Jay Sumakeris ’23

Jay Sumakeris ’23 spent their time at UNCW researching, crunching numbers and building bridges as a dual major in statistics and psychology with minors in mathematics, data science and gender studies.   

Sumakeris started pursuing a psychology major after discovering their interest in learning about the brain. Sumakeris learned about quantitative psychology and psychometrics, which became a meaningful path.

“My father was a materials engineer, and he was well respected among his colleagues for his ability to look at masses of data from experiments and see the patterns that other people had missed. That gave him a lot of insight into how to design new solutions,” said Sumakeris. “He passed away when I was in high school, so he isn’t able to see me follow in his footsteps, but doing this work, I feel something of a kinship with him, knowing that this passion is something we share.”  

During Sumakeris’ time at UNCW, they were able to work on various types of research. 

“I got involved in research my freshman year with the FYRE program, where I joined the Behavioral Examination of Alcohol, Caffeine, and Health (BEACH) lab under Dr. Nora Noel. I spent three and a half years working under her, at first just helping to run participants through ongoing studies and gradually progressing to running my own.”   
Some of Sumakeris’ other passions included involvement in the Mohin-Scholz LGBTQIA+ Resource Center. Sumakeris represented the center in the 2023 Homecoming court and received the Julia Boseman Student Leadership Award. The resource center also created one of Sumakeris’ favorite memories at the Second Chance Prom.
  
“A lot of queer students don’t get the chance to express themselves in high school, particularly when it comes to events like prom. Things get in the way — rigidly gendered dress codes, harassment or even violence targeted at openly gay students, unaccepting parents,” said Sumakeris. “But college is a place where people grow into themselves, and now that we have access to affirming spaces where we can be ourselves without fear, it’s terrific to be able to make up for lost time.”

Sumakeris graduated with honors in December. They plan to take a semester break before returning to graduate school. Sumakeris looks forward to a possible career as a quantitative methods/psychometrics professor.
   
“I know my education at UNCW has offered me a significant advantage. I’ve had extensive research opportunities in multiple departments and a lot of individual interaction with professors and mentors who have guided me throughout my education,” Sumakeris said. “When it comes to teaching, I’ve been working as a mathematics and statistics tutor on campus for over a year and have also had ample opportunity to guide younger students in classes and labs. The joy I get from helping other students succeed made me realize I want to work as a professor in the future.”