With so many things to do on campus, it may seem hard to pick and choose between all the activities and all the events to attend. Sean Law would agree. He says, ‘Go out to anything and everything because you will find something. Read the flyers on bulletin boards [and] give everything a chance.’ It is good advice, coming from one of Benedict College‘s enthusiastic Resident Assistants who is also active in the Undergraduate College of Leadership and Service Council (LDSC).

Originally from Connecticut, Sean Law is a Mathematics major also studying Secondary Education. ‘I’ve wanted to be a math teacher since eighth grade. I can only see myself in the education field.’ Moreover, ‘I see my father as my biggest role model. He’s a math teacher and I see how involved he is in our community at home.’ The School of Professional Development and the university’s Professional Educational Program (PEP) will help him realize his career goal. Sean not only takes core educational courses, but also courses such as PSY 327 or Human Development: Educational Context and for DEC G credit, MVL 241 or Heroes and Warriors. (In case you are wondering, Sean recommends the class favorably- ‘I’m a math major. I don’t like reading but the books we read, such as Beowulf and The Iliad, were really enjoyable. They were the most enjoyable lectures to sit through and it was a fun class.’)

When he graduates, he will receive a degree in Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and provisional certification to teach. Currently in his second year here at SBU, Sean is looking forward to his Academic Peer Advising (APA) internship next semester and continuing his class observations, which will increase to 64 hours in the fall from the present 36 hours, and which will include more hands-on activities, further helping this mentoring teacher in the classroom.

Reflecting his desire to help others, Sean’s experience as an RA is a fulfilling one. ‘I wanted to be an RA. Although the free room is nice, it gives you such an experience to interact with people. It’s an experience unlike any other, you get to meet so many new people, learn so much about your own strengths and weaknesses, and you grow so much as a person.’

Since Spring 2006, Sean attests to a recent increase in school spirit. ‘There’s a better turnout at football and basketball games’hellip;there is more pride and more students in the pep band.’ In addition to being an RA, Sean has been working with LDSC for the past year and a half, helping plan social events (‘happy hours’) for freshmen students in the Undergraduate College of Leadership and Service. LDSC is also largely responsible for H Fest, which was held this semester over the April 29-30 weekend. ‘There was a really good turnout this year’, adds Sean. Leadership fundraising is also one of LDSC’s primary functions having co-sponsored ‘From the Brook to the Gulf’ last November, raising funds for hurricane relief through a cultural dance/step showcase.

Sean himself echoes a similar school pride. SBU was the school he wanted to attend after graduating with the rest of his 300 or so classmates from high school. When asked what he likes about Stony Brook, Sean responds, ‘I like that it’s nice and quiet on weekends and you can get work done. During the week, there’s always something to do too.’ What is to regret? Nothing really, for Sean is happy here overall. He offers the best advice anyone has given to the rest of us- ‘Always set an hour of the day for yourself. This helps to relive stress. Watch TV or whatever. You definitely need your own ‘you time’.’ For all the prospective teachers, Sean says, ‘To want to be a teacher, I would make sure it’s something you really want to do because the program is really intense, a lot of hard work. You really have to be motivated and have the patience to learn the material yourself and then to teach it to others. It’s all worth it in the end.’

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