Meet Double Major Student Sufiyan Salman
Sufiyan, originally from Karachi, Pakistan, is pursuing a double major in International Affairs and Psychology. A writer and a poet, he is the president of the Literature and Creative Writing Club, and the secretary of the Arab Student Association.
Tell us about your background.
I have lived my entire life in Pakistan. I came to JCU last year and that was the first time I had ventured out of my home country. The situation in Pakistan was – and still is – not good, so I knew I had to leave: my hope was to study abroad. I had researched universities in Europe, and my high school teachers had talked highly of John Cabot University. So, I applied here, and then I received the Global Explorer Scholarship, and I guess here we are!
I have chosen to double major in International Affairs and Psychology, and possibly down the road, I’ll pick a minor in either Law or Creative Writing.
What sparked your interest in psychology and international affairs?
Well, I’m entranced by psychology. I’m a writer and I write about the human condition, the different emotions and paths we find ourselves in. I love deciphering them in any way that I can. That’s what fascinates me about psychology.
As for my International Affairs major, I chose it because I’m a very political person. As a Pakistani, I can’t help being affected by what is going on in my country. To learn as much as I can is like a moral obligation for me, since I’ve been given this opportunity. The other reason I’ve chosen International Affairs is because I want to go down the humanitarian route.
How did you get passionate about writing? What’s your source of inspiration?
I started out reading, as you naturally do, and then I started writing fiction. Then I decided to switch to poetry. I’ve read mainly Arabic and French poetry, but I do write mostly in English and sometimes in Arabic. As for my biggest inspiration, I grew up listening to Taylor Swift. I like her music, but I also learned a lot from her lyrics. I love her writing style and the way she crafts her songs. But more traditional inspirations of mine are Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley.
What’s your impression of JCU so far?
I’ve always wanted to go to somewhere like Italy. It’s been a dream of mine to live in a place where it feels like you’re walking in an open-air museum. This is extremely different from where I come from. But I guess that’s where the amazingness of it all lies for me – that in a place so far away from home, there is an entire history encapsulated within a city.
Adjusting to this new life in Rome has not been difficult for me, and I haven’t had much trouble settling in at JCU, either. I have to pinch myself sometime to realize that I’m here. My entire life, I’ve been dreaming this impressionist dream about going abroad and studying. To have it come true in the way that it did – I would not say easily, but in the best way it could have been – it’s like a dream come true. I love the classes here at JCU, and I love what I’m studying. I really like the Creative Writing class I’m taking this semester, with William Schutt. I also appreciate what Professors Annette Bryson and Tara Keenan have done for me. Professor Thomas Hope is the person who set me on the Psychology path.
You have relaunched the Literature and Creative Writing club. What plans do you have in store for the club?
When I came here, I was pretty surprised to hear that there was no creative writing club. I learned that the literature club did exist, but it had gone dormant because of Covid. I decided then to re-launch it: originally, it was exclusively a literature club, but I wanted to incorporate creative writing as well.
I wanted to have a venue where students could talk and learn about contemporary literature from all over the world. We have a weekly meeting where we focus on different authors and books: for example, we recently had a special spotlight for a Lebanese and a Palestinian author. We also have a lot of events and activities with other clubs. Recently, we had a collaboration with the Film Appreciation Club, where we highlighted the adaptations of contemporary novels and compared them. We’re having a creative writing workshop where people can submit their creative works, and we’re going to analyze them as a group and give them a chance to improve or ask questions. We’re also going to collaborate with the Black and African Student Association (BASA) at a slam poetry event, and we’re planning an exhibition with the Art and Design Club.
You’ve been the Orientation leader for Immigration services. How was that experience?
I loved it so much that I go back every term. It’s one of the highlights of every semester. I love the people that I work with. Since I once was in the position of the students who are coming in, I try to make the transition as comfortable, accessible, and fun for them as possible, because I know it’s a very big milestone for everybody.
What advice would you give to a student who is considering studying or earning their degree abroad and might be nervous about leaving their home country?
I think everyone should have an opportunity in their life where they are confronted with so many more perspectives than their own, and from parts of the world that they usually don’t have any relation with, because you get to learn so much about other people and other ways of living. You also get to learn a lot about empathy. And I guess, to be a good human, you have to have a lot of empathy. If you were to expand your horizons a bit, you would learn that there’s so much more to being a human out there, and you would grow as a person, as well. I think it’s a very, very important thing that you have to do for yourself.
Anything else you would like to add?
Right now, a lot of my friends here have families back home that are suffering greatly. These are very, very tense times, and a person needs as much support as they can to make it through. Look after each other.
