Student Profiles
Hometown: Great River, N.Y.
Year: Freshman
Hall Council, Student Government, Future Farmers of America
When Evan Peoples toured Stony Brook Southampton, he had an epiphany. "I went up to the windmill and I looked out and saw the ocean. I told myself I had to be here."
Evan said that the potential here is as limitless as that ocean view. "You get the feeling that anything can happen here," he said. "You have a blank canvas. The faculty and staff are so supportive and will help make your vision come true."
His vision includes earning an environmental sciences degree, which dovetails with his interest in helping to build a new greenhouse on campus and growing his own organic food. Evan, a vegetarian, is also helping to launch a Future Farmers of America chapter at Stony Brook Southampton next semester.
"It's a revolutionary concept here," he said. "There aren't that many colleges so dedicated to sustainability."
He also loves the new dorm suites that he and most of his classmates call home.
"We're a close-knit community… and yet our campus is supposed to grow exponentially in the coming years. We have such an incredible opportunity here. Everything is so fresh, and we have the chance to leave our mark and create what we want to create."
Hometown: Medford, N.Y.
Year: Junior
Weekend Events Programming Board, President of the Marine Biology Club, Orientation
Andrew Canonico’s love of creatures big and small was nurtured in his aunt’s pet shop when he was a boy. This passion led him to an internship and eventually a paid job at Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead, where he currently works.
And that job made Stony Brook Southampton—with its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean—the perfect fit for Canonico.
“Being right on the water, it’s easy to hop on a boat and do research,” he said.
Next semester, he has plans to conduct independent research on sand tiger sharks.
“I want to teach students to run a proper saltwater tank,” Canonico said, pointing to an empty tank in the Nature Studies building.
His environmental awareness also expanded once he enrolled. “I am no longer mixing paper and trash. The emphasis on sustainability has gotten me into recycling.”