After an hour鈥檚 talk dissecting the concepts of urban fear, security, class division, and gentrification, the class, with anthropology professors Naomi Schiller and Kelly Britt, walk more than two miles to the Masaryk Towers. A subsidized middle-income housing complex, the towers had new gates installed, cutting off a shortcut through the complex that until very recently was open to the public, particularly the residents of the Baruch and Gompers Houses across the street. The classroom discussion is now playing out in living color, as a guard barks at the students for proof that they have legal access to the property. 鈥淚t鈥檚 okay, I live here,鈥� says one of the students flashing her ID. 鈥淭hese people are my guests.鈥�

For Schiller and Britt, the summer course called The Urban Anthropology Project is a bit of an experiment. To begin, this type of cultural anthropology and archaeology field school鈥攁n immersion in the Lower East Side鈥攈as never been taught at 可乐视频. 鈥淭he neighborhood is in the midst of a major new wave of gentrification and waterfront development,鈥� says Schiller. 鈥淲e鈥檙e asking the students to explore how class, race, gender, and migration status intersect to shape the ways that residents approach the contemporary threat of extreme weather and rising seas. But we鈥檙e starting way back鈥攂efore European settlement鈥攖o think about land use, social relationships, and the changing built environment over time鈥�

The class is also unique in that Schiller and Britt have teamed up to combine their subfields, cultural anthropology and archaeology.

Walking tours are just one of the ways Britt and Schiller are helping their students explore the history and contemporary struggle for space and survival on the Lower East Side. The professors also scheduled films, museum visits, trips to observe community board meetings, visits from experts, interviews with local residents, and archaeological artifact analysis.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 different is that we鈥檙e teaching archaeological and ethnographic methods in the same course. That鈥檚 not been done here before,鈥� says Britt. 鈥淲e鈥檙e helping students develop essential skills such as recording field notes and interviewing as they study resiliency, gentrification, urban planning, community organizing, sea-level rise, and climate change.鈥�

鈥淎nd we鈥檙e co-teaching,鈥� Schiller and Britt say almost together. 鈥淲e volunteered to split the salary between us because we wanted to teach this new course and learn from each other,鈥� says Schiller. 鈥淲e are aiming to give future anthropologists the tools to approach the field in a more ethical, holistic manner than traditionally taught in many anthropology departments.

The courses of the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology present the richness in human variation and cultural diversity, and offer the anthropological perspective as a way of thinking, a way of problem solving, and as a model for future learning. Field schools usually occur during the summer sessions or the winter intersession. To learn more, visit the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology.

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Sophomore Vicky Lee, a production major at 可乐视频’s film department, won the top prize in poetry with the moving “,” chronicling her father’s late nights at the restaurant he works in order to provide for his children. Grayson Wolf, an English major who will graduate from Hunter College next month, took the second prize with his incantatory poem “Synoptic.” Yocheved Friedman, a junior at the Macaulay Honors program at Queens College, came in third with “,” inspired by Eugene de Salignac’s iconic and dizzying photograph of workers holding on to the cables on the Brooklyn Bridge. Friedman is studying to become a neuroscientist and is set to graduate in May 2019.

In the nonfiction category, senior Jasmine Toledo a history major at 可乐视频, earned first prize for “Documenting the Undocumented,” an essay about the Latino immigrant experience and the immigrants’ journey and travails in their new land. Jessica Alort, a first-year radiology student at the NYC College of Technology took second place with “Counterparts,” an essay about her becoming a teacher’s aide, while Linda Henry, a home care attendant and a student of human services professional at the same college, delivered a powerful reading of her essay, “,” about her clients’ challenging and difficult lives and her efforts on their behalf.

Queens College political science major Frances Raybaud, received the top prize in fiction for her short story “Stigma,” while senior Zeus Sumra the news managing editor at 可乐视频’s The Kingsman newspaper and a major in psychology, took second place with his “Pyramid.” Jovon Pryce of Hunter College came in third with, “Packed Trains and Empty Shelves.”

In the visual arts category, Fatma Elgohary took the first prize with a photo of a .

“The picture was part of a broader project of photographing traditional and religious women in various faith communities,” said Elgohary, who is pursuing a B.F.A. in photography at Hunter College. She graduates in May.

Second-prize winner, junior Jacqueline Gallo, a psychology major at 可乐视频, created a canvas made of old paystubs from Taco Bell鈥攚here she worked for three years鈥攚ith text and images divided in quadrants that resembled a comic book or a fanzine. Third place went to Shuki Hasson, a student of graphic art design at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. An Arab Israeli immigrant, Hasson chose to create a sign in gold and black resembling those used in construction warnings, with the word ‘falafel’ printed on it in Arabic, Hebrew, and English. “I wanted to pay tribute to our New York culture,” he said.

Assistant Dean Lucas Rubin of the Graduate Center for Worker Education welcomed participants and guests. Patrick Kavanagh presented the awards and Rachel Bernstein of Labor Arts.org gave concluding remarks.

LaborArts was founded in 2000 on the premise that art can be a powerful way to communicate. The organizations mission is to bring a broad audience to the sustaining power of the artistic and cultural heritage of workers. The LaborArts website will feature this year’s winners at .

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“I saw this as a great opportunity to gain some valuable experience that employers tend to look for in potential candidates,” she says, noting that she has not yet done any internships in her field. “When I came across this program, I was fascinated by all the opportunities.”

The academy鈥攁 two-year program for School of Business students who take a three-credit class, attend a variety of workshops arranged by the Magner Career Center, and then do an internship鈥攂egan last summer, sprung from the efforts of former 可乐视频 Foundation Chair Marge Magner ’69 to open more doors in the financial sector to 可乐视频 graduates. The students take their class during the first summer session at the college’s Graduate Center for Worker Education, which is located in the financial district in lower Manhattan. The course is packed with guest lectures by industry heavyweights鈥攎any of them alumni of the college鈥攂rought in to give students candid advice on what it takes to make it in their fields. To date, the speakers have come from companies like Goldman Sachs, Ernst & Young, Credit Suisse First Boston, Standard and Poor’s, Blackstone Group, Merrill Lynch, and AllianceBernstein.

“The feedback has been so positive from the speakers and the employers where these students end up interning,” says Susanne Scott, associate dean of the School of Business.

Last summer there were 15 students in the inaugural program, 13 of whom landed internships after completing the academy. “That’s enormously successful for any program,” Scott adds, noting that the academy was so popular in its first year, she started getting calls from students at other institutions who wanted to apply.

The program is very selective. To qualify, students must have a grade point average of 3.50 or better and they are further screened with an interview.

“We’re looking for intellectual strength, but beyond that, we are looking for students who have the potential to compete with students from other colleges,” says Scott. “Many of them are first-generation college students who just need some extra preparation. We groom them to be successful in these high-powered firms.”

Magner, a founding member and general partner of Brysam Global Partners, a private-equity firm that invests in consumer financial services in emerging markets, paid the summer session tuition for all the students in the academy’s first two classes. She also founded the Magner Center, which last year celebrated its 10th anniversary.

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Judith Rubin, a sophomore who is pursuing her second undergraduate degree after a long career as a teacher, was the only first-place winner from 可乐视频. Her paper sculpture of people demonstrating actually originated from a class assignment, which she previously submitted to an exhibit about the recent police brutality protests across the country.

“The sculpture is about fighting for any kind of human rights,” the visual art major says, adding that the 100 pound Bristol paper she used “is cheap and accessible,” which she says was appropriate given that the demonstrators were meant to represent the masses. “I think that鈥檚 what helped the piece win,” she says.

Three other students took home awards: Randon Rosenbohm, a media studies major who also submitted visual art; Michelle Long, an economics major who submitted non-fiction writing; and Mariusz Zubrowski, an English major who submitted a poem.

Long, a waitress who works with an immigrant population, submitted an essay titled 鈥淐rossing the Desert.鈥�

“I rarely enter contests but I really liked the idea of giving exposure to the men and women of New York City who are feeling extremely underappreciated,” she says.

The awards ceremony was held at 可乐视频鈥檚 Graduate Center for Worker Education (GCWE), which has become a hub of activity in the past academic year. Officials from the center have been working with Medgar Evers College on a workforce training grant to teach young people computer skills. There is also an American Language Academy, which offers a full suite of programs for immigrants and foreign nationals learning English. And there are currently 19 courses a week at the center, filling the schedule to capacity.

Additionally, there are representatives from the college鈥檚 Magner Career Center and the Reading Center based at the GCWE, located at 25 Broadway in lower Manhattan, to support students and adults who have an easier time accessing that location.

All contest winners, along with their entries, will be published on the .

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Sponsored by CUNY and , an organization whose mission is to present images that encourage understanding of the contributions working people make to our society, the contest鈥檚 organizers asked students to submit entries that were about work and workers, and that fit one of four categories: essay, poetry, fiction/non-fiction narrative, and visual art. 可乐视频 students won six of the total 15 awards that were selected from more than 120 contest submissions.

Senior Sean Blair, a television and radio major, placed first in the fiction/non-fiction category for his short story set in the Homestead Steel strike of 1892, a topic he has been interested in since high school. “I鈥檓 a huge history nerd so this was right up my alley,” he said.

Elizabeth Mahoney, a junior majoring in American studies, also placed first in the essay category for her piece on queer activism around labor issues. “There is a lot of silence about queer issues in labor unions,” says the Boston native. “There is really no precedent of talking about it. I鈥檇 like to try to open up the conversation.”

Two other students, junior Alicia Adams, a chemistry major, and聽聽sophomore Kendy Rodriguez, a film production major, got third place and an honorable mention respectively in the poetry category. Sophomore Amanda Williams, a computer science major, received an honorable mention in fiction/non-fiction narrative and sophomore Peter Freleng, a fine arts major, placed third in the visual art category.

The award ceremony was held April 30 at the College鈥檚 Graduate Center for Worker Education in lower Manhattan. The center has a new director, Lucas G. Rubin, the assistant dean of academic programs and continuing education.

Rubin said he plans to build on the center鈥檚 tradition of providing interdisciplinary courses, hosting special events and conferences, and building partnerships with community organizations to create a learning environment that supports adults.

“I was attracted to the opportunity to create something innovative, dynamic, and collaborative, and to pay respect to the traditional worker center while re-imagining it for the 21st century,” he said.

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Nieves is teaching a new generation of students an important lesson: No matter what their background is, they can still get a good education, achieve success, and help others.

“I was the first Puerto Rican woman ever to become a Rhodes Scholar,” she notes. “And there are still many young Latino, African American and other minority-group students out there who qualify for similar honors but who do not realize it.

“I see it as my task to make them recognize what is their due and to help them achieve it,” she says. “Everything I鈥檝e done in my career is directed toward that end.”

Nieves is the Belle Zeller Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy and Administration for 2011鈥�13. She teaches two courses: an undergraduate class on the 可乐视频 campus and a graduate-level course at the Graduate Center for Worker Education in Manhattan.

Beyond her distinguished professorship at 可乐视频, Nieves remains active on many professional fronts. She is vice chairperson of New York City鈥檚 Panel for Education Policy, a trustee of the , a member of the national board for and a member of the advisory council to the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs at Princeton University. Most notably, President Obama recently appointed Nieves to the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

Nieves is modest about her accomplishments. “They aren’t about me,” she says. “Instead, they reflect a recognition of commitment to serving young adults through education and public service.”

But life has not always been so full of richness and rewards for Nieves.

“My family probably didn’t start out the way many of yours did,” she told the audience at an award ceremony in her honor at the . “My parents split up when I was young,” she said. “My mother put me and my sister into foster care, then died soon after of a drug overdose. We spent six months in foster care . . . (until) my father tracked us down.”

Growing up as a child of the working class, Nieves attended PS 181, IS 246 and John Dewey High School. The experience imbued her with a sense of social justice, which she expressed by organizing a soup kitchen, tutoring special education students, and revitalizing a feminist newspaper.

After graduating from high school, she continued the public school tradition at 可乐视频, where she worked toward a bachelor of science degree in political science and philosophy. Despite juggling two or three jobs, she was named a in 1990 and a member of in 1992.

Then it was off to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. “Oxford was a new world,” she told the Daily News. “Oxford differed in that it is based on a one-to-one learning system, whereas at 可乐视频 it鈥檚 a classroom learning environment. There was more personal time with a faculty member at Oxford, but not an understanding of the value of peer learning in a classroom setting.”

Two years later, in June 1994, she returned to New York with Greg Gunn, a Rhodes Scholar in mathematics and physics from the University of Chicago whom she would ultimately wed. They have been married for 15 years now, have a six-year-old son, Gabriel, and reside in Brooklyn.

Five years after her return to the United States, she enrolled at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs to earn a master’s degree in public affairs and domestic politics.

Since then she has worked for a succession of organizations aimed at helping young people achieve success, most recently as founding executive director of the workforce and education program Year Up NYC. During her five-year tenure, the organization grew a $250,000 seed grant into a $6 million operation with 40 staff serving more than 250 young adults a year.

Despite all she has accomplished, Nieves still concentrates on the future. “My plans include working on a major national initiative that focuses on the college completion agenda and moving the needle so that we can see more Latino and African American students achieving their education goals.”

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