Fresh Meadows resident Anita Sonawane has fallen in love with the field of public policy and sees it as an area in which she can make a “huge difference” to help others.
In 2002, Sonawane and her family came to the United States from India. She said that she wanted to continue her studies and that “one thing led to another.”
“It just seemed like a good time for my family and me to emigrate,” Sonawane said.
Sonawane is currently majoring in economics at Queens College (QC). She graduated from Townsend Harris High School and had taken QC courses while there.
“I realized it was just a really easy transition,” she said of her decision to attend QC, adding that she fell in love with the college.
At first, Sonawane was a pre-med major. Some “amazing seminars” and “professors who transformed” her perspective got her thinking about urban and social studies. She soon fell in love with working in public policy.
“I like the idea that we can apply very theoretical research and somehow find answers to very complex questions,” she said. “Public policy is an area where anyone can really make a huge difference. In public policy, issues affect so many people so you can really shape the direction of government and business.”
Sonawane has already been involved in public policy projects through the QC chapter of the Roosevelt Institute. She has been serving as its president since spring of 2009 and has organized two “Think Impact” projects. One examined foreclosures in southeast Queens while the other looked at how community colleges in the state could expand their Green job training.
“We write about what is going on in our neighborhoods,” Sonawane said.
One of the most rewarding parts of Sonawane’s work with the Roosevelt Institute, she said, is being able to bring a diverse group of students together.
Some of Sonawane’s other activities include being a research assistant for a professor and a staff writer for QC’s student newspaper, Knight News.
On March 7, Sonawane also helped organize an event that raised $3,000 to benefit the victims of the Haiti earthquake. She and a friend who attends Vassar had been talking about what happened. While talking about a project at Vassar where the school sells work by Haitian artists to help the country, Sonawane said they should hold an art sale to raise more money.
“Surprisingly, we sold about $3,000 worth of paintings in three hours,” she said. “It was just amazing to be part of that process.”
After she completes her undergraduate students, Sonawane said that she would like to go to graduate school specifically for public policy and pursue a career in the field.
“I think public policy is just inspiring,” she said.
