In early January, Townsend Harris Highschool’s technology and finance club, ModIT, invited Sonia Hasko, a class of 2022 graduate and a current student at Princeton University, to speak about her experiences studying chemical engineering. Since Sonia was the former president of both ModIT and the THHS Science Olympiad team, current ModIT club leaders invited her to talk about her path to Princeton and show students the myriad opportunities that are available to them.
During the workshop, Sonia offered Harrisities a glimpse into her life at college, describing her courseload and the research she has done so far. She discussed what her major, Chemical and Biological Engineering, entails, why she chose it, and the classes she has taken so far. She also said that being committed to her work and talking about her passions contributed significantly to scoring research opportunities and internships with her professors.
Junior Anton Rud, the Co-President of ModIT, said, “Sonia’s studies at Princeton, as well as her many internships and labs, created a picture of the successes made possible through excellence and hard work.”
Sonia hoped to encourage students interested in science to make the most of the research and STEM based opportunities offered at THHS. She said, “One thing that really got me interested in science and pursuing chemical engineering was science research and AP science classes [at THHS], and I hope that I conveyed how important those were to me and how academically and intellectually stimulating they could be for other students.”
She also discussed the courses she took in college. Junior Victor Hidalgo-Leon said, “I found it to be really informative and useful to see someone that balanced both STEM and humanities classes during their first year at college. It definitely showed how someone is still able to manage certain interests that may not align.”
The Question & Answer session held at the end of the workshop featured Sonia sharing more real-world advice with students.
“Some takeaways I received from the speaker were some of the ways she divides her time in college. She explained how although the workload is rigorous, it is rewarding at the same time,” said sophomore Vidhi Patel.
Junior Alyshia Olazabal said, “I appreciate these guest speaker events because they offer an opportunity to hear about the diverse experiences each speaker has encountered. It is captivating to learn about various perspectives, as not everyone shares the same life experiences.”
