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Caldwell College student Saikat Gomes ’09 is definitely into time management. With a double major in Computer Information Systems and Mathematics, and a minor in Economics, plus a long list of campus activities, Gomes knows managing priorities is the only way you can make college life work.
An international student from Calcutta (Kolkata) India, he has been involved in numerous on-campus activities ranging from the Student Government Association (SGA) and The International Student Organization to the Resident Council, Residence Life and the Cricket Club. “The more you do, the more motivated you become. The idle brain is the devil’s workshop, so you might as well channel your energies to something good,” Gomes said. And good he has definitely done on Caldwell’s campus. He was recently selected to serve on the 2008-09 Student Advisory Committee for the State of New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA). He will be joining over 20 other students from New Jersey colleges and universities in giving students’ input to HESAA, which provides students and families with the financial and informational resources needed to pursue their education beyond high school.
Being an executive member of SGA has been one of his most rewarding college activities. “You get to know how things work. It is a great experience to be the liaison between administration and the students.”
Even with all his activities, Gomes’ priority is academics. For his scholars honors project, he developed a software that solves the rubics cube. And he is currently making a robot that solves the cube.
Gomes says what makes Caldwell College special is the diversity. “You see a piece of the entire world here. It’s definitely a very enriching experience to spend four years with international students and with American students.” The opportunity to learn, he says, reaches far beyond the classroom. He points out that living in Caldwell near New York City is a great educational benefit because students can hop a bus and be in the city in no time. “Every time I go into the city, I feel at home,” Gomes said. The Victorian Architecture, Central Park , subways, horse carriages, bridges and all the great aspects of New York remind him of Calcutta which is also “brimming with energy and culture like New York.” A graduate of a Jesuit High School in Calcutta, his parents appreciated the fact that he would continue his education in the Catholic tradition at Caldwell College. He has already had some great life experiences including meeting one of his homeland’s most notable world figures – Blessed Theresa of Calcutta (Mother Theresa). Since his great aunt was a sister in the order Mother Theresa founded, the Missionaries of Charity, Gomes met Mother Theresa a couple of times when he was very small. “She had that personality, that calming soothing effect.”
Gomes plans to explore a career in the computer science industry and pursue a master’s, and hopefully a Ph.D., but meanwhile there is a lot of life left to live on Caldwell’s campus. “Caldwell is basically my home away from home because I do live on campus and I (probably) spend more time on campus than anyone else, so it is a good idea to make this your home.” |
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MajorS: Computer Information Systems, Mathematics
MINOR: Economics
Class of: 2009
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