Meet Sagatom Saha, President of the Delta Phi Epsilon foreign service fraternity at American University!
Name: Sagatom Saha
Major/Minor & Year: International Studies & Business Administration, Minor in Russian Language. Graduating in 3 months (currently looking for gainful employment or trophy husband status)
Hometown: Marlton, NJ (Cherry Hill if you know NJ) (Philly if you don’t)
Campus Involvement: Currently President of the Delta Phi Epsilon Foreign Service Fraternity (as he is told)
Her Campus American: Why did you decide to join the foreign service fraternity?
Sagatom Saha: Well, I went to open rush when I was a second-semester freshman because I heard there would be free pizza (which I’m still totally into) and then I met the brothers. I talked to everyone for a while and realized that compared to them I was a big dummy. I realized that if I didn’t want to be a big dummy anymore I should spend my time in college with these kinds of people. Long story short, they gave me a bid for some reason and I never looked back.
HCAU: Why did you decide to take on a leadership role?
SS: Our motto is “I serve.” I know it sounds pretty vague but it’s something I take seriously. It means something different to each brother – serve our country, government, its citizens, our university, our community. You get the idea. My personal interpretation is that I am here to serve my brothers. In the past three years that I’ve been in DPE, I’ve been humbled by the intellect, kindness, and loyalty of the people in this organization. I wanted to be president to give back to an organization that has given me so much.
HCAU: What does your role involve?
SS: I suppose two things: strategic vision and a public face. As a relatively new chapter (we were re-founded in 2009), we often get caught up in the day-to-day and week-to-week activities. It’s my job to ask larger questions like, “Who are we?” Who do we want to be?” “What is our brand?” “What kind of people do we want to attract?” “What does it mean to be a brother of DPE?” Much of what I do is figuring out where we want to be in 1, 3, 5, and 10 years.
And I’m also the face of the organization to many of the people not in our chapter. That includes our sister sorority, SIS faculty, FSL, our other chapters in DC (we have one at Georgetown and one at George Washington), and any other organizations. It’s kind of networking, in a way. I try to build personal relationships and get everyone in touch with the right people.
HCAU: Most memorable moment with DPE?
SS: This is going to sound cliché but what I enjoy most is the time I spend with my brothers. Don’t get me wrong, through DPE I’ve met ambassadors and visited embassies even landed some cool internships, but the reason I’ve been so involved is the people. Last semester, a few of us rented out a cabin near West Virginia. No phones, no Internet. It’s nice to spend time with your friends when you can leave the real world for a while.
HCAU: What would you like people to know about DPE?
SS: If you have any interest in the wider world, get to know us. We have environmental science, political science, math, economics, business (like myself), and finance majors to name a few. We all learn from each other.
HCAU: Do you have any advice for students considering careers in foreign service?
SS: Get a security clearance before you graduate. Apply to scholarships. Surround yourself with people who will push you to be a better version of yourself. Play the long game.
HCAU: Let’s get to know you a bit better! Ready for some weird questions?
What’s your favorite thing about your favorite thing?
SS: I thought about this one a lot. My favorite thing is sharing things I love with other people. I place a high value on novelty in life. Sharing your favorite things gives you the opportunity to experience them again through other people.
HCAU: What’s your least favorite part about the architecture of SIS?
SS: Wait I’m gonna get real for a minute. The whole building is made of offices and not classrooms. That’s cool and all BUT WHAT ABOUT US.
HCAU: What do you find most appealing about corgis?
SS: Short legs, long body, silly looking face. Give me something harder.
HCAU: What’s your favorite meme?
SS: Minor Mistake Marvin because we’re all him deep down.
HCAU: What Taylor Swift song describes your life?
SS: This question is a real struggle for me because I love all things Taylor (seriously, ask anyone who knows me), so I’m gonna go with a B-side. I love the song “I’d Lie.” It reminds me of my high school self who was a lot cooler despite not having a beard.
“I could tell you his favorite color’s green
He loves to argue, born on the seventeenth
His sister’s beautiful, he has his father’s eyes
And if you asked me if I love him,
I’d lie”
I also like to pretend this song is about me except my favorite color is purple, not green. Everything else is true (I can change for T-Swift though).
(Showing some of that Taylor Swift love with a Speak Now shirt)
HCAU: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever learned about yourself from a Buzzfeed quiz?
SS: My Disney Valentine would be Cruella De Vil. Not cool at all.
Photo Credits: 9, 11, all other photos belong to Sagatom Saha