Throughout the spring and summer, we'll be honoring our senior student-athletes with a "Senior Salute" series. Today's featured senior is Saeed Husain, an anthropology major from Karachi, Pakistan. Husain is a member of the men's tennis team.

Q: Why did you choose to attend The College of Wooster?
A: The emphasis on undergraduate research combined with its liberal arts curriculum. Coming in, I knew that Wooster prided itself on students who can think about the world in unique and different ways. I can't imagine a program without Independent Study as a capstone.

Q: What does it mean to you to be a Fighting Scot student-athlete?
A: Being a Fighting Scot student-athlete means being there for your team, even when it means 6 a.m. or 8 p.m. practices, having a positive attitude when results don't go your way, and relishing the opportunity to play the sport you love.

Q: What are some of your favorite memories as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: I'll always remember how involved students are in their field of interest, be it their major, club, music, and sport. It is deeply inspiring to hear students when they present on their summer research and internship experiences, and especially on their Independent Study. I will really miss the excitement of going to class and learning in such a nurturing environment.

Q: What's the best part about being a student-athlete at The College of Wooster?
A: Just the balance that I can have with other activities on campus while playing sports competitively. Coach (Zachary) Hasenyager pushes us to perform well off the court and encourages us to take the plethora of opportunities available at Wooster. 

Q: What else were you involved with on campus besides your sport?
A: Since the second semester of my first year, I have worked for the Office of Admissions, first as a tour guide, and now as a senior intern. I'm an experiential learning peer advisor in APEX (Wooster's center for Advising, Planning, and Experiential Learning), and a resident assistant. I have also led the Sociology and Anthropology Club, Wooster's Amnesty International chapter, and Noor. Since last year, I have been working with the marketing team in APEX, and in my first two years at Wooster, I worked in editorial roles for the Wooster Voice.

Q: Which College of Wooster faculty or staff member has made the greatest impact on you and why?
A: With her passion for anthropology and community-oriented approach, Dr. Pam Frese has made me realize the kind of person I would like to be. Dr. Frese is someone dedicated to advancing their field, but is also always exploring how to make our communities better for us all. Her support right from the get-go as my FYS mentor made me believe that Wooster and anthropology were the right fit for me.

Q: What other people or resources impacted your Wooster experience in a positive way and how did these people/resources set you up to be successful at Wooster?
A: Far too many people have helped me be successful. Coach Hasenyager, who has been an incredible mentor both on and off the court, wrote references and recommended me for jobs on campus and APEX Fellowships. He continues to encourage me as I tackle new challenges that await as I graduate! Cathy McConnell has been an exceptional supervisor in my role as an experiential learning peer advisor. Her belief and dedication to the program has been infectious, making me strive to help students find and partake in wonderful opportunities. Drs. Nick Kardulias, Setsuko Matsuzawa, David McConnell, and Elizabeth Derderian have tremendously broadened my intellectual horizons.

Q: Tell us a bit about your Independent Study project?
A: My I.S. focuses on private Sikh Art collections in the U.S. I'm looking at collector's rationales, self-curation, and networks. I have had the chance to learn from collectors and multiple other key people in the field, including museum curators, art dealers, and artists. Some strands of my I.S. include American Sikh identity formation, resistance, feminist directions, and diasporic views.

Q: Tell us a bit about something cool you did as a student at The College of Wooster?
A: My second APEX Fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History was just an incredible experience, and something which I always refer to how monumental it was to shape my thoughts in anthropology and museum studies.

Q: Reflecting back on your time at Wooster, what is one piece of advice you would give your first-year (freshman) self?
A: Be confident. Everyone around you is full of love and support, you just need to reach out!

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