Ali makes a statement—and friends—while volunteering
with Habitat for Humanity and at events like Homecoming.
Student portraits by David Roberts
“I’m on a journey of self-seeking, which is why I’m here at college. I’m just trying to experience new things, new ideas, new subjects, and see what fits me.”
—Freshman, major undecided
Although he had never built a house before, freshman Ali Mehrabian volunteered with other students in Stony Brook’s Habitat for Humanity program and was soon hammering floor planks and painting walls. “I like community service because I feel refreshed afterwards,” he says. “I actually met the family that was going to live in the house we were building. They invited me over.”
Through his involvement with Catholic Campus Ministries, Ali has had a busy first year at Stony Brook. He volunteered at Homecoming, attended seminary for a day, and worked as a commuter assistant. Ali also became involved in undergraduate student government and participated in Persian Night at the Charles B. Wang Center. And just for fun, he attended a piano recital featuring Hungarian composers at the Staller Center for the Arts.
Ali is not sure yet what his major will be, but he was chosen to be a Student Ambassador, an honorary position in which he will be called upon to help host major University functions. And he wants to study abroad in Korea. Born in Canada, Ali is half Persian and half Korean. “I’ve never been overseas,” Ali says. “I want to experience the world out there.”