Student Spotlights

Meet LIU Student Stars

KAITLYN SOTTUNG

Class of 2022 | LIU Post | Education It was important for Kaitlyn to find a college campus that felt like home, and she knew LIU Post was the answer. With the Gold Coast beaches near campus and New York City a short train ride away, Kaitlyn loves that she has access to the best of both worlds. It’s the perfect location to earn jobs and internships, connect with a powerful alumni network, and enjoy front row seats to some of the best entertainment around. She’s an entertainer herself and traveled to Spain with her classmates in the Vocal Jazz Ensemble to perform in front of international audiences.

ALINA CHEN

Class of 2022 | Campus Life | Business Administration and Fashion Merchandising Alina has always looked for every opportunity to excel professionally and surround herself with like-minded people. She is a Dean’s Scholar, a member of the fencing team, the leader of a national sorority, and CEO of the Student Body Boutique. She is learning first-hand the skills needed to run a business and has volunteered at New York Fashion Week every year of her college career. Her sorority has allowed her to give back to her community and make lifelong connections, and as a student-athlete she contributed to a national championship-winning team.

TYLER BOYLORN

Class of 2025 | Roc Nation School of Music, Sports & Entertainment | Music Technology, Entrepreneurship & Production As an aspiring music producer, Tyler is thrilled to be learning from the best in the business at the Roc Nation School, such as legendary hip-hop producer 9th Wonder. This year he engaged with over 15 other innovators in the industry including the NBA commissioner, executives from Netflix, and Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion. He also works at Canteen, the official Roc Nation store on campus, with all proceeds supporting his fellow classmates. The Roc Nation School is helping him truly experience music and culture, not just learn about it.

FRANCESCO DIFLORA

Class of 2022 | School of Performing Arts | Musical Theatre Francesco always knew his passion was for the arts and theatre, and LIU helped him take the leap of faith. The BFA program taught him independence and initiative, while learning acting methods such as Suzuki, Stanislovsky, Shakespeare, Chekov, Meisner and others. He will graduate as a physically trained actor and has taken part in many contemporary and naturalistic acting in plays and musicals. And studying so close to Broadway allows him the opportunity to easily travel to performances and auditions to launch his career on stage.

SHIVANI VAIDYA

Class of 2022 | LIU Brooklyn | Finance It was always Shivani’s dream to move to New York City and explore the world, and LIU Brooklyn allowed her to do just that. She loves living a short walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan, and a few steps away from the Barclays Center, hundreds of restaurants and shops. She takes advantage of high-tech offerings such as Bloomberg terminals that have allowed her to manage the University’s $150,000 portfolio of stocks in the LIU Student Investment Fund, and secure an internship at Wells Fargo’s Wealth and Investment Management program.

BRANDY THOMAS

Class of 2022 | LIU Athletics | Psychology Competing in Division I basketball was a lifelong dream that Brandy fulfilled at LIU. She loves the connections she has made with teammates, coaches and professors, and enjoys giving back to her community through the LIU Cares initiative. Brandy saw plenty of success on the court too. She was named first-team All-NEC during her senior season, becoming just the seventh player in league history to earn four straight all-conference honors. She led the conference in three-point shooting percentage and finished third in scoring during her final year.

TIAGO SILVA

Class of 2022 | LIU Global | Global Studies Tiago knew the moment he learned about LIU Global that it was meant to be. He loves that the program gives him the true definition of experiential learning, following up classroom lessons with unique field experiences. The classroom is filled with thoughtful debate and exchange of ideas that has widened his view of the world, and he has traveled to new countries in every semester. Through his travels he discovered his true passion for education and plans to pursue a career in academia.

MATTHEW YOUNG

Class of 2022 | School of Health Professions and Nursing | Nursing Matthew was inspired to become a nurse by watching health care professionals in action when his dad needed it the most. From the moment he arrived on campus to when he started his professional nursing classes, he has loved his LIU experience. The hands-on learning conducted by health care leaders and the stateof-the-art simulation lab are some of Matthew’s favorite aspects of the program. Being so close to New York City has given him access to learn in some of the world’s best hospitals.

VIKAS DALAL

Class of 2022 | School of Business | Finance Vikas first learned about LIU when he was selected as a scholar in the Summer Honors Institute after his junior year of high school. Now on the verge of graduating college, he already has a full-time job offer from a global investment bank. He took advantage of the University’s student-led consulting firm and student investment fund to gain hands-on experience that prepared him for the job market. He never imagined that he would be advising real businesses and allocating real stocks and funds as a student.

SAMANTHA OLSEN

Class of 2022 | Honors College | Chemistry and Forensic Science The Honors College has allowed Samantha to join smaller classes with like-minded students and make meaningful connections with her professors. Her passion for science led her to add chemistry as a double major and she is writing her honors thesis on probabilistic genotyping. She enjoys spending time and collaborating with friends in the Honors College Village, a space reserved for Honors students to study and socialize. She also took advantage of a faculty-led trip to Iceland for 10 days to learn about the Icelandic culture.