So Sam, tell me about yourself. Your background, your major, and your hometown.

Yeah, so my name is Samiran. But I do go by Sam. I'm a junior Cal Econ major, theater minor. I'm from Tracy. It's like an hour from Berkeley. I've been in SAAS for my whole college career since freshman year. I joined as a math major. I was looking for a definitely a group for the math and statistics side. And then I was an econ major, I still feel like SAAS is just as relevant because I feel like there is such a large reach for statistics. I feel like even as an econ major, I am benefiting a lot from the club, which is great.

Why and how did you choose to major in econ and minor in theater?

For Econ, I guess because I was a math major. I think I just did that just because when applying, and I think I just like Econ, it's very applicable. I feel like the stuff we talk about in class, it keeps me engaged. Because I feel like a lot of this stuff is applied to real world governments and economic organizations just across the globe. So that's kind of how I arrived at econ. I feel like it's like business but with more theory and more math behind it, and less of the fluff that business classes have, you know, the talking and the management and stuff. So I feel like that's why I kind of grabbed Econ. It's still pretty technical, but at the same time, it is more of the business side too. It's like its own field. So I think that's probably the coolest part about it. And then theater is something I kind of got into recently, kind of just a side passion of mine. I thought, I have a lot of space in my schedule and the program at Berkeley is really good because a lot of my teachers in the theater program are very accomplished. And that's been fun. It's just been a good opportunity to basically do something that's more creative without taking up a lot of time and crowding my other schoolwork. And minor for theater is basically just the acting focus. So I take acting classes in the theater sequence, which has been pretty great for sure.

What are some fun facts about you?

I guess the biggest one is I was born in England. And so I lived there for about six years. And that's probably a big part of my upbringing. I don't have my accent but my parents still have theirs. It is a big part of my past, I guess I go back all the time. That's probably the funnest fact you can get. I guess there's a few other ones. I've been skating since I was in fifth grade. So that's something I've just been doing a lot just for fun. But it's just something that I always enjoy. Oh, another one I always use is David Dobrik. And I was in my underwear in LA. And because I was doing this, you know, Berkeley does the nude run. But like UCLA does the undie run. So everyone was just in their boxers or whatever, oh, a little more easier to participate in, right, because you just have to be in your boxers. And I was hanging out with my friend at UCLA and we were doing the run. And then we just see David Dobrik filming something and he said hi and I got a picture with him, but I was in my underwear. So it's the funniest thing. So I just had this picture with David Dobrik but I'm just in my boxers. It's great.

Wow. Okay, that's so cool. So, you mentioned that you're interested in econ and theater. So let's talk about your professional experience. What are your professional interests? And why are you interested in those fields and do you have any internship experience you want to share?

Yeah, so I think my big focus now is kind of pursuing the intersection of business and entertainment. I think it's a big reason why I feel like I have a big passion for theater. And I think entertainment has like always just been a big passion of mine. And so I think there's a lot of fun careers that are kind of a good blend of this creative but also business side. And I think it's a way to still do something that's business or finance. For me, I'm doing it in a sector where I feel like it's super interesting. I feel like it's very fast paced and it's just something that I enjoy. So that's kind of my goal. I think right now I'm applying for internships in entertainment consulting, press, publicity, management, and things like that. I applied to some record labels and stuff for this upcoming summer in the last semester with COVID. It was kind of hard to get an internship but I did end up working for a mortgage lender in Dublin. Basically a lot of that experience was allocating files, building reports for clients, consulting with clients and all the officers and just consolidating mortgage packages, some crazy stuff. And I also did an SEO project there, which was pretty cool, and learned a lot about search engine optimization. It was pretty fun because it was definitely something that I've never done before. It kind of forced me to work on my feet and lead a whole project from scratch and it was something that I've never done. So that was a great experience last summer. And that's probably most of my professional experience so far.

That's great. So let's talk more about SAAS specific questions. So the first question I want to ask is how did you find about SAAS? And then why did you choose to join SAAS?

I think I was at Calapalooza and I was just walking around the club table. This is my first week in Berkeley. And so I've just finished my orientation. I heard about Calapalooza. And I was definitely just looking for whatever cool communities there were. And then I found most of the clubs were pretty chill clubs. But then I remember I found SUSA. I just wanted to join it because I had a lot of good club experience in high school. And I was like, Okay, I might as well join an academic club that is focused around my major, which was math at the time, and also kind of just to surround myself with other people in the major, especially as a freshman, it's a great opportunity to start with a community. So that was probably a big reason.

I see. So let's go talk about your past committees. So what's your favorite committee you've been in so far? And why would you say that's your favorite?

Yeah, well, it has to be EVP because I have not been in anything else. But I think EVP is fun because we are doing stuff to support the SAAS community and like the stats community, it's a great way for everyone to reach out. And I think it's been very beneficial for me in terms of learning how to proceed with communicating with outside sources and sending these emails and being a student, but talking to people who are CEOs or people who work for actual companies. I think that's probably been the coolest experience of EVP and why I feel like it's so rewarding, because I think you learn a lot. And also I think it's definitely fun to see the opportunities where stats and SAAS intersect with other clubs. So like, finding other clubs to work with, like PBL, DSS and all these different clubs, I think it's cool to find all these similarities within the Berkeley community, and I think it's fulfilling when you can get a bunch of clubs together, get a cool event going and just have a big turnout.

So another question we have is, why did you choose to stay?

Yeah, I think like I said earlier, it was kind of just a great opportunity. And I think EVP was always just a good committee that I could join. Because each semester was always different. We were always working with different timelines. There's the semester with the fires and the blackouts, there was obviously COVID. I think each semester has been this new, unique challenge. We got to find some way to accommodate this, we got to reschedule this, and I think it definitely makes each semester in EVP like a new semester. And even though I've been in the same committee, it definitely feels like I've just been in different things each semester, because we're always adapting new things, or working with new clients or new companies and things like that.

Why did you decide to become an Exec?

So I think definitely just because of my long experience in EVP and basically I don't know if you know Andre, but he was the previous EVP. And basically, me and Andre have been together in the same committee since we were both freshmen and sophomores. And so I think to see him take on the leadership role gave me faith that okay, I can definitely do this. And I think it gave me faith too. Because I was in the committee for so long, it definitely excited me to think, okay, if I ran this committee, I could work with these companies or start kind of creating initiatives on this end, and I think it's definitely fulfilling to start out in this committee and then get to a point where now I can share my own views from being in it so long and kind of help directing our other members on the same kind of reasons why I enjoyed the committee in the first place.

I see. So all those years in SAAS, what would you say is your proudest achievement?

I think the proudest achievement has got to the big speaker panel we hosted with DSS and PBL. And this was right before Corona and so this was maybe spring 2020. Basically, it was this big speaker panel event. And not only did we get alumni from these other clubs who were working with Google and things like that, but we got to see alumni from SAAS return and they were working with Indeed, doing data science projects for Indeed and Uber. And they had these presentations and they're presenting their research. The turnout was a great experience, because a lot of these people, even me, being a junior member at the time, I got to just learn about all these different career paths in I think the best way possible. It wasn't from googling, it was from the actual person speaking to everyone. And I think seeing that play out, and seeing the turnout of that was definitely super fulfilling, and definitely probably one of the most successful events I've planned so far.

I see. So how would you say SAAS helped you with your career and professional development?

I think the first thing is, the community is always a plus. I think whenever you're working in something academic or professional and you have a community that you can ask questions or get help or talk to about classes, I think that's always going to be a big plus. Having people like Brian and a lot of our advisors, having the workshops that would focus on resume building, and things like that, I think those are always a plus. Because, obviously, I think I've been to a few from other organizations and stuff, but I think especially for the newer members, you're always gonna need help with stuff like that. And it's never bad to get guidance. And I think the main thing is that EVP is a great way to meet a lot of people and meet a lot of different career paths. When we source for projects, we are talking with PMs, or financial managers or whatever from all these different companies. And I think it definitely showed me the variety in terms of how much different work there is, and also just building a lot of connections. You just get good at knowing how to reach out and I definitely think I've applied that to my internship search this year in terms of just knowing how to reach out to people in a professional way, in a concise way.

What would be your favorite SAAS memory? You know, it can be anything, socials, projects, everything.

Yeah, I think definitely a favorite one was this wine and cheese social. And this was right before Corona. And I think it was fun, because it was like the fever dream, like I haven't done any big social like that in so long. And it was really cool to just see everyone in the club in person, it's something I definitely look back and you miss it now. And also it was a great way to kind of get close to people who I didn't necessarily know, especially with EVP being a very small committee. I think that social was cool, because I was just in a very chill environment with people who I didn't really know that well. And that was the first time I met Rachel and a lot of the executive people now so it's definitely a good memory.

I see. So how did you make friends with people in SAAS? Or how do you meet people in SAAS?

I guess pre-Corona, it was a lot of just going to whatever events and stuff, and obviously, the people in your committee are gonna be very close to you. And then whatever events you go to, whether it is professional or whatever, I have a lot of members just sitting next to random people. And then we obviously start talking during the event. And then that's like an easy connection. I think now the Slack is pretty good. Especially now with people having to be more active on Slack. I find myself talking to a lot of people I either don't know or are new to the club, but it's so easy to just send them a message on Slack. And then I think the last thing is the donutbot. Donutbots are the perfect thing because I think it forces people to have a full on video chat. And I think I've met so many people and also it's good for new members too. I've met so many new members just through that. And having that one on one is perfect to get through the awkward stage of not knowing someone so that's great.

Of the three SAAS values of community, exploration, and mentorship, could you pick one and explain what it means to you?

I think definitely community because seeing everyone in the general meetings and stuff like that, I think now looking back on it for some of the more junior members, I just like having a community of people who even though you don't know everyone 100%, but if I can ask a stats question in the Slack and get 30 responses or even in the random channels. I think community is definitely great, especially now when it's very hard to feel like you're in the community because you're not actually walking on campus and seeing peers in person. I think community is very strong and I think it's kind of emphasized by how much we're trying to maintain a community with everything online and it definitely shows how important it is to keep a cohesive club structure and I guess just keeping the club like going through a time like this where you can't really do in person stuff.

As an exec or someone who has been in SAAS for a while, what is your personal vision for SAAS going forward?

I think going forward SAAS should definitely be a community for people who I think not just follow the stats pathway, but study anything related to stats, I think I could see SAAS being a great community for them, but also a great place for people to grow their knowledge, like going through things like CX. I think it's definitely for someone who wants to really start out, you can really grow your knowledge and also then you can graduate to things like consulting and things like that. So I definitely see SAAS being a great learning tool and a great, I don't know what the word is, maybe like a academy of sorts, or like a prep of sorts where someone can go through SAAS and they can come up with a lot of professional knowledge, a lot of consulting knowledge, a lot of stats knowledge and I think all those can combine into helping our members be better professional people going out into the world.

All right, now we're gonna switch to Berkeley some specific questions. So of all the classes you took so far, what is your favorite class?

Okay, I think it's L&S C70W. And the title was Physics and Music. And it was freshman year. And I was just finding the class that was a L&S req. Super easy breadth. And it was super cool. Because you don't need any physics knowledge, you don't need any music knowledge. So everyone's taking it because it's a breadth but the professor's super deep into it. And every day, there'd be a demo setup. And all these crazy instrument demos, he had this tube of fire. One day, he had this whip to show the cracking, like how the cracking of a whip works and stuff like that, every day there's a new instrument or a new experiment setup. And I think that class was so fun to just show up to. It wasn't super hard, but at the same time, I feel like I learned and also just had a good time going to the class. Definitely recommend.

Who is your favorite professor then?

Professor? I think Martha Olney is definitely a super golden econ professor because I think that was the first econ class I took when I was switching and it was definitely a time where I was like, okay, I have to make sure I enjoy this and make sure like it's interesting and she definitely does a good job of not only making sure you learn stuff, but I think she does a good job of applying the knowledge even in Econ 1, which is like the most basic level, I think she does a good job of showing you how a lot of the knowledge you learn everyday can be applied. And she made me feel like you're not just learning to learn. Definitely makes you feel like you're learning to apply the knowledge and I think that's a super good approach to teaching.

What is your favorite Berkeley memory?

Oh man, I feel like there's so many. I don't think I could think of a specific one but let me just think of something random. There's this rapper JID who was this upcoming rapper at the time and during winter break his album came out and I was just bumping that album the whole break. And then I think on Friday I was eating in Cafe 3 freshman year and my friend comes up, he's like yo Jit is performing at the ballroom tonight and I was so off guard because SUPERB gets these crazy artists and you just never know and then they're super big artists. That was a super fun memory just being in a college concert.

Good times. I see. What would you say is your favorite spot on campus that more people should know about?

If you go like towards the back of campus behind Moffit I think and you go left there's Carol Christ, like she has a house, it's like the Chancellor's house but she doesn't actually live there but it's just a lot of trees. And if you just like to walk down that path, it's like you don't even know you're in Berkeley. It's a super super weird area, a lot of nature. Yeah, it's called the Chancellor's house on campus or Chancellor's residence. I don't know what it's called, but she has a house on campus. Somewhere in the back. you should check it out. But it's super cool. They give her a house, she doesn't have to live in it but because she's Chancellor they give her a nice empty house in the middle of campus.

What's your favorite place to study then?

I don't know why but I just like enjoying Moffitt all the time. And Moffit gets a lot of hate because it's too crowded. Yeah, it's very crowded. But I don't always need to be quiet to study. Like if I'm working I don't really need quiet, so I think the loud floor is always good because I need the noise. I think I like a social place to study for some reason. And so when it's not too packed and you can get a seat, I enjoy studying in Moffitt all the time.

What's your opinion on the prettiest building on campus?

Prettiest building has to be Campanile. It can't be anything else. And if I had to choose like a building it would be Doe Library.

Do you have a favorite bathroom to use?

I found this like a secret one. Not like a secret one, but I found this one near Pimentel. And Pimentel would be such a long walk that I would need to take at 8 AM for math discussion. And I would just find this bathroom that would never be taken. It wasn't too dirty. I think it was in the chem building. I don't know the specific location.

What about your favorite restaurant?

I think Great China is a really good restaurant. It's really high quality food. And obviously, now you can't dine in. But if you dine in there, it's such a great experience, like a community dining experience. It's also pretty close to campus, better than Panda Express. Actually good quality and authentic. And it's very, very high quality food.

For sure. I'll check it out. Favorite boba shop?

I feel like most of them are the same except for the very high quality ones. U-Cha is probably the best in terms of I guess quality. They had a pretty good menu. Everything always tastes good. Never too long of a wait.

What is your favorite upper division econ class?

As of now, I took this development econ class last semester. And I went into it just like taking it. But I think it was very cool because a lot of it was about development econ. So looking at third world countries. And you know, a lot of the campaigns that are used to kind of initiate things like vaccine responses for underprivileged people or distributing food or things like that. And I think what made that class great was that the professor was very into the work. And I think he definitely not only just showed us these papers, but he kind of showed us why they mattered. And I think it's a very good approach to something like development Econ, which is a very pressing world issue. And I think just because he was so passionate about it, it definitely made everything feel more meaningful, and it just felt not like a class and just more like I was learning.

If skill or money did not matter, what would be your dream job and why?

I'd be an actor because why not? I think it'd be a fun profession. Just work on different projects all the time, not have a real job. I think that's probably what I do.

Cool. What about your dream car?

Probably Tesla. It's just so efficient. I feel like it's the perfect car for just commuting. If it's gonna be electric, all those self driving features keep getting better. It's gonna be a great car, just a daily drive.

As an upperclassman, what would be your advice to freshmen?

I guess in terms of GPA and stuff, I would say just know what you're getting into in terms of classes. And I would say, you should kind of just be aware of the workload going into a semester and know what your semester is going to be like. Like, okay, this semester, I'm gonna be grinding the whole time. Or, okay, it's gonna be a lighter semester. Because I think the more you can switch it up like that, the more you can enjoy your time. And so maybe one semester, you go really heavy on the academics, but the other semester you could do a lot of clubs and do a lot of extracurriculars. That's another thing I would say is do as much as you can, because you're only here for four years. And I think it's such a big community, so many great professors. And just people in Berkeley that I think the more clubs or whatever stuff you join, just do it if you want to, because I think it's definitely a great experience.