Maize & Blue Scholar Kotob 'supercharged' by opportunities offered at UM-Flint

On the cusp of graduating with dual bachelor's degrees in political science and economics at only 20, it's clear that Sami Kotob isn't wasting any time. 

"My dad is from Syria, and my mom is a first-generation American," said Kotob. "Education has always been a core focus in my family." As further evidence, his brother, Shadi, graduated from UM-Flint earlier this year with a degree in biochemistry and is now applying to medical schools. "I was just accepted into Michigan Law and will attend next fall, so you might say we're the perfect immigrant sons!"

Kotob enrolled in the Grand Blanc Early College program while in high school, allowing him to earn college credits at UM-Flint at a fraction of the cost of traditional college tuition while enrolled at Grand Blanc High. In addition, he took AP classes at GBHS. "Enrolling at UM-Flint meant that I not only finished my bachelor's in just two years, it was an affordable way to get a (University of) Michigan degree," said Kotob. "But, more than that, I think the opportunities offered to the students at UM-Flint, in terms of research and professional development, are unheard of anywhere else."

During his time at the urban campus, Kotob was elected to three different positions in Student Government—first as a senator, where he passed legislation to improve the facilities at the Harding Mott University Center to make it a more social atmosphere; he then served as the director of government and legal affairs, updating internal policies and procedures; and, finally, this year, he's working as a historian and collaborating with the current SG President Logan LaPeen to explore the archives and share how SG has changed from the 1950s to the present.

Kotob has also been heavily involved with the Pre-Law Society, serving as its president this year and becoming the second consecutive club leader to be accepted to Michigan Law. "One of my favorite memories was our April event when we brought Michigan Supreme Court Justice Bernstein to campus," he said. "All of us put in a tremendous effort to pull off the event, and hearing him speak was genuinely inspirational."

Kotob's experiences as part of UM-Flint's Moot Court team have also been transformational. "When I was a kid, I was a bit of a bookworm, but I've learned to be more social at UM-Flint, and being part of Moot Court helped me develop those skills," he said. "I've learned to be more empathetic, to listen to people more, and to hear their issues to understand better what I can do to help them solve their problems and make change."

UM-Flint's Moot Court team is a cocurricular opportunity for students to become familiar with oral argument and brief writing concepts. Each fall semester, the team participates in competitions through the American Moot Court Association. The competitions focus on appellate advocacy, where students argue hypothetical U.S. Supreme Court cases.

Kotob also credits the opportunity to write two undergraduate research papers as another way the university has prepared him to go directly to law school. "I co-wrote one paper about artificial intelligence and how it interacts with the law, which we presented at three conferences," he said. "My senior thesis explored U.S.-China trade relations, for which I recently won the best undergraduate research paper from the Michigan Political Science Association. I wrote both of them around the same time and wouldn't have been able to pull it off without the support of the faculty. Professor Chris Douglas' class on econometrics was foundational for my thesis, and professor Adam Lutzker taught me how to view economics through different lenses and connect ideas across classes—I couldn't have written that paper without them."

Another influential faculty member is Kimberly Saks, assistant professor of political science and faculty advisor for the Moot Court. "Sami has one of the most inquiring minds of any student I've ever known," Saks said. "Instead of just wondering about things, he researches them. Instead of thinking about how changes could be made, he enacts them. He's focused, driven and a true intellect. He's also the kind of student who brings others along with him, ensuring that his learning and doing is accessible to his fellow students." 

As Kotob turns his focus to the future, he reflects on how his experiences at UM-Flint have shaped him. 

"Being a smaller campus, there is so much opportunity to get involved with different groups. The fact that I wrote two major research papers, was involved in student government and competed in Moot Court competitions—including qualifying for nationals in January for the first time in UM-Flint's history—all in two years says a lot about what you can achieve if you put the work into it," he said. "People consider the city of Flint a rough place, but I truly believe it is the best place for determined individuals who want to work hard to make change. You will have the opportunity to do that here in a way you wouldn't be able to do anywhere else."