Marist Poll Student Worker Saves a Life

From Left: Jason Sokolowski, Bobby
Berlin, Daniela Charter

Congratulations to Marist Poll field supervisor Daniela Charter and Marist College communication major Jason Sokolowski for saving a life.

While working one of his shifts for the Marist Poll on the evening of April 16, Jason's random call -- one of hundreds that he might make in a night -- woke up Bobby Berlin of Manhattan. Berlin's speech was slurred and her answers to Jason's questions about Mayor Bloomberg didn't make sense. Sokolowski, who lost a close high-school friend to a diabetic attack last November, sensed that something was wrong and again asked Berlin, "Are you O.K.?"

A recording of the call documented Berlin responding, "Ahh, what? Awww, wuh."

Sokolowski asked again, "Are you O.K., mam?"

Berlin replied, "No." 

Click image to listen to YNN report and
audio of actual Marist Poll phone call.


At that point Sokolowski called in his supervisor, Daniela Charter, a four-year veteran of the Marist Poll. Suspecting that Ms. Berlin was experiencing a medical emergency, the team called Dutchess County, N.Y., 911 emergency services, who connected with Manhattan emergency services, who then traced Berlin's phone number. Arriving at her apartment, Manhattan first responders found Berlin nearing a diabetic coma. Following treatment, she has since recovered and is now back in her apartment.

Asked about the call, Bobby Berlin said, "If something hadn't been done, I don't think I would have made it until morning."

Remaining humble about his role in saving Bobby Berlin's life, Jason Sokolowski chalked up the incident to a "perfect storm" of random chances. "It all came together for her," Sokolowski concluded. "It just wasn't her time to go."

Jason Sokolowski is a Marist College junior in the School of Communication and the Arts. He has an academic concentration in advertising with a minor in psychology.

The Marist Institute for Public Opinion, better known as the Marist Poll, is a survey research center located at Marist College. Founded in 1978, the institute measures public opinion on a wide variety of topics at the local, regional, state, and national level. The data collected by the Poll are widely reported by journalists and analysts around the world.

For me, students like Jason Sokolowski and staff members like Daniela Charter are just one of the many rewards of teaching and studying at Marist College. Go Red Foxes!

News reports by YNN TV's John Wagner and NBC-TV4 New York's Melissa Russo contributed to this blog post. See additional stories and photographs by the Washington Post, the Poughkeepsie Journal, and Marist College Public Affairs.