Senior Sam Lehman, from Cumberland, Maine, is involved in many extracurriculars on and off campus. He is a brother in the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity, a Meridian, a teacher for seventh to ninth graders at a religious school off campus, a former justice and recent Chief Justice on the All-Campus Judicial Council and is currently Speaker of the Senate at UR.
After trying out courses in many different subjects, Lehman finally settled on a major in religion with a double minor in psychology and political science.
“I ended up doing religion after taking a bunch of courses in a number of fields and realizing that, although I was interested in an eclectic mix of subjects, religion was kind of my passion.”
He is looking into a Take Five as well as several Fulbright Fellowships, but would ultimately like to attend law school after he graduates.
As Speaker of the Senate, what are your responsibilities?
I envision the role of the Speaker to be that of a moderator and a facilitator. The Senate is comprised of wickedly motivated and outspoken students, and the Speaker’s job is largely to ensure they can work together efficiently and coordinate as best as possible. Beyond that, the Speaker is the representative of the Senate and, at times, a liaison between the Senate and the Administration.
Why did you decide to run for this position?
I wanted the job for several reasons. I feel it will be a challenge, a way of being involved in student affairs in a role more proactive than others. I think I’ll be good at running the Senate – after chairing ACJC for a year I’ve learned a lot about being an impartial leader and encouraging productive discussion on some pretty heated issues.
What’s your dream job?
Supreme Court Justice, hands down.
What made you interested in teaching at a religious school?
I feel that living in our bubble can be infantilizing; getting out, taking on a bit of an adult role is such a breath of fresh air. I think it’s also good for the kids to see that people can be, at the very least, interested in religion without being their parents’ age. I teach older kids (many of whom really don’t want to be there) and they’re a lot of fun because they give me a hard time and I give as good as I get.
What’s your favorite book and movie?
Probably “Brave New World” or “The Source.” The movie has got to be “Star Wars,” the original trilogy.
What’s your favorite thing do in Rochester?
Well, I’m from Maine, which certainly has plenty of awesome seafood and such, but somewhat inauthentic ethnic food. Rochester, on the other hand, has some pretty great Indian, Italian and Thai food, and eating out here is definitely one of my favorite parts of living in New York. The garbage plate has a special place in my heart too, and I’ll avoid the obvious heart attack joke.
Kraus is a member of the class of 2009.
