Student Profiles
Hometown: Rocky Point, N.Y.
Year: Junior
Major: Environmental Studies
Before she interned at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge—a sanctuary 15 minutes from campus that houses injured animals unable to survive in the wild—Julia Hryvniak loved animals, but she had never thought about working with them as a possible career.
"It was a really good internship," she says. "I got to feed the animals and learn about them. I’d be happy doing that every day."
Julia hasn't decided yet on a direction to take her Environmental Studies degree after she graduates. This year, as a junior, she is exploring as many avenues as she can.
"I'm taking classes in the peoples of South America, anthropology, physics for the environment, philosophy, and oceanography," she says with a laugh. "And that's just the fall semester."
Julia is enthusiastic about the gardening club, which she joined last year.
"There are about ten of us," she says. "We plan what kind of plants we want to grow and how to arrange them. Right now our garden has a cool design with a star in the middle, and there's every kind of plant you can imagine in it. You can pick as much as you like. This fall we're planning to give a lot of the organic vegetables to the dining hall to use in meals."
There's a small community feeling to the campus that she also enjoys. "I like the way everyone's close together in the dorms, and the way all the professors are really connected to the students."
As far as her future plans, Julia says, "Maybe I’ll work on Long Island. There are a lot of environmental projects having to do with land preservation, human impact on the environment, and things like that. I guess I’ll take more classes and see what sparks my interest the most."
Hometown: Mattituck, N.Y.
Year: Senior
Major: Environmental Studies
For senior Jeffrey Lang, life at Stony Brook Southampton has been a perfect blend of sustainable work and study. The Environmental Studies major balances a full course load with a job at a company that engineers and installs renewable energy systems.
"In three months, I've sold about a dozen turbines on Long Island and Connecticut," he says.
Last year, as a member of the college's historic first class, Jeff served as interim student government president and was involved in — as he describes it — "everything." He was part of the greenhouse committee that built a new greenhouse on campus, and he helped organize the gaming club. Jeff was also an RA in his residence hall, where he planned activities for students, including a renewable energy tour at the company where he worked.
One class he particularly enjoyed was Environmental Philosophy.
"That was an eye-opening class," he says. "It covered the history of how people have treated the environment and how trends in the past were either ignored or not given much attention."
His plans after graduation?
"My dream is to work in a research and development lab on some kind of renewable technology," Jeff says. "There are so many different areas to choose from, such as green architecture or biodegradable waste management. I see myself working somewhere in the green movement."
It is a plan that could take him from Stony Brook Southampton to most anywhere.
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."