Sudan Zhuang

“When such a tragedy happens, restoring faith in humanity becomes a little tougher, yet it creates closeness in the community,” Zhuang says. “It is hard to win over fear and violence; however, it is possible to make those who have been affected feel loved and appreciated by continuing to remember the Pan Am 103 tragedy.”

Inspired by the lives of the students lost, Zhuang has made it a priority to be heavily involved in the Syracuse University community. She has fulfilled her desire by becoming the president of the Association of Computing Machinery in the School of Information Studies and president of the Multicultural Greek Council. She also served as the Whitman student representative for the Student Association during her first three years at Syracuse University.

Now she has become a Remembrance Scholar, one of 35 Syracuse University seniors chosen each year, based on their distinguished scholarship, citizenship and service to the community. This week she is helping the University host Remembrance Week in honor of the 270 people, including 35 SU students studying abroad, who lost their lives in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103.

According to Zhuang, the curriculum at the Whitman School has taught her the importance of professionalism and good communication. She applies that knowledge to every interaction she has, from engaging with the community to working with other professionals.

This past summer, Zhuang held two separate positions where she was able to use her skills. The first was with the Social Computing Lab at Syracuse University, where she worked as a research assistant. In that role, she used her quantitative skills to turn data insights into improvements in the development of a mobile app. She also served as an intern with Basics Syracuse, a comfort food and grocery delivery company. With the startup, she worked closely with the founder to build the company’s brand ambassadorship program. Prior to these positions, Zhuang was a marketing intern for the United Way and worked as a digital marketing intern in Hong Kong with Compass Offices, a company that provides office space and professional services. She designed and built out the company’s social media and blog posts, using her trilingual ability.

“I really enjoyed my internship in Asia, because it has opened up my eyes to the digital marketing world and how much digital marketing strategies can help to promote in a cultural world,” explained Zhuang.

Zhuang is now on to the next step in her career, as she is set to graduate in May. She looks forward to finding an opportunity to work full-time as an IT consultant.