Student Spotlight: Sriya Bhumi '15

Publication Date

Hometown: Old Westbury, N.Y.
Major: Biology and Music (Interdepartmental); Leadership in Medicine program

Why Union:
Its small size and the LIM program

Most inspiring class:
Organic Chemistry. You may say, What?! The truth is that it taught me how to cope with stress, how to study and how to bond with my peers over a common enemy – Orgo! The material itself isn’t all that bad, though.

Also excited about:
Studying dragonflies’ neurons and their prey interception during my summer research with Professor Robert Olberg and Ankur Shah ’14. I learned so much in the lab each day about the inner workings of movement. I learned to micro dissect, put in electrodes to stimulate the specific neurons and – on a lighter note – the art of catching these speedy creatures. In addition, the collaborative effort between the mechanical engineers and biologists was vital to this research. I ran the constructed prey simulator and learned how to interpret waves of the neurons.

Activities:
Class of 2015 secretary/treasurer; Delta, Delta, Delta; Golub Council activities head; Bhangra Union vice president; Union College Dance Team; AUM Hindu Association (Eastern Religions and Philosophies Organization) board member; Multifaith Club; Honor Council; Interfaith Youth Core co-founder; MedLife Club; Shakti South Asian Club; Big Brothers Big Sisters; Early Music Ensemble

Favorite study spot:
My dorm room

Three things I'm passionate about at Union:

  • Dance
  • Ozone Café (yum!)
  • ReUnion Weekend

Other Passions:
Playing the Piano, meeting new people, traveling

Term abroad:
Galway, Ireland, where there are courses in Irish literature, culture, and Imagining Modern Ireland

Most surprising thing about Union:
The amount of autonomy and authority the student body has to make important decisions.

How I'm making Union a better place:
I’m hoping to bring interfaith cooperation and awareness to the campus through the Interfaith Youth Core club.

Looking into the future:
I’d love to travel to other countries to provide medical care and learn from different cultures.

Advice for incoming students:
Be open to everything; try new things; take advantage of the size of this school by getting to know people - and let people know who you are.