigated the effects of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) in treating those with pulmonary fibrosis and Cystic Fibrosis. His interests include wood working, story telling, and hiking.
Jessica Jin
Data Analysis Lead
Jessica joined the Council of Student Advisors as a junior studying Applied Mathematics and Statistics with a concentration in biostatistics in the Honors College at Stony Brook University. She was raised in Shanghai, China and came to the U.S at the age of 16 as an exchange student. Jessica currently works in the Department of Surgery at Stony Brook Medicine with Dr. Roberto Bergamaschi, and conducted a summer research internship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She loves being involved on campus, and helping incoming freshmen and international students to adjust themselves into the big family at Stony Brook as an International Student Ambassador. During her spare time, she enjoys singing, dancing, playing the piano, and helping out the international student fellowship. Jessica was very excited and honored to join the President's Council of Student Advisors because she loves working in a team and conducting research that can make a difference on campus. She is passionate about promoting studying abroad because she enjoyed her experience immensely. After Stony Brook, she hopes to pursue a Masters or a PhD in Biostatistics and dreams of becoming a biostatistician.
Verdah Ahmad
Report Lead
Verdah Ahmad joined the Council of Student Advisors as a third-year sociology major from Iselin, New Jersey. As student in the Scholars for Medicine (B.A./M.D.) program in conjunction with the Stony Brook University School of Medicine, she aspires to establish a career in medicine that is oriented toward reproductive justice. Verdah served as the Vice President of the Muslim Students’ Association and was the Co-Director of the Stony Brook Chapter of Let’s Get Ready, an educational justice organization that aims to increase college persistence and graduation rates among low-income students. Verdah has also worked extensively with the Stony Brook Online Learning Development Initiative as a General Chemistry Video Producer. As a member of the President’s Council of Student Advisors, Verdah hoped to address critical issues facing the campus community through the use of creative solutions backed by qualitative research.
Veevek Shah
Data Collection Committee
Veevek Shah joined the Council of Student Advisors as a senior majoring in biochemistry. Born and raised in New Jersey, he decided to explore the state of New York by attending Stony Brook. He was a member of the University Scholars program, president of the Pre-Med Society, and a member of the Pi Lambda Phi Fraternity. Veevek also worked in the Frohman Lab in Pharmacological Sciences, where his research focused on possible therapeutic drugs for triple negative breast cancer. During his free time at Stony Brook, Veevek enjoys playing chess and intramural soccer. He joined the President's Council of Student Advisors because he was interested in improving the campus community through the scientific method. As a returning member, Veevek is hoping his work on the Council will make other people's experiences at Stony Brook more memorable.
Michelle Olakkengil
Data Analysis Committee
Michelle Olakkengil joined the Council of Student Advisors as a senior from Plainview, NY, majoring in Psychology and Sociology, with minors in Biology and Women's & Gender Studies. She served as an editor for The Humanology Project and conducted research at the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Medicine. She also had worked as a USG senator, orientation leader, and resident assistant, helping to provide students with appropriate resources and to enhance their overall Stony Brook experience.
Matthew Henry
Report Committee
Matthew Henry joined the Council of Student Advisors as a senior from West Point, New York, majoring in Respiratory Therapy. He served on the student council for his class as the representative for the Health Sciences Student Association as well as former Dean’s Representative. In his free time, Matthew volunteered at Stony Brook Hospital for the Patient Education Department, where he interacted with patients and promoted an understanding of the hospital's vast healthcare resources. As a member of the President's Council of Student Advisors, Matthew worked to advocate for his fellow students and be a voice for constructive change.
Sabahat Sarfaraz
Data Analysis Committee
Sabahat Sarfaraz joined the Council of Student Advisors as a Senior at Stony Brook, majoring in Psychology and English Honors. After graduating from Stony Brook, she hopes to earn a Masters in Psychology, and one day, even a PhD. In addition to being a member of the President’s Council of Student Advisors, Sabahat worked as a tutor at the Writing Center. She is also involved in Clinical Research conducted at Stony Brook University, dealing with Adolescent Development of Emotions and Personality Traits (ADEPT). She enjoys being a part of the Stony Brook community, and hopes that she can contribute to its improvement. Additionally, having moved to New York at the age of ten, she is fluent in two languages, English and Urdu. In her free time she loves to read and paint, and secretly dreams of writing her own novel someday.
Breanna Channer
Data Collection Committee
Breana joined the Council of Student Advisors as a senior Biology major on the pre-med track. She was born and raised on the island of Jamaica. She was a member and mentor for the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program and served as Public Relations Officer for the Minority Association of Premedical Students. She was also a Teaching, Learning and Technology student consultant for DoIT. As an Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) research scholar, Breana conducted research in the Department of Medicine in Dr. Lina Obeid’s lab.
Christina Fluman
Report Committee
Christina joined the Council of Student Advisors as a senior majoring in Environmental Design, Policy, and Planning. She played on the women’s soccer team and also served as Co-President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Christina is from Rochester, NY.