Junior Sammi Goldblatt said she tries to live by one philosophy, which is being authentic. Being a double major in psychology and Holocaust and genocide studies, Goldblatt juggles a full course load while taking on several roles across campus that reflect her dedication to education, community and service.
Goldblatt said her interest in psychology was inspired by her family.
“My dad was a psych major, most of my family has been involved in the psych realm, so I knew I wanted to be a psych major when I came in,” Goldblatt explained. She added it was during her first year at Keene State, then she discovered her second major.
“I ended up taking History of the Jews with Peter Greene and absolutely fell in love with the whole idea,” Goldblatt said. “The Holocaust has been an interest to me in a really weird way, so I was always like, ‘Oh my god, I can learn something really interesting to me.’” Since that class, she said she has enrolled in at least two classes from the Holocaust and genocide studies major each semester.
Her studies, she said, have shaped her relationships and how she views them.
“Being in both majors has really taught me how important it is to get to know people on a more intimate level,” Goldblatt said. “I try to be nice to absolutely everyone and not judge. And also, education is so important to me; I love educating people and having deep philosophical conversations.”
Outside of academics, a lot of students know Goldblatt from orientation or campus tours. She said she values being among the first faces that students meet when they arrive on campus.
“You’re kind of like the first person they see, their first interaction of what college life is,” she said, adding that many of those relationships extend well beyond move-in day and orientation week. “Some of them still text me questions today, and I had them like a year or two ago.”
Goldblatt also leads the Make-A-Wish club, where she serves as president. She said the role means a lot to her personally, inspired by her neighbor/grandfather, Frank, who played a large part in growing the Make-A-Wish Foundation in New Hampshire. “He’s a huge role model to me, and this felt like a way to give back to him,” Goldblatt said.
For junior Logan Guillette, the Make-A-Wish Club’s vice president, Goldblatt’s leadership stands out.
“She’s in like, what, 20+ other clubs, and [she is] an e-board member in multiple of them,” Guillette said. “And yet it still feels like she puts us first, no matter what. That’s what you’re looking for in a good leader.”
Guillette recalled one semester when Goldblatt kept the club running despite being sick and losing most of her executive board to graduation.
“She still showed up to every meeting,” he said. “The only other returning e-board member was our treasurer. So she had a new board besides us, plus tonsillitis, plus a lot of other external factors happening in her life, and she was still able to lead through the final month and a half left in the year.”
Keeping up with such a full schedule hasn’t always been easy for Goldblatt. She mentioned that health challenges in the past forced her to step back and lean on close friends for support. Now, she keeps things under control by mapping everything in her Google Calendar, often planning out hangout time, homework time, etc. Additionally, she said she surrounds herself with people who care.
“Definitely having my people and that support system I needed was really important to me,” Goldblatt said.
Among her mentors, Goldblatt credited Associate Professor of Psychology Harlan Fichtenholtz, who encouraged her research and helped to restart the Jewish Student Union.
“[Fichtenholtz] has been one of the best people that I have met here. I was definitely very nervous my first semester, and he grabbed me and put me under his wing very early on,” said Goldblatt.
Another one of Goldblatt’s mentors was Associate Director of Admissions Liz Cahoon, who supported her when she first arrived at Keene State.
“I thank them [admissions staff], especially Liz, because I again will go down with anything, and she’s helped [me] work through different problems,” Goldblatt said.
Through her commitments, Goldblatt said she hopes others see her as genuine.
“Everyone has good days and bad days,” she said. “I want people to understand it’s okay to call in support, it’s okay to not always be 100%. I try to be open and honest when I’m not 100% or when I’m absolutely off the wall at 250%. I hope people just see it’s okay to be your authentic self.”
Guillette summed Goldblatt up in one word: “‘Chaotic,’ but in a good way. If she were a natural disaster, she’d be a hurricane. She makes that immediate impact, but then there’s a sense of calm at the center, which blows me away.”
Dakota Sweet can be reached at
dsweet@kscequinox.com
