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Student Spotlight: Sam Shain

Sam Shain sits on a mountainside

Interdisciplinary studies double major Sam Shain has taken full advantage of his time at NC State.

Pursuing degrees in international studies and science, technology and society, the Park Scholar has studied abroad in Germany, participated in a sustainable business strategy course at Harvard, taken a gap semester to practice mindfulness and meditation in Oregon, engaged in wildlife rehabilitation efforts in South Africa and interned as a corporate innovation apprentice in Singapore. He also spent this past summer in Panama with Amigos de las Américas.

Yet Shain also narrows his focus as an active participant on campus. Within the Park Scholarships program, he is co-founder and former president of the Park Philanthropy Council, assists on the Social and Senior Gala Committee, has been a facilitator for Civic Engagement Initiatives, serves on the Diversity Student Task Force, was donor relations manager and a logistics member for the Krispy Kreme Challenge, and is Service Raleigh Community Involvement co-chair.

Another activity, which stands out prominently for Shain, was serving as facilitator for a mindfulness and meditation activity during Senior Retreat. 

“Sharing my message in front of the entire class was simultaneously humbling and terrifying,” Shain says. “Through this experience, I realized how much additional potential I had stored within, just waiting to be explored if I followed my own guidance more frequently. This opportunity has propelled me to an unprecedented level of focus and commitment to my goals.”

This post was originally published in Office of Global Engagement.