CHC Class of: 2025, majored in Psychology and Political Science
Where is he now: Graduate school at Fordham University, studying clinical research methods in forensic psychology 
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Living in: the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City
Coffee or tea: Coffee, usually black. But the black coffee is pretty bad here.
What's in the fridge: Cookie dough, breakfast burritos, and lots of hot sauce
Song on repeat: “Gospel for a new century” by Yves Tumor 
Advice for CHC students: Get to know your professors in the CHC. They are all people who live pretty much interesting lives. At the very least, you’ll have someone to talk to if things aren’t going well. 

Ashish Sathya sits at the desk in his colorful apartment in Queens, preparing for a series of afternoon meetings with other grad students.

On the wall behind him are images, posters and photographs, along with a replica of the flag of India. His parents – software engineers – were born there, he says, before moving to Singapore and then Boston when they decided to make the move to Miami.

New York City is a tough place to live when you’ve been spoiled by the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, Sathya says. But he’s getting used to it. He lives with a buddy who graduated from the University of Oregon in 2024 and works in data science. Both are learning the ways of the big city as Sathya starts his second month of his studies at Fordham University where he is getting a master’s in forensic psychology. For now, he says, they are surviving.

“New York City is going to be the fastest-paced place you have ever been,” he says. “Everyone is moving somewhere and there isn’t someone who is not progressing. It can be scary initially, but you will grow so quickly because of it. I really like how effective the subway is, even with all the delays it is still better than owning a car.”

Getting a master’s at Fordham isn’t easy, but Sathya credits his time at the Honors College as being a good training ground for what comes next on the academic food chain. Having developed close relationships with professors at the CHC has helped Sathya make connections in his new home school.

“At first it was a little rocky, but now I am getting to know the cohort in my program and the people in my lab,” he says. “I’m going to Reno to attend the American Psychology-Law Society conference, so I’m excited that I get to travel to my first research conference.”

His goal is to obtain his master’s from Fordham in two years before applying to get his PhD, though he hasn’t settled on a location for that just yet. In the meantime, he’ll enjoy the warm weather while it lasts, get to know his classmates, and learn more about what it takes to successfully live in New York City. And he’s signed up for the Queens Marathon in early December.

We talked to Sathya recently about his life and his experience in the Honors College, specifically about how it helped prepare him for the future. 

This interview was edited for clarity and brevity. 

How would you characterize your grad school search when you were at the CHC? Stressful? Easy? Somewhere in between? 

Somewhere in between. I had a lab that helped me with my applications, a forensic psychology professor on campus who would ask me how things are going, and an internship supervisor off campus who was like a North Star! The hard part came when I was waiting to hear back from the places I applied and also learning more about the whole process. Looking back, I guess I would tell myself to calm down and really just feel comfortable with waiting. A lot of things in life are uncertain, and uncertainty shouldn’t be breeding stress a lot of the time. Sometimes, it is fun to constantly think about the “What if?” scenarios. 

How did the CHC prepare you for life after graduation? 

For graduate school specifically, a lot of what I do now is just research, which means that everything I did in the CHC is somewhat similar to what I do now. The CHC taught me how to write emails, conduct myself in professional meetings, and helped me also understand that everyone you are speaking to is a person - so treat them as such! 

What was the most important thing you learned from being an Honors College student? 

The ability to produce high-quality work in a short amount of time. Grad school contains a lot of sensitive time crunches. So my first assignment was writing some R programming code in class (for statistical computing and data analysis). I was the first person to finish whereas everyone else was taking a lot of time either typing the code or trying to understand the material. 

What is the most important takeaway you have from being a CHC grad? 

People often say utilize the resources as a way to get people to show up to the presentations, talks, or competitions. I would say utilize the resources to get to know the professors in the Honors College. They want you to succeed, and some of them will be mentors or even friends that you would keep throughout your time in college. They can fight for you or even tell you something that you wouldn’t otherwise know. 

If you could do anything over having to do with your education, what would it be? 

To stop and smell the flowers every now and then. Literally. I was so busy working that sometimes I wouldn’t see my roommates for a week straight. During grad school, I hope that I can start slowing down and spending time with the people I care about here in New York City. 

What advice do you have for this year’s CHC seniors as they prepare for their futures? 

Spend this year having fun. Fun can be anything: spending one last time in Eugene before you may not return for a long time or spending late nights working on your dreaded thesis that you constantly say you hate until you present it, to which you’ll actually really miss it or even just hanging out with your friends. Stress about your future, but don’t let it consume your life. 

Are you having fun in New York City? 

Yes, there is just so much to do here. No matter what kind of mood you are in, there is something for it. The other day, I went to the Queens night market, which just has food from every corner of the world, all in a park that hosts the U.S. Open grand slam tennis tournament. Shoutout to Ethiopian Food! Also, my roommate is the same roommate I had in undergrad, so it has been amazing spending time with someone I know and who I consider a really good friend. Just going on walks and exploring the neighborhood I live in has been extremely fun. 

What is your day to day like as a grad student? 

Honestly, graduate school isn’t too dissimilar to undergraduate education. The Honors College does a good job of making its classes feel like grad school. For example, a lot of the classes I remember from the Honors College are the exact same as grad school - a lot of discussion-based classes. The CHC also treats their students more like adults than the rest of the undergraduate classes, which is exactly how graduate school operates. 

What is the worst thing you’ve experienced since leaving Eugene? 

A lack of nature. There is nature here, but you just have to go look for it. Let’s just say there aren’t a whole lot of trees on the streets, but I am lucky that my neighborhood park is pretty close by. The running here is also not as good because it is hard to find green spaces to run in. But I still love the actual city. It’s a different kind of wonder.  

What’s the best thing that’s happened? 

Actually going to the Oregon Ducks bar. It’s called Legends. I just found it on Instagram! It is super fun to watch the game with local Duck alums and see what they are up to. It was super fun to watch the Penn State game there!