The Observer, February 8, 2008
Volume XL, Issue 16
Student Profile: Sarra Tavakoli
Katie Chioran: How did you get interested in International aid?
Sarra Tavakoli: At Case's Second Year Institute I met Lauren Taylor, an amazingly selfless girl who poured her heart out to me, telling me her dreams of going on medical missions to third- world nations. I've always known how lucky I am and wanted to give back, and I'm obsessed with eventually being a surgeon, so she really opened my eyes to the idea of medical missions. I've thought about it so much since then that I'm considering doing a master's in public health before going to medical school, and we're planning on saving the world together – if we can manage to graduate first.
KC: Why did you decide to combine Management with a health care concentration?
ST: There are so many subject areas I am interested in here at Case, but I decided to go management because I felt like I would take the most life skills with me when I graduate. Plus, the world functions around money, whether we like it or not, and I want to have both a deep understanding of that and a solid understanding of how people work together to get things done – both core aspects of a management degree.
KC: Is there anything about sorority formal recruitment that you would change?
ST: Oh wow, well, there's the golden question. I always say I wish it was like the fraternities. I wish we had so much time to hang out with the girls and get to know them as friends better, before they possibly become sisters – it was my friends in fraternities that made me want to rush last year anyway, because they had such a close brotherhood. But I think the system was made this way for a reason, and I think our friends on the Panhellenic Council are doing the best they can with it. I've never seen a girl go through and not end up loving her sisters, so I can't complain.
KC: What do you like most about sorority formal recruitment?
ST: All of the people you meet! It's so crazy – I still have friends from other chapters that I am close to because I met them during recruitment and ended up being amazing friends with them. I still remember some of the amazing stories they shared with me about how much they love their sisters, and I have so much respect for all of our Greek girls.
KC: Do you have a favorite memory from Habitat for Humanity?
ST: Probably running around the grocery store crazily looking for gingerbread house supplies with our president Marcie and laughing hysterically at our attempts to do basic math to figure out how many pounds of sugar we would need, and then carrying all of it by ourselves to the car and then Thwing. It was fun, but such a mess.
KC: All-time favorite song?
ST: That doesn't exist, but my flavor of the week is definitely "The Mating Game" by Bitter:Sweet. They are my new favorite band for sure.
KC: Most overplayed song on Case's campus?
ST: Hey There Delilah. And I still adore it. Don't hate the song, hate the radio stations.
KC: Are early or late classes better?
ST: Late for sure. 6 to 9 lab, baby! That's my peak period of productivity for the whole day...I'm a night owl for sure.
