Q&A: Microbiology student dabbles in Spanish and comedy

The Exponent spoke with Sandokan Shahini as he was walking in the Memorial Union, enjoying the quiet space, he said. Shahini is a rising senior in microbiology. The interview is transcribed below in Q&A format.

Where are you from?

“I am of Albanian descent, both of my parents immigrated to the states from Albania in the 90s, and I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington.”

Why Microbiology?

“The biggest thing for me when deciding on a major was that I wanted to do something that was people oriented and that directly impacted people’s lives for the better.

“So for the longest time, ever since I was a little kid in elementary school, I’d actually always wanted to become a scientist. And I thought when college came around that microbiology would have given me the right tools and the right knowledge to pursue that dream.”

What are you doing today in the Union?

“I just came to the Union just to come out and relax a little bit, just get some stress out of my mind, some very quiet space during the summer, especially these past couple of weeks. And so just kind of walking around the Union a little bit kind of cleared my head.”

What are the differences between Seattle and West Lafayette?

“The main difference that I’ve seen is the culture in Seattle. People there are a little bit more, I guess, closed off, generally speaking, and it’s harder to obtain really close friends that way. And it takes a long time to earn someone’s trust.

“And people have a very, ‘work work work,’ mentality. Whereas here in my experience, in West Lafayette, Lafayette, Indiana, is that people are much easier to talk to. They’re more open and they definitely work very hard for sure. They are much more open and like to relax and kind of spend more time with friends and family, which I think is great.”

Are you involved in any clubs or student organizations?

“I’m a part of the Purdue stand-up comedy club. It’s a fun one that I do. And then I’m also a part of the Spanish Conversation club, which I use to improve my Spanish skills, which I’m also minoring in.”

What in particular do you enjoy about standup comedy?

“I’ve always kind of considered myself like a guy with a solid sense of humor, and I always enjoyed making people laugh. But for the longest time before coming to college, I was just so afraid of stepping up onto stage.

“And you know, being in front of so many different people, I was so afraid. Like I never want to do that. So terrified. And then one day a few years back, I went to one of these performances I didn’t perform in, but I was just in the audience and wanted to soak it all in and see what was really happening. And I went there a couple of times that year, and I was like, ‘You know what, this is pretty cool.’ It seems like it’ll be nerve-wracking, but I think it’s manageable.

“And then sure enough, the next year, I signed my name up and – oh my God – the first performance was not great. But then I continued to go to like a bunch of open mics after that like every couple of weeks, and it just became better and better to the point where I feel pretty confident.

“And the people in the club are fantastic. I mean, we only have about 15 core members that are super helpful, super supportive. Super tight. And it’s like one of the best clubs in my opinion that I’ve ever been a part of.”

Do you have any inspirations or influences?

“Funnily enough, most of my influences are historical figures. I think there’s a few that really stand out of course. Of course Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, I read her biography last year, definitely one of my top five scientists of all time. Leonardo da Vinci as well.

“It’s just the fact that he was able to do so many different things, not just like science and anatomy, but also engineering and art. And that really is something that inspires me to try and be as best as I can, not just in the field of science, but for all sorts of things. And then I would also say Louis Pasteur as well.”

Do you have a theory on life?

“My general sort of theory on life and ethics is just to, you know, be nice to everybody because I think that’s just about the core of who I am. There have definitely been times when people will not necessarily be kind to me, or they might just be naturally not easy to talk to or whatever the case may be. I guess my mentality is more so like, I guess an innocent until proven guilty type of deal.

“But I just try to be kind to everybody as much as I can, in any way I can. Whether it’s my peers, kids that are younger, or adults much older. I just try and help out as much as I can.”

What advice would you give to freshmen?

“Whenever I meet freshmen, I like to tell them two things that I firmly and genuinely believe. One is to focus on your academics in the first and second semester. Make sure you do your best you can in them. You know, A’s and B’s and you’ll be fine. Pay attention in class, take notes, and really try to do well.

“And the second thing I would say is to have fun. I would say for anybody don’t worry about whether it’s career fairs or trying to get an internship right away, that would cause some unreasonable stress in your freshman year. It should be all about adjusting to your new environment. You won’t get your freshman year back. If there’s ever a time to have fun in college, it’s definitely your freshman year. Just focus on your classwork and have fun.”