ASU graduate inspired to pursue public service

Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2024 graduates.

Sami Al-Asady’s “aha” moment when he realized he wanted to study public service at Arizona State University came in the form of an inspirational message from former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2020.

Al-Asady will graduate next month with bachelor’s degrees in political science and civic and economic thought and leadership from The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and with honors from Barrett, The Honors College. 

“During the COVID-19 quarantine, I received an improbable correspondence from President Obama. On Goodreads, after reading “A Promised Land,” I messaged him: I’ll be a freshman in college next year. What inspired you to write this book for young people, and how can we change American politics for the better?” Al-Asady explained.

“To my shock, a subject line in my inbox read ‘President Obama answered your question.’ In his note, Obama expressed hope in “idealistic” young people. He wrote the book as an invitation for us “not only to imagine a better world — but to build it yourselves.

“I embraced Obama’s invitation. A few months later, I would start my public service career as an intern at the office of congressman Ruben Gallego. The rest is history,” Al-Asady said.

Al-Asady’s history at ASU was filled with many accolades, experiences, community involvement and public service.

He received several scholarships, including the Point Foundation Flagship Scholarship and the School of Politics and Global Studies Director's Scholarship. He participated in the Princeton University Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship. He was a Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression Campus Scholar and was honored as one of the organization’s 25 Faces of Free Speech.

He interned in the Phoenix office of then-U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego in the summer of 2021, in the White House Office of COVID-19 Response in the fall of 2022 and in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy in the spring of 2024.

He also volunteered for the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary and Banner Health.

Al-Asady completed an honors thesis titled “The Struggle Towards the Heights,” reflecting on a personal journey of meaning and struggle in public service, with the title adapted from French philosopher Albert Camus’ “The Myth of Sisyphus,” which states “The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”

He was also selected as The College’s Dean’s Medal recipient for the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, and will be recognized at The College’s convocation ceremony on Dec. 17.

“As a vocation, public service fills my heart. My thesis advisor Dr. Laura Jakubczak, Barrett Honors College assistant dean and teaching professor, said documenting this journey can help future public-service oriented students chart pathways into their own vocations, finding meaning in the very struggle. I look forward to being the mentor my educators were for me,” Al-Asady said.

Al-Asady offered these reflections on his experience at ASU.

Question: What’s something you learned while at ASU — in the classroom or otherwise — that surprised you or changed your perspective?

Answer: Dr. Susan Carrese, clinical assistant professor in the ASU School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, introduced me to Aristotle’s classical tension between vita activa and vita contemplativa, or the active and contemplative life.

During my White House internships, I embraced the active life. I enjoyed contributing to work of national and international importance, but I missed the classroom. Contemplative thinking was not always a priority; decisions needed to be made quickly and decisively. So, I spent time in the Executive Office of the President library, reading Aristotle’s “Politics,” reckoning with how generations of public servants walked through the same hallways I found myself in — many with different ideas of what constitutes the greater good.

Back in the classroom, I missed the practical life. I learned theories of political science and philosophy, but I did not get to practice them. At Princeton University, during my fellowship, I wondered how the microeconomics of goods and firms connected to public policy. In between lectures, I explored my growing interest in artificial intelligence governance by scheduling Zoom calls with professors, researchers and entrepreneurs. Instructor Rody Damis, a practitioner, helped me identify how to maneuver political institutions in order to affect policy changes.

Through experiences in and outside of the classroom, I no longer see tension between the active and contemplative life but opportunities to incorporate both frameworks in my education and career.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: As a first-generation college student, I find ASU's New American University model inspiring. Unlike elite colleges and universities that pride themselves on exclusivity, ASU prides itself on inclusivity. It’s what makes ASU a microcosm of American democracy.

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: Professor Emeritus and novelist T.M. McNally taught me that “genius does not compete.” The broader culture dictates what success looks like but not what it means for individuals.

McNally observed that great writing moves beyond right and wrong; it reveals what is. Great works of art become reflections of ourselves as we react to them. The real change-makers often prefer to go unnoticed.

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?

A: Take risks. I wish I took more courses I perceived as challenging before my junior year. I entered college risk-averse. I wanted to learn statistics, Spanish and Arabic, Java and R — a program for data analysis and statistical computing — but I thought I would do poorly. When I took the risk, it paid off. I just needed to trust myself.

College is a precious time. There’s much more to being a student than your GPA. It’s about learning how to be yourself, how to work with others, and how to make an impact.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: I spent many evenings sitting beside the Old Main Kachina Fountain. According to Hopi lore, kachinas are spiritual guardians of well-being. Situated in front of the historic 1898 Old Main building, it truly feels like the four kachinas guard the university.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I plan to realize my college dream of moving to Washington, D.C. in a high-impact role.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I decline to answer this question. In picking one problem, I’d be denying the importance of other problems.