Meet Our Students

Based on faculty and instructor nominations to the Undergraduate Studies Committee, the department chooses one undergraduate major  to feature in our monthly Sociology & Criminology Rising Star. This program recognizes the extraordinary achievements, accomplishments, and activities of our undergraduate students.

Current Rising Star:

  • Sarah.

    January 2025: Sarah Lee Jasmi

    Please congratulate Sarah Lee Jasmi, our newest Sociology & Criminology Rising Star! Sarah was nominated (from our Singapore campus) for their top performance in their upper-level courses, high levels of engagement as a student, passion for sociology and communication, as well as their impressive leadership qualities.

    When asked about their Sociology and Criminology classes, Sarah stated: What I appreciate most about my sociology and criminology courses is how they challenge me to think critically about social structures, policies, and systemic inequalities. The interdisciplinary nature of these classes, especially when intersecting with communication studies, has deepened my understanding of societal issues and their real-world implications. I also value the engaging discussions and diverse perspectives that my professors and peers bring to the classroom.

    Congratulations Sarah, and thanks for all of your great work!

Previous Rising Stars

  • November 2021: Ku K'Baw
    7/3/24
    Ku chose sociology as a major because it is “the best way to give back to different communities and help the people in them.” Ku is a refugee from Thailand and says she wants “to be able to help people of different ethnic backgrounds and give them the same opportunities of education and a better life."
  • October 2021: Hannah Baker
    7/3/24
    Hannah is majoring in sociology, global gender studies, and social sciences interdisciplinary health and human services. She chose sociology as a major because it allows her to better understand human behavior. She was drawn to sociology because it “gives the space to question many unknowns, form an understanding of difference, and participate in liberatory praxis.”
  • April 2021: Harry Grupper
    7/3/24
    Harry chose sociology as his major because he sees it a way of creating real social change. Harry explains, “Sociology is amazing for answering big "why" questions which tend to feel like the most daunting questions when viewed through the lens of another discipline.”
  • March 2021: Arufa Hossain
    7/3/24
    Arufa explains that, as a child, her father owned a small deli and she was exposed to crime and violence in the neighborhood. These experiences made her “passionate about patterns, interactions, and a sense of ‘flow’ in society” and led to her decision to study criminology.
  • February 2021: Vy Nguyen
    7/3/24
    Vy says she chose sociology as a major because “I felt that I finally found something I was genuinely interested in and it helped me gain a better understanding of the world around me. Sociology played a great role in broadening my perspective on life.” During her time at UB, Vy studied abroad in London, completed an internship, and worked as a TA for a human growth and development course for two semesters.
  • May 2020: Bahati Adam
    7/3/24
    Bahati says she chose sociology as a major because “studying sociology has not only broadened my perspective on life, it has also provided me with the ability to challenge the status quo and be able to think outside the norm.” She has particularly enjoyed the difficult conversations about “race, class and religion” that she has had in her sociology classes. She explains that if these topics aren’t addressed, “we cannot be able to reduce or solve inequalities."
  • April 2020: Margret Lee
    7/3/24
    Margret says the reason she became a sociology major was because she thinks “sociology deals with important issues that fundamentally relate to everyday life around us.” One of her favorite experiences studying sociology at UB has been studying abroad in the UB Semester in London program. She explains: “It was an experience that I’ll never forget and has provided me with memories and knowledge that have increased my appreciation for the major and the world around me.”