From being a member of the Student Activities Board and the Buccino Leadership Institute to becoming a tutor in residence for all math courses and member of the Student Alumni Association, Joseph Kajon, a senior math major, is ready for his next chapter after graduating from Seton Hall.
Looking back at past activities, Kajon said being a tutor helped develop professional skills for his future career. He also said he teaches students concepts that “they are not confident in.”
“It helped me connect with people that I don’t know during a time when they are stressed and confused,” Kajon said. “I feel like in my future with analytics, I’m going to have to do that a lot: take something complex and adapt the way I explain it to people who aren’t familiar with math.”
After he graduates, Kajon said he will attend MIT in the fall to earn his master’s in business analytics. But with this new life path, Kajon said it comes with bittersweet feelings.
“It’s sad to see the amount of people I have to say goodbye to in order to open up that new space after graduation,” Kajon said. “I know that relationships grow, people change, and we’ll stay in contact if it’s meant to be.”
Kajon said attending Seton Hall has helped him gain the knowledge needed to major in math to cultivate a better understanding of himself as a person.
"It helped me discover my passions, and taught me that it is okay to be who I am even if I do not fit the stereotype people try to place me in,” Kajon said. “I can view these differences as my own strengths and use them to my advantage in the field.”
Reflecting on his time as an undergrad, Kajon said, “I know it’s cheesy, but I wouldn’t change anything because I’m happy with where I ended up, where I’m going to grad school, the friends I made here and the experiences that I’ve had.”
Kajon said he does have a few regrets, one of them being focused a little too much on the future.
“I regret focusing so much on getting to the next step and I was focused on the following week, the following semester,” Kajon said. “Now that I have two weeks left, I wish I could have really appreciated the time, instead of rushing through every week for every semester.”
Kajon also said he wished he had joined more clubs during his time on campus.
“After sophomore year, I pivoted more towards preparing my career,” Kajon said “I wish I did more fun activities like intramural sports or a random club. I would have loved to join the Cheese Club.”
Some advice Kajon would offer to his past freshman self would be “to document more and reflect on the things that are happening, not to focus on grades so much.”
“I remember being so stressed about ending up with an 85 on an exam,” Kajon said. “And in the long run, it doesn’t matter that much. It doesn’t reflect your intelligence and you’re still graduating, which is an accomplishment.”
To the incoming freshman, Kajon advises to “go out and talk to people. I know it’s scary; people don’t know anyone, they’re far from home. But just having one conversation with someone may lead to nothing or they may become your best friend for four years.”
Kim Fallas can be reached at kim.fallas@student.shu.edu
