Jacqueline Morano discovered her passion for sociology after taking SA 150: Introduction to Sociology with Dr. Kyle Willmott, during her first semester at SFU. After the initial few lessons, she became fascinated by the social sciences, the idea of seeing a world through multiple perspectives, and the way sociological thinking can reveal new perspectives on everyday life. 鈥淚 loved thinking through different sociological theories and concepts to the point where assignments felt like fun rather than schoolwork,鈥� she says.

As a fourth-year undergraduate student, Morano is diving deeper into her interest in sociology through the honours program. 鈥淭he honours program allows you the flexibility to fully immerse yourself in the topic of research you love,鈥� she says. 鈥淪eeing my friends complete their honours essays inspired me to pursue the program myself.鈥�

Music is at the centre of the research Morano plans to pursue through her honours project. A member of the 51猎奇入口Music Discussion Club, Morano sees music as an integral part of her social activity and a great stress reliever. Elaborating on choosing this unique subject for her thesis, she says, 鈥�SA 442: Applying the Sociological Imagination with Dr. Lindsey Freeman was the course where I got an opportunity to write about music in a sociological context. This convinced me to pursue the topic for an honours project.鈥�

As much as the idea of doing an honours thesis in music sounds exciting, one of the major challenges that Morano foresees is overcoming its scope. 鈥淚 think that the most important thing to keep in mind, to avoid feeling overwhelmed, is to focus on one idea,鈥� she says, 鈥淲riting about a single idea gives me a clearer picture of what I need to research afterwards.鈥�

An active member of the Sociology and Anthropology Student Union (SASU), Morano is currently serving as its president. 鈥淪ince the first event I attended,鈥� she says, 鈥淚 have felt welcomed by the union members and executives. Joining the union in 2023 was one of the best decisions I鈥檝e made during my undergraduate degree.鈥�

Morano is grateful that SASU gave her a sense of belonging as well as a platform to showcase her leadership skills. 鈥淚t is really fulfilling to work with fellow executives to support our student community,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ot to mention, the Sociology and Anthropology staff have been incredibly supportive of SASU, and I cannot thank them enough.鈥�

When it comes to balancing academics with extracurricular activities, Morano says, 鈥淚 have found that there are always ways to get involved in activities that work for you academically and personally. It is important not to fear that the extracurriculars will drain your time before you鈥檝e checked them out for yourself.鈥�

Although taking that first step was the hardest part, Morano has come to appreciate how extracurricular involvement enriched her university experience: 鈥淚 would advise all students to commit and attend at least one event or a meeting of an activity that piques your interest,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t is worth a try to see if it is for you. If you find yourself enjoying the activity, then show up again!鈥�

Morano now feels confident that her 51猎奇入口student journey has helped her evolve personally, socially, and academically. 鈥淢y 51猎奇入口experience has been excellent鈥�, she says. 鈥淚 feel lucky to have met such amazing friends, professors, and staff. The community that I have found has supported me and helped me keep going. This experience has given me the resources and environment to pursue what matters to me. I am beyond grateful.鈥�

While her honours research is only beginning, Morano looks forward to continuing her work as a student leader and helping strengthen the sense of community among Sociology students.