Spotlight Saturday
By Carter Hansen and Sophia Burton
What makes us unique? It’s finding the things we love and embracing them. At Syracuse, students embrace the things that make them unique. On our campus, we have students with the most diverse interests and individualized passion projects, so we had to shine a spotlight on them. Every week you will get to learn about a Syracuse student who celebrates their uniqueness in their own special way through various different activities and involvements. Stay tuned for the Student Spotlight Series!
Student Spotlight #10 - Siobhain Hanna | November 8th, 2025
Siobhain Hanna is a junior from Rochester, New York who majors in Applied Data Analytics. Here’s how she plans on using her passion for tech and work experience to make STEM not only more inclusive, but more effective and sustainable.
Siobhain has always been a numbers person. In school, she was more drawn to math than she ever was to writing and the humanities. In high school, she noticed a dominating pattern of male teachers and peers. Despite becoming intimidated or discouraged, this made her want to increase both accessibility for and representation of women in STEM.
It began with small, but effective projects. She created a mural for her high school hallway that spelled out “WOMEN IN STEM.” In doing this, Siobhain had the goal of showing her peers that it had been done and that there was no reason they couldn’t do it.
When it came time to apply to college, it was a no brainer that she wanted to major in a STEM field. She landed on Applied Data Analytics in the iSchool–Syracuse’s School of Information Studies–and has hit the ground running ever since. She quickly involved herself within the iSchool, taking rigorous courses and assisting with professors and joining clubs.
According to Siobhain, her favorite class so far has been IST 421 - Information Visualization. She enjoyed this class so much because she was able to present an informational poster on the topic of her choice. She chose to research educational attainment rates by state and how that correlated to success in the daily Wordle. Even though she discovered that there was no correlation between the two, she found the project to not only be fun, but very informative in developing her statistical and analytical skills.
Outside of the classroom, Siobhain has had a very unique opportunity working as a research assistant for Professor Jaime Banks. Through this experience, she has learned a lot about the intersection of artificial intelligence and companionship–or in plain english, the social side of A.I. This topic intrigues Siobhain because she understands how unexplored this faction of A.I is . She is incredibly excited to keep learning alongside a professor she looks up to very much.
Professor Banks helped reiterate the idea that as a woman, there is a place for her in tech. Siobhain hopes to keep advocating for equal representation by following the lead of the women who inspire her.
Outside of Syracuse, Siobhain has been with Deloitte for 3 years and counting. Deloitte is a big 4 firm that works in the fields of accounting, audit, risk, and advisory. Working at a huge company that serves a myriad of Fortune-500 companies, Siobhain initially had a challenging time finding her place. However, soon she discovered this to be her favorite part of Deloitte. She describes it as almost like Syracuse, in the sense that there is so much room for growth and movement within the firm itself due to its size and diversity of interest. In her first summer as an intern for Deloitte, she had the title of Discovery 1 Intern. Due to her success in that role, she was invited back for a second summer as a Discovery 2 Intern on the Business Technology Solutions team.
As a Discovery 2 Intern, Siobhain was able to collaborate with a client, sit in on meetings, and oversee hierarchy workbooks. She ensured that changes made to data were reflected in the workbooks, so that Deloitte’s systems, applications, and products (SAP) data aligned with client files. Through this, Siobhain gained a valuable understanding of how to interact professionally with clients.
She has once again been invited to join Deloitte for the upcoming summer as a Technology Enablement Summer Scholar, which delves into the A.I. world. She is very excited to return to Boston for the opportunity to focus more on A.I., because that is one of her biggest interests regarding tech. She is very intrigued by how the A.I. space is growing. However, she is slightly wary of how A.I. is increasingly being used in negative, and sometimes harmful, ways. For this reason, she wants to be a positive force in learning how to develop and use it for the good of humanity.
Through her professional and scholastic tech experience, Siobhain has learned to not settle for less than what she has dedicated herself to accomplish. In terms of her future, Siobhain believes that her progression within Deloitte has helped prepare her for a full-time job very well. She is extremely excited to see how she can turn those experiences into a defined vision for her professional life that uses technology as a way to serve others.
Student Spotlight #9- Sammie Durand | October 18th, 2025
Sammie Durand is a sophomore double major in political science and law, society, and policy from Denver, Colorado. In her free time, Sammie not only teaches yoga, but she makes it a central part of her life to practice it herself.
Sammie first began practicing yoga three years ago. After dancing competitively for many years before, she decided to shift her focus towards yoga. She enjoyed yoga so much that she kept doing it more and more everyday.
When I asked Sammie what her favorite thing about yoga was, she emphasized “what’s not my favorite thing!” She loves how it’s not just a physical workout but also a way of life. In her words, “In western society, we see yoga as a way to sweat and work out, but it’s so much more than that to people from areas across the globe, so it is beautiful to see how different yoga is understood and practiced while still being an experience people hold dear to themselves around the world.”
The awakening of yoga as a lifestyle for Sammie has helped her promote mindfulness in her own life, specifically the connection between her mental and physical wellness. The time she spends on the mat, as well as preparing to teach, has been a time of reflection for her. Sammie believes that as college students, we don’t often use our time to reflect on and process our heavy workloads and acknowledge our stress. Because of this, she urges everybody to find an outlet that helps us realize there is so much more to life than being consumed by school.
Mental wellness has increasingly become a core part of Sammie’s life. She spends a lot of time focusing on what she can do to be the best version of herself, not just for other people, but most importantly for herself. The wellness habits she has gained from yoga have made her very careful about the media she consumes, the people she surrounds herself with, the food she eats, etc.
Sammie was inspired to teach yoga after going on a gap year in Southeast Asia with no phone, where she was able to focus on seeing the practices of a different culture, including yoga. This transformative experience opened her eyes to the diversity of yoga practices and helped her realize that it was not just a workout, but a lifestyle and an art. She was inspired by the people she met on her gap year, who were yoga teachers themselves, and wanted to have this special experience that not many other people can say they’ve had.
Since becoming a yoga instructor, Sammie has enjoyed spending time with the people she gets to see at her class regularly. She has been able to create valuable connections and put faces to names, making people feel recognized and important. A pillar of her practice is to create an inclusive environment where every person feels supported. What she finds very special about her job is that while she teaches others, she learns just as much as her students every day by getting to grow with them.
Sammie ended our interview by recommending people to try yoga at least once, because she has witnessed firsthand how just an hour a day has transformed both the body and mind of many.
If you are interested in taking Sammie’s yoga class, register for Vinyasa Flow on Tuesday’s or Thursday’s from 11:30 or Sunday at 3:00 through the Barnes Center portal.
Student Spotlight #8 - Sara Rooney | October 4th, 2025
Sara Rooney is a sophomore Television, Radio and Film major from Westfield, New Jersey.
This past summer, Sara worked as a production assistant intern on an untitled film. Additionally, she accepted the opportunity to act as an extra in the film.
As a big fan of the American High production company in Syracuse, NY, Sara paid close attention to any job opportunities they posted on Handshake. Although she received multiple rejections, Sara stayed persistent. She decided to meet with Syracuse’s Newhouse School of Public Communications’ Professor Manley, who sent some emails and put in a good word for her.
In May, Sara was hired to work on a film produced by American High and written and directed by BriTANick, a duo who worked together on “Saturday Night Live.” According to Sara, the film is about two college students who discover a drug that Sarah Sherman’s character creates. The film continues to depict the chaos that follows after the students decide to take the homemade drug.
A week after she was hired, Sara began her work as a basic intern. Originally, her role largely consisted of doing “lock ups,” which sometimes required her to spend hours standing in a given spot to ensure no one interrupted the camera’s shot. Sara’s role quickly evolved when she began to work for one of the production assistants. In this new role, it was Sara’s job to manage the actors, making sure they received their food, arrived on set, and “babysitting them in a way,” she said.
Sara also developed a relationship with an assistant director who grew into a mentor figure. Through this connection, Sara acted as a background extra in four scenes. Her internship proved to be a large time commitment; some days she worked 13 hours, starting at noon and working until the following morning.
Although she was working hard at her internship, Sara always had a good time on set. One of Sara’s favorite days involved playing basketball with her friend and cast member, Gaten Matarazzo, who also starred in the show “Stranger Things.” Regardless of the long hours, Sara learned about industry standards and the importance of making connections with people in charge.
Being on-set helped Sara discover her newfound interests in directing and acting as well as off-set roles like being in the writer’s room and the business of film. Since her internship at American High, Sara has already received a job offer to work as a production assistant on a Disney pilot. Emphasizing the importance of connections, “it really is who you know, and once you become friends with those people, then you’re in the same circle, they recommend you and you recommend them,” Sara said. This semester, Sara started interning again with American High helping with social media as well as pre-production jobs.
You can watch Sara in this comedy when it is released in spring 2026. Sara’s work demonstrates how determination and effort can land students their dream internships and introduce them to new potential careers. Speaking directly to students studying film, Sara said, “it doesn’t matter if you go to USC or NYU. Everybody’s ending up in the same place….do anything you can to get into the industry and make those connections and get to know people.”
Student Spotlight #7 - Camila Santiago | April 19th, 2025
Camila Santiago is a sophomore Broadcast and Digital Journalism student from Puerto Rico.
Growing up, Camila has always loved watching the news and staying up to date about what was going on in her home country. This opened her eyes at a young age to the poverty within Puerto Rico and the things that actually happen that many are unaware of if they don't watch the news. Camila had a lot of friends growing up who didn’t have access to the same education and resources as she did. Her inspiration came from realizing how many people did not have the same resources she had such as shelter, food, and water. This kept her very grounded, humble, and grateful.
Since she was 8 years old, she has been a firm believer in the positive effects of community service. Through her time as a member of the Girl Scouts, she was exposed to the resources and care necessary to approach different issues. This created a passion that inspired her to make a project of her own that can give back to those in need.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Camila was left with an empty feeling after seeing how it was affecting surrounding communities in Puerto Rico. In the midst of isolation and seclusion, Camila saw an opportunity to create something that would renew a sense of togetherness.
Along with her mom, she started planning how she wanted her non-profit to look. Camila explained how the process of designing a non-profit is harder than it looks, even in just choosing an appropriate name. In the end, Camila landed on a name that was a testament to her intended mission: an organization that helped as many people as she could through the power of togetherness and the strength of community. From there, her non-profit organization Helping Hands was founded in 2021.
Initially, Camila had planned different events that would help out groups within Puerto Rico, who were struggling in their own way. These took the forms of blood drives, clothing drives, toy drives, a hurricane relief grocery drive, and preparing food for the homeless with her family. In doing these events, Camila got her name and her organization’s name out there, which opened the doors to even more opportunities. After her initial success, she gained interest from other organizations in her area to work on partnered projects. For example, Helping Hands partnered with a local women’s shelter during women’s month to provide women with women’s hygiene and health products.
Now, four years later, the community that Helping Hands has created has been a testament to Camila’s hard work. It has also been a determining factor for her to keep going. Her most recent project was her biggest. Camila organized a hoodie drive, which was a huge success. The idea was to bring hoodies from Puerto Rico to Syracuse. After she got to Syracuse, Camila realized how prevalent issues such as homelessness and housing insecurity were around the university. This inspired Camila to carry over the mission she started in her home country to her new second home, hoping to help out another community she deeply cared about.
In Puerto Rico, the weather is often pretty warm, which gets rid of the need for a surplus of hoodies. In Syracuse, the opposite is true. Due to the fact that it is comparatively very cold in Syracuse, Camila knew exactly how to help. Camila and her friends back in PR planned a way to collect hoodies at local high schools. She was not prepared for the outpouring of assistance from these schools, but her heart was very full. Three big suitcases ended up being packed to the brim with hoodies that Camila was able to give to the Young Women’s Christian Association in Syracuse. She hopes to do the same next year, maybe this time, with 10 suitcases!
Regardless of what her future looks like, Camila is dedicated to staying involved in service not only at home but wherever she goes. Her work with Helping Hands has helped her realize that life is so much more than our own. She reminds us that there is always someone who needs help.
Make sure to follow Camila @camilaisantiago_ and Helping Hands @helpinghandspr on Instagram, as well as the Helping Hands website www.helpinghandspr.com, for more information about Camila’s mission to help others.
Student Spotlight #6 - Ellie Whitman | April 13th, 2025
Ellie Whitman is a sophomore Communications and Rhetorical Studies major from Baltimore, Maryland.
Along with her peers, Ellie has worked to bring a safe space to Syracuse where students can learn about the differences between unhealthy and healthy relationships.
In Baltimore, many students are familiar with the story of Yeardley Love, a member of the UVA women’s lacrosse team, who was brutally murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend in 2010. Following this tragic event, Yeardley’s mother Sharon Love created the One Love Foundation, which is a non-profit that works to end relationship abuse through teaching the warning signs of toxic relationships and sexual violence
Despite being a Batimore native, Ellie opted to attend Brewster Academy - a boarding school in New Hampshire. In her junior year of high school, Ellie went through something nobody should ever have to go through: an abusive relationship of her own. This caused her to feel alone and isolated, especially with the lack of a support system at her school. Ellie turned to the advice of her mom, who inspired Ellie to start a One Love chapter at her high school. With her knowledge of the chapters that ran throughout schools in her hometown, Ellie was determined to help others and find that community that she had been looking for.
Thus, Ellie got the qualifications to start a chapter at Brewster Academy. From that point until she graduated, Ellie acted as the president of her high school’s chapter, where she taught her fellow students important lessons such as the 10 healthy and unhealthy sides of relationships.
Ellie did not want to stop this fulfilling work in high school, though. After choosing to attend Syracuse, she was dedicated to continue being a part of this valuable community. Before school, Ellie saw that a fellow incoming student posted about One Love, so she swiped up and met her. Together, they took the necessary steps to bring a One Love chapter to Syracuse. Eventually, they were approved and made One Love a registered student organization at Syracuse.
The board in total consists of four students. The president is Evie Stammnitz, Ellie is the vice president, Jody Donelan the secretary, and Lilly Hines who is the treasurer and fiscal agent. Together, they are continuing to build and develop the organization through creating bylaws tethered to the current and lack of current policies at Syracuse regarding the resources the school provides.
A little over a month ago, the organization held their first meeting. After doing some initial research, the board realized how Syracuse could be doing a much better job of advertising the resources that they offer. This is why Ellie believes that One Love is such a crucial resource at this school. It is a community by students for students. It is a teaching resource so students can realize the prevalence of toxic relationships and abusive behavior among college couples. Each member of the board wants to create a space where students can understand these issues so they do not have to reach a bad place. They want to emphasize comfort and understanding, so that each student knows they aren’t alone.
The organization is holding their next meeting on April 18th, and Ellie would love for everyone to try and make it! For more information visit @onelovesyracuse or @elliewhitmann on Instagram.
Student Spotlight #5 - Priyanka Das | February 23rd, 2025
Priyanka Das is a sophomore from Princeton, NJ, who majors in Policy Studies and Information Tech with an Art History Minor.
Priyanka started in theater as a middle schooler, but never got super into it. She quickly found out, that despite being skilled in music and dance, that being on stage wasn’t her thing.
Once she got to high school, Priyanka initially decided to drop the arts to focus on field hockey. All of her closest friends, however, kept doing theater. This inspired her to try theater again, but in a different way this time around. Instead of acting, Priyanka decided to apply for the position of Assistant Stage Manager. This position at first was just a way for her to hang out with her friends, but it ended up becoming a role that would change her life.
During her freshman year, all three lighting heads were seniors. This meant Priyanka had big shoes to fill, being the only other student who had the ability to operate the lighting board. Operating the board was an art in itself. With hundreds of buttons and switches to create
different effects, there were many intricate steps that needed to be studied in order to pull off different looks. When all put together, these looks are what made the show.
Lighting techniques stuck with Priyanka because they were the most ‘physical way’ to express her creativity. Priyanka was never really into drawing or painting, but this changed her mind. Though there were directions that needed to be followed, Priyanka still had the ability to make the art her own. After a successful freshman year, her skill started to flourish even more.
During her sophomore year, Priyanka was put in charge of the lighting for her school’s rendition of The Addams Family. Priyanka was able to use her knowledge of both the broadway show and the film to create a viewing experience that the audience would connect with, using dark, dim reds to create that classic Addams Family look. Her success in this production led to her being appointed lighting director for another show that year, called 26 Pebbles. This show was about the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting. This was a very emotional experience for her. Priyanka worked tirelessly designing the lighting for this show, in order to create a powerful viewing experience.
For Priyanka, this production solidified just how meaningful the work she was doing really was. How she can create these visual-emotional experiences that make the show what it is. The colors that she used and the looks that she made all had the ability to connect with the viewers, making them think and appreciate the subject matter that much more.
That experience made her look at lighting differently. No matter where Priyanka went, like a store or a museum, she finds value in the lighting. Especially the way museums use lighting to highlight the importance of the art to create an emotional response. Lighting her school’s productions has made Priyanka want to create positive experiences for people in the future. Lighting is a way for her to blend all of her interests - such as programming and connecting with others. Knowing this, she is dedicated to combining these passions to leave an emotional impact.
For her senior send-off, Priyanka was able to not only control the lighting for the show Anything Goes, but had the chance to assistant direct and play drums in the pit orchestra. It was a great culmination to her four-year contribution to the theater program.
Coming off a successful senior year, Priyanka decided to take her talents to community theater. She was given the opportunity to design Carrie, which became her “passion project.” This production meant a lot to her, as her best friend was playing the role of Carrie and the director was someone she knew very well. Priyanka quickly developed an emotional attachment to the show, due to the importance of its themes.
Priyanka was dedicated to using her skill to create the best viewing experience possible. She spent around 30 hours just sitting and designing the show. She would go into the theater before anyone else to experiment with different looks. After weeks of hard work, Priyanka was able to transform Carrie into an emotional experience that garnered a lot of praise.
A year after its on-stage debut, Priyanka was nominated for an Outstanding Lighting Design Award for an award show that honored the best of New Jersey’s community theater productions. Priyanka was able to see how all of the hours she spent doing lighting over the years meant something. How a passion that many did not really understand or see the appeal to was something truly meaningful. Although Priyanka didn’t win the award, she was the youngest nominee, only woman nominee, and the only woman of color nominee for this award.
Now as a student at Syracuse, Priyanka is a very important member of First Year Players, a campus theater organization. Priyanka wants to keep working hard to flip the script - making lighting something of creativity and passion, not the status quo.
Priyanka’s story is a reminder for us all to find value in creating in a way that makes people happy.
Student Spotlight #4 - Tiffany Hyon
Tiffany Hyon is a sophomore Television, Radio, and Film major from Santa Clarita, California.
​
Tiffany has been dancing her whole life. At a young age, Tiffany’s mother put her into ballet and tap classes. As she grew up, she continued to develop her skills in ballet and tap while also trying different styles like hip hop, contemporary, and lyrical.
Year after year Tiffany’s love for dance grew. It became an important creative outlet in her life - a way for her to express herself. Whenever she hears music, all she pictures is dance moves. After listening to music her whole life through dance, she now associates the two. Whenever music resonates with her, all she can picture is dance moves, allowing her to see music in a different way.
Tiffany grew up dancing with her younger sister. Their father built a dance studio in their house, which allowed them to share that special experience together. After a while, her sister fell out of dance due to different pressures. Once her sister stopped dancing, Tiffany started to lose her love for dance as well.
In middle and high school, Tiffany had a demanding schedule that consisted of 20-30 hours of rehearsal per week, after joining a competition team. Through this team, she met a lot of her best friends, which gave her a great support system. Despite this, Tiffany was starting to feel overworked to the point where all that rehearsal felt like a chore. Not only this, but the intensity of the training was starting to affect her mental health, which gave her self-image issues.
In high school, Tiffany ended up joining the tennis team over dance because it felt new and fun, but she quickly realized how much she missed dance. She started going back to classes at her studio, which inspired her to get back into it.
Once Tiffany got to Syracuse last year, she heard about DanceWorks, which is an on-campus dance organization. By joining this student organization, she was able to fall back in love with dance, which inspired her through the community it provided.
One thing Tiffany has always valued about dance was how supportive the community is. It’s a community that follows, no matter what studio. Even when meeting new dancers, it feels like a safe place.
As a freshman in DanceWorks, she was a part of three pieces, two hip hop and one contemporary. This inspired her to teach some classes of her own. She taught a few hip hop clinics which garnered a lot of praise. Now, as a sophomore, Tiffany was selected to choreograph a piece for the yearly DanceWorks recital. This time around, she has decided to create a jazz piece.
Choreographing her dance has also helped her realize how important dance is in her life. Dance became a stressful thing for Tiffany in the past, but now she looks at it differently. Choreographing is now a way for her to relieve stress and release emotions. It allows her to leave everything else behind to create something special. When her emotions and thoughts can’t be put into words, movements and rhythm can’t. Being able to work with other dancers and see how they respond to her creation has solidified that dance isn’t something Tiffany wants to lose again.
In her mind, Tiffany wishes that she pursued being a professional dancer and doing more auditions for different shows and other opportunities. For right now, Tiffany is happy with where she is at. As she turns her focus towards her Television, Radio, and Film major at Newhouse, she is looking for ways to combine her two passions. As of right now, her goal is to become a music video director.
Regardless of what happens, Tiffany knows that she won’t stop dancing, because dancing will always be important to her.
Student Spotlight #3 - Sophia Burton
Sophia Burton is a freshman from Alexandria, Virginia. Though she is currently an undeclared Newhouse student, Sophia also has a major in Art History and a minor in Chinese.
Art and fashion have been two constants in Sophia’s life for as long as she can remember. Her mom is an abstract painter. Seeing her mom’s love for painting sparked one for herself as well. As a kid, Sophia fondly remembers going to art museums in D.C., such as the National Gallery of Art. Sometimes they would even book a train for a weekend trip up to New York City, where they would walk along Fifth Avenue to window shop different designer stores and go to different art exhibits.
At age 10, Sophia’s grandma gifted her her first sewing machine. Though she originally took classes, Sophia decided she would rather teach herself, giving herself the creative freedom to do what she wanted. Since then, she has taken her skill to new heights, creating awesome clothes such as the quilted jacket pictured.
​
She now frequents thrift stores to find not only clothing pieces, but other items
such as quilts and different cloths that she can upcycle into new products such
as jackets and skirts. Sophia doesn’t only shop at thrift stores because of the
more unique finds that she comes across. She is also a big promoter of
sustainability in fashion, and shopping used goods is much better for the
environment.
After learning about the effect of clothing wastelands in countries such as Ghana
and the massive CO2 footprint fast fashion produces, Sophia decided to support
businesses that have “green” initiatives, like Depop, Ganni, and Reformation
instead of national stores like Shein and other fast fashion favorites.
At her high school, Sophia was Fashion Club president. Every year, the club held a
fashion show in the spring. Sophia’s always used this opportunity to make creative
lines that used 100% recycled clothing and other materials. After gathering some of
her old clothes, asking her friends for theirs, and finding other household items, Sophia was able to make new items that showed off both her creativity and dedication to upcycling. One of her favorite projects from her senior year show was creating a dress and pair of slacks out of newspaper comics, which her dad even modeled!
​
​
Sophia’s success with these items has proven her skill and passion
towards creating new clothes. Now a freshman in college, she
continues to create outfits that display her creative personality and love
for thrifted goods.
Sophia uses her style as a form of expression, drawing influence from
art, people, and places. One of her biggest influences is her mom,
inspired by how she experiments with different styles and doesn’t care
what people think about what she wears. Public figures like Bob Dylan
who rocks the jean jacket with an upturned collar and Syracuse grad
Quincy Whipple have also shown her the importance of individuality in
fashion.
​
Sophia explores styles in other countries to apply to her own, such as
Denmark. Following a trip to Copenhagen, Sophia admired how women dressed “agelessly,” mix-matching slouchy pants, button up shirts, with unique shoes and accessories. Everyone she saw had the confidence to wear whatever they wanted while being celebrated for it, so Sophia tries to hone this in her style.
Sophia also draws inspiration from her art history major. Learning about the history of different cultures and their styles such as the classical looks of the Renaissance and the more modern surrealist movement, she learns more and more that style should have no boundaries. Sophia reminds us to take chances with what we wear - get creative by putting together clothes you think wouldn’t work. Because in doing that, you may find a way to express yourself.
Student Spotlight #2 - Lauren Ervin | Feb. 1st, 2025
Lauren Ervin is a sophomore from Napa, California who majors in Communications and Rhetorical Studies.
Chances are you’ve heard Lauren perform, and you probably loved it. This makes it crazy to believe that Lauren started only a little over a year ago.
Lauren got her first board after one of her freshman year floormates taught her how to mix on his board. From then on, house music turned from a love to a hobby. Being self-taught ever since, she has rapidly progressed and developed her own style. By stepping up to a Pioneer DDJ FLX-4 board, Lauren has been able to create in many different ways while adding her own flair each time she touches a track.
Lauren made a name for herself, which inspired her to share her music with the Syracuse community. Initially, she played various campus venues such as fraternities and other house parties. In doing this, Lauren gained a lot of connections and was able to take the next step in her growing career.
After playing at some on-campus spots, Lauren was offered her first official gig to play for Jamboree, an event held by Syracuse’s University Union student organization. From there, she grew a following which opened many other doors for her, such as performances at Calenton Music Fest, First Gen, and the Echo Union Launch Party. Most recently, Lauren learned that she will be opening for NOTION, which is a philanthropy event hosted by Syracuse fraternity Delta Upsilon on February 13th.
Lauren feels a connection to house music because she thinks it’s so easy to listen to, and because there’s no better feeling than a good beat drop. She thinks house is unique because lyrics are not usually the purpose of each song, which allows for a simple, yet beautiful communication through the rhythm and energy. The “boundless serotonin” Lauren gets while listening to house, she believes, speaks for house music in general. She believes that house music has created its own sort of community where people just listen and dance, leaving every other thing behind them and living in the moment.
As Lauren learns more about different styles, she takes to SoundCloud, which is a popular music platform for many aspiring artists. By being exposed to many different genres through the digital platform, including rap, European garage, and tech house, she has gradually developed her own style that combines a variety of music that speaks to her. Lauren likes to throw different genres into her mixes, combining different elements to create something unique that speaks to her individuality. By personalizing mixes with what she likes to hear, DJing has become a reflection of Lauren’s creativity.
When I asked Lauren what the key pieces of herself were, she said her friendliness, resilience, and love for meeting and talking to new people. She just does what she likes, no holds barred. This doesn’t just pertain to music, either. Lauren will similarly experiment with fashion as a way to show her creativity. Lauren says she will often wear two different styles at once, even if they clash. If it looks good and feels good to Lauren, she will wear it anyways and take pride in it. There is a common denominator among her style, music, and her other hobbies: if she likes it, she will approach it with 100 percent.
For many people, finding new hobbies may feel like a chore. For Lauren, however, DJing feels like anything but a task, though she approaches it with the same energy. This determination and passion fulfills her enough to keep going and having fun with it. Besides Lauren’s love and determination for creating new work and improving her technique, just as big of an inspiration are Lauren’s friends. Ever since she began DJing, her best friends have hyped her up. Watching them enjoy what she does is another consistent motivator, and a source of reassurance that Lauren has a special talent.
Lauren recently started going by the stage name LAUR, as that's what many of her closest friends call her. Not only does she think it sounds cool, but it also serves as a reminder of where she started and the support system that has rooted for her from the start.
When asked where Lauren wants to go with DJing following her college career, she emphasized how thankful she is for the present moment. Thus, she focuses on the now. Lauren never thought she would get to the place that she has with DJing, so this constant improvement is enough for her as of right now. Lauren will keep going with the flow: if people reach out to her for shows, she’s always game. As she continues to practice and perform, Lauren also wants to learn about the music industry, such as production and various software platforms.
She leaves us with the following advice: “I think creativity is the way that you fulfill yourself. Finding a creative outlet, especially amidst the chaos of college, keeps you going. Always experiment. You may find something and pick it up, just like I did with DJing. You may love it or you may not, and that’s ok. Once you find your thing you’ll know.”
Student Spotlight #1: Darius Baharlo | Jan. 27th, 2025
Darius Baharlo is a sophomore from Los Angeles, California who is currently studying in the Bandier Program for Recording and Entertainment Industries at Newhouse.
For Darius, music is life. Growing up, his dad played guitar, so he was exposed to music at an early age. At the age of 8, Darius started playing piano. A few years later at age 11, he started playing various brass instruments. As this passion was gradually developing, a film sealed the deal. After watching the movie Bohemian Rhapsody (a Freddy Mercury biopic) for the first time, Darius was not only drawn to playing bass and guitar, but equally as inspired to learn about the inner workings of the entertainment industry entirely.
To celebrate this love for music, Darius taps into his creativity within the realms of music and writing, even combining them when he has the chance. He describes writing music as a “therapeutic experience” in its own sense, as a way to get out many emotions that he cannot convey otherwise.
Besides being a student in the Bandier Program, Darius finds other ways to apply his creative mind and love for music. He is an active member of UniversityUnion as a Research Coordinator for the Concerts Board, a booking & talent director for WERW Radio, where he is in charge of planning and booking the artists for the Spring Launch Party show, and he is in a student-run band called After Hours, where he plays various gigs around Syracuse at various venues and house shows, most recently at beloved restaurant Funk ‘n Waffles.
This band was created by their current drummer and fellow student Goldie Singer, who was connected with the band’s singers Bella Ierano and Keira Walsh, the guitarist Max Kanefsky, and Darius in different ways. After meeting through jam sessions, the group instantly hit it off. With the shared goal of being in a band, the group was brought together and After Hours came into fruition.
Darius himself is the band’s lead bassist, but also has experience playing guitar. Additionally, Darius does supporting and lead vocals on some of After Hours’ hits.
When asked why Darius wanted to join a college band, he answered by saying “one of the first nights that I came here, a senior who graduated last year took me to a house show at Redgate (now known as the household venue Dazed).” His initial reaction to the live performance was thinking how cool it was to be able to play in front of your friends, who all get to watch and celebrate your hard work and passion play out. Following this performance, Darius knew that this was an experience he wanted to feel as well, in order to connect with people through the language of music in that inviting setting.
Additionally, another factor that contributed to his goal of playing in a college band came from the movies. The on-screen portrayal of college bands seemed as if this thrill was something he couldn’t miss, especially after being in bands during his high school years.
When asked what makes him proud of his individuality, and what makes him the person he is, Darius responded by saying one of the biggest parts of who he is, is the passion he brings to everything he does. In his words, “I’m a very passionate person, and that drives me to do whatever it is that I’m doing. If I really care about something, I’m not going to half-ass it.” Especially with the things and people that Darius loves the most, he gives 100%, and that is one thing that he will never stop doing.
Darius finds joy in other ways as well, such as going to the gym for a workout or playing some basketball in his down time as a way to unwind, clear his head, and break through some burnouts, finding joy in these daily activities.
Darius does not want his love for music to end during his college days. He has multiple music-based aspirations following his studies at Syracuse. One goal is to head off to law school to study music and entertainment law, then head back to his home state of California to join a practice. A different, but just as enticing career path for Darius is to work within the music industry at a record label, impacting the success of recording artists as much as he can.
Regardless of where he goes and what he does, Darius’ main goal is to stay involved with the music scene, and bring forth the same passion and love he has for music in a professional setting that has stuck with him throughout his life.