Sayo '27

Major: Statistics

Orange Trivia: Hopes to attend law school and pursue a career in medical malpractice law.

 “To be Orange is to be one of the first, if not the only, of your kind. The Orange are called to be audacious. We exude individuality and demand consideration. We make our own success, and we look amazing doing it.”

Describe your Syracuse experience in a couple of sentences.

My Syracuse University experience has been a testament to my faith. Before matriculating, I had no “insider scoop,” guidance or primary source. However, I arrived at Syracuse with unwavering conviction. Yes, I felt challenged. Sometimes, the going got very rough. Yet I never felt forsaken. I never once pondered having made a mistake. I laughed with friends, holed up in my split double, fought through assignments and earned “easy As.” Amid all this, sports, two jobs, civic engagement and an intensive STEM major, Syracuse supported me, confirming my sure bet was well-placed.

How has your involvement with any organizations/extracurriculars impacted you?

My involvement with the Brain Exercise Initiative has been nothing short of enriching. Members of this nonprofit organization strive to slow dementia progression by visiting memory care facilities and guiding afflicted seniors through cognitively stimulating trivia, reading, writing and simple arithmetic. In the Spring of 2024, we worked with Peregrine Senior Living at Onondaga Hill, where I observed improved enthusiasm, cognition, memory and accuracy in residents. Moved by relationships I built with elders who could have otherwise forgotten me, I developed a longing to safeguard their dignity, comfort and quality of life. Suddenly, I became passionate about confronting geriatric mistreatment, a form of abuse specifically targeting vulnerable seniors. This refined my post-graduation plan and oriented me toward a medical malpractice career anchored around the elderly. I yearn to advocate for those who once cared for me in their youth and vigor.

I am the first and only official statistics tutor at the Syracuse University Calculus Help Center. My work with students reinforces my patience and empathy. I offer a knee to those lacking the confidence to approach computations. Yet, I can also apply pressure to ensure those same students unlock potential they may not know they have. Additionally, my position connects me with my civic engagement community at Peregrine Senior Living. I am unfamiliar with dementia, but at times, students approach me with topics I cannot recall, and I struggle to answer their questions. This inability to serve can often cause frustration and dejection. However, my role as a statistics tutor teaches me to practice humility and find my bearings. It puts me in the right headspace to visit senior living facilities and administer academic materials to individuals also struggling to find their bearings.

Serving as one of two starting wingers for the Syracuse University Women’s Rugby Football Club has left quite an impression on my life. Solely familiar with sprinting and pole vaulting, I took it upon myself to take a risk and try rugby. I have had no regrets since. Never have I retained this magnitude of love for athleticism and its subtle gifts. My sports club has afforded me a diverse tribe, a family of varied beliefs, ethnicities and identities that uplift and introduce me to alternative thought processes. On the field, I have also learned when to yield and assume secondary roles for the benefit of my team. Now, as the team’s elected president, I am bettered by the duty I carry. I address individual and collective concerns, prioritizing cohesion, camaraderie and equity. Moreover, my role provides ongoing experience in interacting with the school’s administrative staff, adhering to organizational standards and orchestrating annual budgets, extensive funding projects and tournament proceedings. I undoubtedly cultivate my leadership and interpersonal capabilities as a Syracuse University Women’s Rugby player.

Why do you think giving is important?

 A willingness to relinquish physical wealth signifies an unwillingness to prioritize that wealth over our brothers and sisters. Greed is a cruel reality. It creates jealousy, malice and hardship, complicating what should be simple. In all things, we should aim to give. Otherwise, our communities will fall. Many lack fortune, yet we often turn away, giving our responsibility to those “above us.” I argue that affluence is relative. No matter who you are or how little you have, someone always has less. In that case, generosity reveals the heart of man. We should not practice greed for fear that we have too little. Instead, we should give for fear that someone else does. This speaks to our character and empathy.

What does it mean to you to be Orange?

In a world of university mascots, thousands share the same identity. We know many of them as wolves, bears and hawks, all solely differentiated by name and school logo. Conversely, fruit mascots are few and far between. Of these figures, I am most certain none are oranges. Thus, to my knowledge, Otto is a pioneer— an inaugural masterpiece. Consequently, to be Orange is to be one of the first, if not the only, of your kind. Sheeple crowd the Earth. They resemble panthers, bulldog, and ravens— mundane and disposable figures. To be Orange is to defy banality. It is to disregard the grain and create your own. It is to be the only fruit in the room. The Orange are called to be audacious. We exude individuality and demand consideration. We make our own success, and we look amazing doing it.

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