Senior Spotlight: Lucas Sosnick '22 Stanford University

April 21, 2022

As president of the Model UN, alto-saxophone first chair in the Léman Jazz Band, a member of the National Honor Society, an active science and math tutor and volunteer at Chabad Tribeca, and a Bronze and Silver Medal winner (working his way towards gold) of the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Lucas Sosnick has set himself up for success at university and beyond. “My passions are a combination of three things: entrepreneurship, science, and music,” he said, “more specifically jazz saxophone, chemistry, biology, and neuroscience. My goal is to create a neurotechnology company or a different science-based company and combine my passion for entrepreneurship and science. I also think the creative aspect of music will benefit me in the future as well.” Lucas is on his way to reaching those goals as he is enrolling at Stanford University in the fall. “Stanford was my top choice for all four years of high school,” he said, “it’s one of the best engineering schools in the country and I’m interested in bio or neuro-engineering.” 

Lucas, who has attended Léman since PreK, has been preparing to study high level science for his entire high school career. Last year, he was accepted into the Pioneer Academic Research Program and advanced to the final round of the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad. Last summer, he participated in the Summer Science Program, a prestigious enrichment program for rising seniors affiliated with the California Institute of Technology, Harvey Mudd College, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Recently, he was accepted into an internship program at the Icahn School of Medicine for Neuroscience Research. “I think all of the programs I’ve participated in helped me get into college,” he said, “I think doing research is super important if you want to do something in science because it shows that you’re already committed to doing challenging work and it’s an accomplishment when you complete it.” “The IB also helped me along the way,” he said, “it really helps you build time management skills; critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills and I think college admissions offices know that you’re a good student when they see it on your resume.” 

A lifelong New Yorker, Lucas is excited about a new adventure on the other side of the country. “Part of the reason I picked Stanford was that I want to explore life in California,” he said, “I think I fit in with the culture there, based on the people I’ve spoken with. There is a lot of freedom to do what you want and there are resources to help you achieve your goals. I think it’s a very supportive community and full of people who are willing to have intellectual conversations about how to fix the world’s problems. I’m excited to discuss interesting topics with people from all around the world, which is kind of like what we have here at Léman.” 

When asked what advice he would give to an incoming high school student at Léman, he said, “I think the best way to enjoy high school and to exceed in your future endeavors is to find a passion and go with it. Take your freshman year to explore as many things as possible and then, in sophomore year, you can really start to develop those passions. There should be breadth and depth within everything you do. Don’t just join the club, be the leader of that club or start a company that deals with one of your interests. Also, maintain sleep and healthy habits and don’t feel pressured to do things that other people are doing. Colleges want to see that you are interested in things and passionate about things along with good grades and accolades, so I think that’s the way that you’ll succeed here.” 

Congratulations, Lucas. We know you’ll be successful at Stanford and beyond!