鈥淭ake your time,鈥� one her peers yelled from the audience.

If the pause betrayed any nervousness around giving the student address in front of the boisterous crowd in the Claire Tow Theater, it quickly gave way to a fiery speech that struck a chord with the assembled.

Adversity? 鈥淪een it. Lived it. Felt it,鈥� she said defiantly, after invoking Langston Hughes and recounting a childhood that taught her that life won鈥檛 always look like what you expected.

鈥淥ur accomplishments,鈥� she told her fellow graduates, 鈥渓ive in every sacrifice, every setback, every reason we could have stopped, but didn鈥檛.鈥�

Chin-Phillips says she certainly had her share of challenges growing up between Brooklyn and Barbados. Born in the United States, her mother was deported when she was 6 years old, so she was raised mostly by aunts and other family members in New York while her mother stayed in Barbados.

As she prepares to apply for doctoral programs in occupational therapy, the transfer student talks about growing up apart from her nuclear family, learning that support would always show up when she needed it, and her gratitude for the community and mentors at 可乐视频 that reminded her of her worth.

What was your childhood like?

My family is from Barbados and Guyana, and I spent a lot of time going back and forth between the two places. Every summer, I was in Barbados almost immediately after school ended, and I鈥檇 come back right before the school year started again.

We kept in touch however we could鈥攍ots of Skype calls, emails, all of that before FaceTime and texting were really a thing. It wasn鈥檛 easy, but it definitely taught me resilience and adaptability very early on.

What brought you to 可乐视频?

可乐视频 actually wasn鈥檛 my first stop. I originally attended LIU Brooklyn as a health science major. Eventually, I realized I wanted to pursue a path connected to speech pathology, so I decided to transfer. A family friend encouraged me to apply to 可乐视频.

You鈥檙e now majoring in linguistics with a minor in communicative sciences and disorders.

Linguistics overlaps a lot with CSD, especially when it comes to language development and communication. I believe courses like these should be required for people studying education, literacy, sociology, and child development because language impacts everything.

What opportunities have stood out to you during your time at 可乐视频?

One of the biggest was participating in the Mellon Undergraduate Transfer Student Research Program with [Assistant] Professor Anne Fredrickson. My group researched how accredited colleges in New York prepare future speech-language pathologists to work with bilingual populations.

I really loved that experience because it combined research, language, and questions of equity and representation. It also gave me confidence in my own voice and perspective as someone who grew up between cultures.

I also received the Zicklin Scholars Degree Completion Grant, which was incredibly helpful during my academic journey.

Outside the classroom, what communities or organizations have been important to you?

A lot of my extracurricular involvement has centered around Black Faculty and Staff initiatives on campus. This past year, I became treasurer of the Black Solidarity Day Committee, which has been a really meaningful experience.

When I first transferred to 可乐视频, I didn鈥檛 know much about Black Solidarity Day or some of the history behind it. Through mentors, faculty, and staff members, I became more involved and started to understand how important community-building and cultural advocacy are on campus. That work really helped me feel connected here.

Looking ahead, what would your dream career look like?

I always struggle to answer that because I don鈥檛 think there鈥檚 one perfect path for me yet. But I know that whatever I do, I want it to connect back to culture, community, and the Caribbean.

Anything involving the West Indies or Caribbean culture immediately interests me. I already do work with the West Indian American Day Carnival Association here in Brooklyn, and I love being part of spaces that celebrate where I come from.

At the end of the day, I think I just want a career where I can help people while still staying connected to my roots and my community.

The post From Brooklyn to Barbados and Back appeared first on 可乐视频.

The glitch was fixed, and Khaimov was in. From day one, he knew he would be taking business classes, with the idea that an accounting degree could support a future career in law. But then he started an internship at PBS and became absorbed in his role working for an executive producer affiliated with the station. It was his first exposure to the inner workings of a professional accounting environment. 鈥淭he executive producer was working on a biographical piece for the network,鈥� says Khaimov. 鈥淲e interns were in the back office working on finances and tax-related items.鈥�

鈥淚t was pretty awesome going back and seeing people who had helped prepare me for my career, polishing my r茅sum茅 and interview style, among other things.鈥� Khaimov also received help through the Harvey L. Young 鈥�59 Family Scholarship in Accounting, graduating magna cum laude in 2006.

Today, Khaimov is a real estate tax partner at global accounting, tax, and advisory firm EisnerAmper. He also serves as a director-at-large for the 可乐视频 Alumni Association, regularly returning to speak with students and offer the same kind of guidance he once sought.

When asked what advice he gives prospective business students, he doesn鈥檛 hesitate. 鈥淗ard work matters. Proactiveness matters even more,鈥� says Khaimov. He stresses that, especially in accounting, what students learn in class truly follows them into their careers. He also says that employers can teach technical details, 鈥渂ut they can鈥檛 teach work ethic or initiative.鈥� Those qualities, which he sees consistently in 可乐视频 students, are what set them apart.

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Now, just over a year into his new role, Rodriguez is bringing new energy and vision to BLMI, a program he describes as 鈥渁 one-stop shop鈥� for students who need support, community, and a place to belong. The initiative provides personalized academic advisement, peer and faculty mentorship, career planning and leadership workshops, and prioritizes finding mentors that its mostly black and brown student population can relate to. (The program is open to students of all races and genders.)

Rodriguez talks about his path, the challenges students face, and what it means to build a space where students feel like they鈥檙e home.

You鈥檝e had a remarkable journey. Can you share a bit about your background and how it shaped your work today?

听I was born in Puerto Rico and came to New York when I was nine鈥攐riginally just for vacation. But my mom decided to stay, and we ended up navigating some tough times, including homelessness and eventually foster care. I lived in public housing and then with foster families. That experience shaped everything. I always wanted to be a doctor, and I pursued that dream all the way to medical school. But due to financial issues鈥攎y loan was canceled鈥擨 couldn鈥檛 complete it. That鈥檚 when I found myself in education, working with foster youth, and realized this was my calling.

What drew you to BLMI and 可乐视频?

Honestly, it felt like destiny. Through my master鈥檚 program in higher education, I focused on men of color in STEM. When I saw the opportunity at BLMI, it aligned perfectly. What impressed me most was the legacy鈥攆ormer students returning as staff, alumni staying involved. That speaks volumes about the impact of the program. It鈥檚 not just a student initiative, it鈥檚 a community.

What are some of the biggest challenges you see students facing, and how is BLMI addressing them?

听Resource gaps are a major issue鈥攖ransportation, housing, food insecurity, tuition. We鈥檝e had students come from programs where they received MetroCards, and suddenly they鈥檙e here without that support. We鈥檙e working to build emergency funds, scholarships, and partnerships to help fill those gaps. We also sent students abroad this summer鈥攖wo to Japan, one to Spain鈥攂ut rising costs meant we could only send three instead of six. We want to do more.

What鈥檚 your vision for BLMI moving forward?

听I want BLMI to be a true one-stop shop for students. We鈥檙e implementing student success plans that include academic, career, and social-emotional components. We鈥檙e using tools like Navigate to help students track their progress and goals. My background in ASAP taught me the value of intrusive advisement鈥攃hecking in regularly, using data to identify roadblocks, and creating targeted support. We鈥檙e also building stronger ties with other campus programs and departments to ensure students are connected across the board.

What has surprised you most since joining 可乐视频?

The level of collaboration. I鈥檝e worked in different higher ed spaces, and it鈥檚 rare to see such strong partnerships across departments鈥�Africana Studies, Sociology, LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Women鈥檚 Center, ISSO. Everyone is invested in student success. We had a summer institute where staff, faculty, and alumni all came together to engage new students. That kind of unity is powerful.

What鈥檚 the vibe like in the BLMI space?

It鈥檚 home. Students walk by and hear conversations in Spanish, see people who look like them, smell jerk chicken鈥攊t鈥檚 familiar, comforting. I had two Latino students stop by and say, 鈥淵ou guys are speaking Spanish in there?鈥� That sense of belonging is everything. It鈥檚 not just about programming; it鈥檚 about creating a space where students feel seen and valued.

If resources weren鈥檛 an issue, what鈥檚 your dream for BLMI?

听I鈥檇 love to create dedicated internships for our students鈥攖ailored to their majors, with alumni mentors and networking opportunities. We took students to a Latino leadership conference in New Jersey, and it was transformative. Imagine if we could send them to national conferences in Seattle or California. I鈥檇 also love to take students suit shopping before galas or professional events. We鈥檝e had to rely on donations, but how amazing would it be to say, 鈥淟et鈥檚 go to Men鈥檚 Warehouse together鈥�?

What impresses you most about 可乐视频 students?

听Their talent and drive. I sit down with students for success planning, and they鈥檙e already building portfolios, launching businesses, developing software. They鈥檙e not waiting for permission鈥攖hey鈥檙e doing it. We just need to make sure the system isn鈥檛 getting in their way. If we鈥檙e not ready to support them, we鈥檙e the barrier.

Outside of work, what keeps you grounded?

听I鈥檓 a father of two鈥攁 15-year-old son and a two-year old daughter. We鈥檙e big on road trips and hiking. Every Father鈥檚 Day, my son and I go camping. It鈥檚 our tradition. We鈥檝e hiked in New York, Vermont, Maine, even Costa Rica. It鈥檚 how we stay connected and recharge.

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Pursuing a business administration degree in finance, Edwards juggled one or two classes while working full-time, taking semesters off to meet financial demands. She says visits to the Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL) Center helped her with a tight-knit staff that included Afro-Caribbean women who understood her experiences and championed her goals. They guided her through funding processes for the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) club, for which she was president, and encouraged her to stay involved in campus activities. 鈥淭he women at SAIL kept me focused,鈥� says Edwards. 鈥淚 could tell everyone there wanted the best for me. They saw that I was definitely driven and had tenacity. They made themselves available for me any time I needed guidance or had questions.鈥�

In addition to SAIL, Edwards found support from staff and counselors at the Magner Career Center. She shared that they were instrumental in helping her obtain internships that aligned with her career goals. Her first was at Playfair Planning, an independent financial firm based in Brooklyn that provides holistic financial planning. She then interned at the NYC Small Business Resource Network run by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. Bloomberg L.P. came next鈥攁n internship that led directly to a full-time offer once she graduated. Edwards worked in financial products, analytics, and sales while there, and also served as a campus ambassador, helping to recruit fellow 可乐视频 students for internships at Bloomberg.

A stint in the Consumer Insight and Marketing Department at Black Entertainment Television (BET) Media Group rounded out Edwards鈥� internship portfolio before she joined Bloomberg full time in June 2019. Most of her internships would not have been possible without stipends鈥攁 Magner Career Center stipend, a Robert J. Sisti Memorial Internship (overseen by the 可乐视频 Foundation)鈥攁nd scholarships from the New York chapter of and the CUNY Mexican Studies Institute, the latter of which paid for Edwards鈥� final year of college.

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Most recently, Delamater co-authored (with Michael Domjan) an undergraduate textbook, The Essentials of Conditioning and Learning, and he concluded his tenure as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, where he helped shape the direction of the field by guiding rigorous, theory-driven empirical research to publication. Delamater reflected on his scientific journey, his perspective on the evolution of animal learning research, and the insights gained from years at the editorial helm of one of his discipline鈥檚 leading journals.

You started at 可乐视频 in 1994. What drew you to teaching psychology here?

I saw in 可乐视频 opportunities to develop a productive research program along with highly motivated students who possess the curiosity and eagerness to learn more about how the world works. In addition, I was attracted to the Psychology Department because it housed several key senior faculty members who not only expressed the types of academic values that I shared but who also had already developed inspiring careers of their own. I knew there was a great deal I could learn from each of them.

Your work has long combined traditional behaviorist methods with more recent neurobiological tools and computational modeling approaches to understanding basic learning processes. How has your thinking about what animals 鈥渒now鈥� or represent internally changed over the course of your career?

I鈥檝e always found the question of knowledge representation a fascinating one to study scientifically. My adventure began with a simple question about how anticipations might influence perceptual experiences. If I鈥檓 thinking about something very sweet, for example, does that thought of sweetness make me perceive the beverage I happen to be consuming in the moment as being sweeter than it really is? There is plenty of evidence in nonhumans and humans alike that the answer to this question is yes. So, how does that work?

When I first came to 可乐视频, I approached this sort of question at a purely psychological level of analysis. When something makes us 鈥渢hink鈥� of sweetness, for instance, the simple answer is that we imagine something sweet and that activates in the mind鈥檚 eye some incipient perceptual representation of the thing that we previously experienced as being sweet. Thoughts can activate perceptual representations.

Over the course of my career, I have become increasingly interested in understanding neurobiological mechanisms of basic learning processes. We now have tools that allow us to measure neural activity patterns in various brain regions when we instruct a rodent to anticipate sugar water. We can then ask whether that pattern of activity resembles what occurs when the sugar water is itself presented.

But my interest in knowledge representation goes beyond neural activity patterns with sweet rewards. We also try to devise fairly simple neural network models that simulate how a brain can learn to anticipate something and how complexities in that network might give rise to more sophisticated, context-specific forms of knowledge (e.g., the word 鈥渁pple鈥� means one thing when we think about food, but something quite different when we think about the classic rock band The Beatles and Apple Corps.). How does the brain encode context-dependent forms of knowledge? We try to approach these questions at multiple levels of analysis鈥攆rom neurons to behavior to perceptions to computational systems.

Comparative psychology asks us to look across species to understand learning and behavior. What have nonhuman animals taught you that you think is especially relevant to understanding human cognition?

Psychologists have long understood that very simple nonlinguistic processes鈥攐nes we are often unaware of鈥攃an go a long way toward explaining how our minds work. Humans use language to great effect, but research has shown time and again that humans are notoriously bad at explaining the origins of their own thoughts, memories, feelings, and emotions. Most likely, a host of underlying neurobiological and psychological processes are at work that are opaque to conscious awareness.

More concretely, someone who has experienced something extremely traumatic may partly re-experience that trauma when exposed to some triggering event in their environment. It could be obvious or subtle, but in both cases the underlying mechanism is very likely associative in origin, with accompanying neurobiological processes at work.

For me it鈥檚 an extremely interesting question to ask how far a simple associative neurobiological process can go in explaining seemingly complex forms of cognition. One of my current hobbies is to ask how a brain that consists of neurons that simply excite or inhibit one another can produce an ordered representation of number. Our brains do encode quantity, but it is not at all clear how. That question relates to another issue I am deeply interested in鈥攖he representation of time. It鈥檚 clear to me that language is not necessary for either of these types of cognition.

During your tenure as editor of the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, what shifts or emerging trends in the field stood out to you most?

My field developed out of an interest in studying the evolution of mind鈥攈ow various cognitive faculties may have emerged in different species throughout the animal kingdom. Progress has been complicated by our increasing appreciation of how difficult it is to measure underlying psychological and neurobiological mechanisms in a single species, let alone in many different ones. The field has developed increasingly sophisticated behavioral and neurobiological tools to uncover those mechanisms, and that gives me hope that significant progress will continue.

Beyond that, there is certainly more application of computational modeling to assist us in understanding how complex interacting systems like the brain explain behavioral and psychological phenomena. When the AI movement began in my field in the 1980s, I saw promise in early connectionist network approaches. After a period of enthusiasm, interest waned. But more recent successes in AI have shown scientists the power of so-called deep learning systems in explaining aspects of thought.

Some researchers are now using AI systems as new types of 鈥減articipants鈥� in experiments to see if those systems learn tasks in ways similar to humans and other animals. This research is in its infancy, but researchers are discovering that various forms of AI learn quite differently than humans. That means there needs to be more interaction among psychologists, neuroscientists, and computer scientists in devising biologically plausible systems. Currently, AI is largely produced through engineering approaches aimed at accomplishing functional tasks. Its true power may be realized when we can use these tools as reasonable models of how the mind and brain actually work. Then, many interesting and relevant applications may become possible.

For students at 可乐视频 who are interested in research careers, what questions about learning and cognition do you think are most exciting and relevant today?

I鈥檝e always thought the field has been dominated by three basic questions: (1) What are the conditions necessary and sufficient for learning to take place? (2) What is the underlying content of that learning? and (3) How does that learning become translated into observable performance?

The first question is intensively studied in neuroscience. It attempts to identify the rules by which new connections between neurons get established鈥攖hat is, what governs neuroplasticity in the brain.

The second question attempts to understand what aspects of the world become encoded in the brain as we learn. For example, sometimes behavior is automatic and habitual, and sometimes it is deliberate and goal-directed. These forms of behavioral control reflect distinct representational systems, and important questions concern how those systems interact to influence response choices. Moreover, other research increasingly points to how nonhuman animals acquire abstract representations of time, number, categorical information, and even other organisms and oneself. I expect these studies to continue to yield interesting discoveries.

Finally, the third question concerns how we use information encoded by the brain. This is closely related to decision-making鈥攗ncovering the rules we use in choice situations. Sometimes we 鈥渒now鈥� something is true but decide not to act on that knowledge. There are many interesting questions that arise from problems like that.

Overall, my advice to a student interested in research would be to learn enough about a discipline to identify a basic question that excites them, and then learn about the tools available to study that question. As students become more familiar with how the scientific process works, whether they answer their question definitively or not, this can lead to real insights, enthusiasm, and possibly a research career.

The post Bridging Brain Science appeared first on 可乐视频.

Marsow entered higher education without a clear understanding of what college was meant to prepare her for, so she approached it with a simple plan to learn as much as possible. As a liberal arts college, 可乐视频 provided her with a wide variety of programs to choose from, so she explored nearly every major, taking courses across departments to discover what fit. What felt like 鈥渇loundering鈥� at the time ultimately became a period of finding herself: She loved music and had a strong affinity for math, which led her to an interdisciplinary major in music and economics. She joined a study abroad trip to Ghana. She also joined the cheerleading squad鈥攕he had trained in gymnastics as a child and loved sports; cheerleading was something she had dreamed of doing.

A student, Marsow credits mentors, including Lisa Schwebel, the honors program director, and Professor Robert Cherry, who helped her navigate the economics major, with giving her the guidance and support she needed. She also recalls the 鈥渃ompassion and attentiveness鈥� of professors at the Conservatory of Music (Marsow plays the flute) who not only challenged their students but also recognized and respected the cultural and linguistic differences many brought to the classroom.

Marsow is grateful for her mentors but also speaks effusively about the Magner Career Center staff, relying on them for advice on scholarships, internships, and career opportunities. 鈥淚 practically lived there,鈥� she says.

Through the center, she received a Jewish Foundation for Education of Women Scholarship, which paid for two summers of internships at Morgan Stanley (later part of Citigroup Smith Barney) and the New York Attorney General鈥檚 Office, among others. She also interned at PBS.

As Marsow approached graduation, she imagined a future in finance. As the child of immigrants, she felt a career in the field would provide financial stability. But she had interned at Morgan Stanley during the turbulent years following the 2008 financial crisis. The environment proved deeply discouraging. She found the field male鈥慸ominated, 鈥渁n atmosphere reminiscent of the show Mad Men,鈥� she says. A speaker at a 可乐视频 event later offered advice that stayed with her: Breaking barriers is admirable, but not at the cost of one鈥檚 own well鈥慴eing.

Ready for change, she took a job at Carnival Cruise Lines as an entertainment host, then transitioned into a human resources role at B鈥橝bove Worldwide Institute, an early childhood education agency. It was a return to the Magner Center that inspired her to start her own business in a field she loved. Through conversations with staff, Marsow realized that the one consistent thing in her life was her love of sports. She applied for jobs in sports management, but nothing came of it. She explored the possibility of starting her own business and wondered whether a local gymnastics school might be in demand. After speaking with families in her community, she discovered that there was indeed a need.

Marsow entered a special entrepreneur program that required her to develop and submit a business plan, marketing strategy, and other foundational documents. She also took free business courses through local organizations. In four short months she opened Prospect Gymnastics.

Today, in addition to teaching gymnastics and running a business she loves, Marsow writes regularly, has published pieces in several magazines, and is working on a memoir. Creative writing has become a meaningful outlet鈥攏ow, with a flexible schedule and steady career, she has the freedom to develop her voice as a writer.

Looking back at her own journey, Marsow encourages prospective students to explore what 可乐视频 has to offer thoroughly and take their time in choosing a career path, 鈥渂ecause the stakes are not as high.鈥� For current students, her advice is clear: Make full use of the Magner Center, pursue internships, and explore widely.

鈥淐ollege may be one of the few times in life when exploration is possible before you go out into the world,鈥� she says. 鈥淛oin a sports team, take classes in unfamiliar departments, participate in music ensembles or theater productions, and meet as many different kinds of people as you can.鈥� These experiences, she believes, are crucial to personal growth and a future career.

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At 可乐视频, it was spring, and everything was alive, the landscape vibrant green. People were everywhere. He talked to students hanging out on the quads.

Asatryan moved to the United States from his native Armenia in 2016 after completing military service there, 鈥渙n the Fourth of July, of all dates, although not on purpose,鈥� he says.听As a new immigrant, he had no idea how higher education worked in the United States; he visited 可乐视频 on the advice of a friend. 鈥淕oing on instinct,鈥� he says. He was excited by what he saw. The school felt right, so he applied and was accepted.

Instinct would carry him only so far, however. With no idea what he wanted to major in, Asatryan took his time; he cites access to the wide variety of programs and courses at the college and the time he got to explore them as the reasons for his success in choosing a major. He settled on a B.B.A. in international business鈥攚hich made sense to him, given his European background鈥攚ith a minor in personal finance.

For Asatryan, instinct and research were two crucial factors in choosing the right school and gaining the right degree; another was the faculty.

鈥淚 was dreading taking an English course and [adjunct lecturer] Adam Bangser was such a great guy. He was actively interested in my background and pushed me to write even when it wasn鈥檛 relevant to the material that we were studying,鈥� he says.

Asatryan credits Cindy Pham, associate professor of managing, marketing, and entrepreneurship, with helping him make the most of his time at 可乐视频.

鈥淧rofessor Pham is incredible. She is very much invested in every student’s life. She inspired me to听knock on doors and ask questions, look for programs, explore opportunities.鈥� She even motivated him to revive a chapter of the International Business Association club. He also became a peer mentor.

According to Asatryan, stellar academic programs and top-notch faculty will still only get you an education and a degree but not always show you what to do with them. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of the risk,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou want the education, it鈥檚 an investment in your future, but you need to know where you can go with that degree.鈥� You also need to gain real-life experience through internships. Asatryan completed internships at Amazon, the landscaping and architecture company EKLA at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, digital financial media outlet Blockworks, and New York State Senator Kevin S. Parker鈥檚 office, which was funded by a Magner Career Center stipend.

He enjoyed all of them. 鈥淭hey helped me gain confidence and be open to jobs not directly related to my major,鈥� he says.

Working for senator doing ghostwriting, digital marketing, and campaign management was especially rewarding.

鈥淧art of my job was trying to get the word out about resources during the pandemic鈥攆oods, supplies, healthcare鈥攖o the senator鈥檚 Brooklyn constituents, particularly in the Flatbush area. It was wonderful work and a great opportunity thanks to 可乐视频,鈥� he says. The internship was a crash course in public relations that Asatryan took with him to his present job.

Today, he works as an account manager at Cognito, a global public relations and marketing agency specializing in finance, sustainability, and technology.

鈥淲e help organizations tell the right stories, build credibility with the media, and provide trusted counsel,鈥� says Asatryan. 鈥淚t’s a fascinating job because every day there is something new that is happening, and you are working with so many experts鈥� chief economists, CTOs, CEOs, founders鈥攊t鈥檚 nonstop learning. A big part of my role is to take complicated, complex topics within finance and technology and simplify them into stories people actually understand.鈥�

Asatryan, who will be participating in an admissions event for prospective business students on February 19, has this advice for those who are thinking about 可乐视频:

鈥淒o your research, make the necessary appointments with admissions if you need to, but also, visit the campus, visit the library, which is terrific,鈥� he says. 鈥淪pend time by the lily pond. Look around, talk with current students, and see how it feels to be there.鈥�

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Having just completed her coursework in December, Plush reflects on her journey back to higher education and the unexpected moments that made it possible.

You first came to 可乐视频 in 1999. What brought you here originally?
I was born and raised in Brooklyn and graduated from South Shore High School. Coming to 可乐视频 felt like the natural next step. I was a psychology major, and for a while I was doing pretty well. I remember one class in particular, Psych Statistics, just stopped me in my tracks. I tried it multiple times and couldn鈥檛 get past it. Also, life started happening. Responsibilities piled up, and I stepped away from school.

What happened after you stepped away?
I moved to New Jersey, got married, and had two children. I built a career as the director of a preschool and was doing well professionally. At that point, going back to school didn鈥檛 feel urgent. I was working, raising a family, and managing everything that comes with adult life. College felt like something I had already tried鈥攁nd moved on from.

But things changed. What was the turning point?
It started with a medical issue. I had a severe toothache, needed a root canal, and developed a dry socket afterward. The pain was intense, and I was prescribed opioid medication. I was hooked before I even realized it. That period led to a cascade of problems鈥攆amily tension, separation from my husband, and eventually losing my job when the preschool I worked at closed due to the casino shutdowns in Atlantic City.

How did you end up back in New York?
I needed a fresh start. I didn鈥檛 have a car anymore, I wasn鈥檛 working, and things in New Jersey had completely fallen apart. I came back to New York thinking I could rebuild. I thought I would stay with a cousin, and when that didn鈥檛 work out, I found myself homeless.

What was that experience like?
From 2017 to 2020, I lived on the streets of Manhattan, sleeping near 30th Street and Park Avenue. Not in shelters鈥攐n the sidewalk. It was an incredibly hard time. I was in an abusive relationship, cut off from my family, and just trying to survive day to day.

What changed your trajectory?
During the early days of the pandemic, a woman and her husband started coming around, handing out money to people on the street. She stopped to talk to me鈥攁nd kept coming back. Her name is Traci. She was a retired patent attorney and had started the College Education Milestone Foundation, in memory of her father. She got to know me and said I seemed more like the type to be doing The New York Times crossword puzzle. She told me I wasn鈥檛 what she expected. She didn鈥檛 just see a homeless person, she saw me.

How did education reenter the picture?
Once I was able to secure housing and leave an abusive situation, Traci asked if I鈥檇 ever consider going back to school. At first, it wasn鈥檛 even on my radar. Instead, we started by writing a book together about homelessness during the pandemic. That book, , ended up on The Wall Street Journal bestseller list. Writing came naturally to me. I鈥檝e always been strong in English鈥攎y mother was an English teacher鈥攁nd that project reminded me of what I was capable of.

Is that what led you back to 可乐视频?
Yes. Traci encouraged me to take a writing class, just to see how it felt. I breezed through it. That鈥檚 when I thought, maybe I can do this. With Traci鈥檚 support, I reapplied to 可乐视频 and was accepted in spring 2022.

What was it like returning as an older student?
Intimidating at first. I was clearly older than everyone else, sitting there with a notebook and pen while other students had tablets and fancy tech. But once I put my head down and focused on the work, it stopped mattering. Online classes helped a lot, too. They made it possible to balance everything without feeling so out of place.

Who supported you along the way at 可乐视频?
So many people. Gina Priolo [an associate director in the college鈥檚 Student Success Unit], Professor Roni Natov, [Associate] Professor Martha Nadell, and the late Professor Carey Harrison were all instrumental. They worked with me to retain as many credits as possible from my earlier years and helped me map out a realistic path to graduation. Professor Harrison, especially, really reignited my love for learning.

Where are you now鈥攁nd what鈥檚 next?
I have another book just released called . It picks up where my first book ends鈥攇oing back to school, caring for my father before he passed, and rebuilding my life.

I don鈥檛 know exactly what I鈥檒l do next, but I know it will involve writing, editing, or publishing.

What would you say to other adults considering a return to college?
I鈥檓 44 years old. It鈥檚 never too late to start again. You might be surprised by how flexible and supportive the process can be. If I can come back after everything I鈥檝e been through, it鈥檚 doable for a lot of people out there who think it isn鈥檛.

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Tell us about your background.

I was born and raised in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs. My family owns and operates a church on the South Side of the city (my grandfather is the bishop, my mother the pastor). I flew the nest, dropped out of school, and moved to New York when I was 19 years old. Now I find myself here at 可乐视频, finishing the degree I started over 10 years ago at Illinois State University. I initially moved to the city to pursue acting and theater, but other avenues opened up to me. I found myself working as a storyteller and producer, and I鈥檝e been blessed to work across the industry, telling stories in multiple mediums鈥攆rom short and longform videos on the internet at places like VICE and BuzzFeed to documentaries for companies like HBO and Hulu. But I鈥檓 eager to get back to my first love: theater.

Why did you choose 可乐视频?

Honestly, proximity was my initial attraction. I live in Bed-Stuy, and it鈥檚 nothing for me to just hop on the B44 and jet to campus. The more I spoke to people about the school鈥攅veryone raved about its English Department, primarily creative writing. That paired with what I鈥檝e come to learn about the Theater Department, made the choice a practical one.

Why did you choose the creative writing program and what do you like most about it?

Before anything, I am a writer, a poet. Words and the bending of language are things I鈥檝e been doing before I even knew what I was doing. The core of everything I love and everything I鈥檓 good at lives on the foundation of my curiosity about words, language, and text. This was my entry point into theater. It鈥檚 what made it possible for me to explore documentaries and filmmaking. The key to conveying anything is the ability to tell a story, to harness language to do your will. All those years ago, during my first attempt to obtain a degree, I majored in theater鈥攁cting. This time around, it made more sense to pursue creative writing (playwriting), with a minor in acting.

Have you completed any internships, or received any grants, stipends, or scholarships from 可乐视频?

Most recently, I was selected for the Mellon Undergraduate Transfer Student Research Program, where I am developing a project on the intersections of performance, memoir, and poetry under the mentorship of Professor Rosamond S. King. The English Department awarded me the Louis Goodman Creative Writing Scholarship [overseen by the 可乐视频 Foundation] for an outstanding creative writing submission. I was a a paid program that places CUNY in arts and cultural institutions in New York City. Through that program I was paired with the . I was a , serving as a dramaturg for the Public Playwrights residency.听I was a Magner Career Center stipend winner; this funded a documentary project and work with an emerging New York City production company. I was chosen by to be a student ambassador connecting CUNY students with accessible, affordable theater experiences.

How do you envision your first year after graduating?

I would love to be workshopping and developing new works in and around the city, maybe even getting out of New York City, squatting elsewhere, and writing a play. I鈥檓 open.

If you had to convince another student like you to go to college here, what would you say?

The world runs on the backs of public school students. New York City shines because of public school students. It can pay to go to a public school. I would encourage anyone looking to further their education to look at what is available to them in their immediate communities and backyards. Enrichment is so accessible; all you have to do is reach for it.

Do you have any advice for your fellow students?

Two things. Take full advantage of the resources and facilities around you. Access such as this exists in very few places outside of academia or in our city. While they are available to you, not only use them, but maximize your use of them so that what you do or where you go next, you鈥檙e fully prepared because of the work you鈥檝e already done and the connections you made.

And two: There鈥檚 sooo much 鈥渇ree鈥� money on this campus鈥攆rom fellowships, stipends, endowments, etc. Deadlines are scary, but get on them. The only shots you miss are the ones you don鈥檛 take. If you don鈥檛 get it the first time, apply again, and again, and again. Someone is reading those applications; they are seeing your name. Some things may not come around immediately, maybe not even the third time, but you鈥檇 be shocked to learn that in many cases what you do now is setting you up for the sixth thing, the seventh. Get yourself out there.

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Could you tell us a bit about your background?

I have a big family. What鈥檚 interesting is my mom went to school to become a dietitian and ended up changing her major to journalism. I went to school to become a journalist and ended up changing my career to nutrition.

I studied journalism and magazine writing at San Francisco State and loved it. I still write to this day. I moved to New York on a whim, found a place in Brooklyn and got a job at the American Lawyer magazine. I remember going to these different law firms to interview people. I had a big natural hairstyle, and I didn鈥檛 feel like I fit in. This was in 2006. I was anxious all of the time and so afraid of making a mistake because it was a rigorous publication鈥擨 wanted to do something different. I took a job at a nonprofit called the Torch Program. It was around that time I decided long-term what I wanted: a career in nutrition. I also dreamed of working for myself. I decided to go back to school.

Why did you choose 可乐视频 for your master鈥檚 degree?

My best friend, who was at the time also going back to school to become a nurse, told me I should enroll in a nutrition program鈥攖hat a degree in a solid registered dietitian program opens up more opportunities. I’ll never forget when I met with Dr. Kathleen Axen.

I told her about my background in journalism, and she told me that becoming a nutritionist could be a great career choice for me. She said there is so much misinformation out there about nutrition that it would be amazing to have someone who has a journalism background and a nutrition background to be able to report on nutrition from a factual and not sensational place. She walked me through the program and I enrolled. During my time at 可乐视频 I did an internship at Brooklyn Hospital Center, then worked as a dietitian at Kings County Hospital after I graduated.

Somewhere along your timeline you met your business partner, Wendy Lopez.

We met through a friend at a potluck in New York. We just started hanging out. Wendy became interested in a career in nutrition when I told her about my own career arc and she decided to go back to school (Hunter) for her degree. At around that time I learned about the . The organization had a new program called the . It brought nutrition education and cooking lessons to underserved communities. I ended up working for the Stellar program, teaching nutrition all throughout New York City. I eventually became a senior nutritionist there and I brought Wendy on board. We had the best time doing cooking demos, entertaining, and really feeling like the community was benefiting from the information we were giving them. From there, we came up with an idea to do a show on Brooklyn Public Access Television (BRIC). I took a production course at 可乐视频 and learned how to use the camera equipment. I wrote a grant proposal for a show called Healthy Kitchen Chronicles for a community nutrition class project. Wendy and I recorded the show, which was really us cooking foods from different cultures鈥擶endy鈥檚 Afro-Dominican. And we did an entire soul food episode, highlighting nutrition and affordability. On top of the TV show, we started a blog.

So you combined your storytelling skills with your nutrition education. How did Diabetes Digital come about?

I had had my own practice in New York City for some time and decided to move back here to Sacramento. I worked as a dietitian at a wellness center. Because we could no longer record together for public television, we created a podcast called Food Heaven, which was an extension of our media company .

Doing the podcasts and appearing on social media felt new at the time鈥攖his was around 2015. There weren鈥檛 many dietitians online yet. But about two years ago I realized the nutrition landscape had changed; it felt oversaturated. Even though we were making good money, I no longer enjoyed making content. I took it as a sign. I missed having more of a direct impact on patients. And also people were always asking us for referrals. There wasn鈥檛 a place I felt like I could send people to see a dietitian that held all our values, like diversity, health at every size, weight inclusivity, but also nutritionists who deal with chronic conditions, particularly diabetes. That鈥檚 where comes in. We created a digital practice of registered dietitians and certified diabetes educators specializing in prediabetes and diabetes care and launched it at the start of 2024. It鈥檚 the best decision we ever made.

Having other dietitians on board, including those, of course, who specialize in diabetes, a condition that is deeply tied to diet and nutrition, has been transformative.

What do you see as the role of a dietitian?

That can be broken down into four parts. Number one is the information and education we impart; it鈥檚 important to stay on top of that, but that鈥檚 only 25 percent of our role. What makes a good dietitian in a counseling setting is that are skilled in helping the patient with behavioral change. Behavioral change is really what matters if you鈥檙e trying to get someone to go from point A to point B. The third is working with the client鈥檚 emotions around and relationship with food, which can be complex. The final thing is accountability. It can鈥檛 hurt to have someone to check in with every week to make sure whatever goals that are being set can be adhered to.

Any advice for students?

One of my professors, Kenneth Axen鈥擠r. Kathleen Axen鈥檚 husband; he passed in 2020鈥攖old me, 鈥淒on’t let a slip become a fall.鈥� I share it with patients. Also, he said, 鈥渟ometimes it’s good to pick a practical career and do your creative stuff on the side. Choose a career that is still interesting to you and pays the bills.鈥�

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