Hosted by the Black Faculty and Staff at 可乐视频 and co-sponsored by the BLMI and the 可乐视频 Black Student Union, the ceremony will feature special remarks, the ceremonial donning of Kente stoles, and moments of recognition that highlight the resilience and success of graduating students.

More than a celebration, the Donning of the Kente fosters a strong sense of unity and belonging, reflecting 可乐视频鈥檚 ongoing commitment to supporting and uplifting Black students. Attendees can expect an inspiring and culturally affirming experience that honors both individual achievement and collective progress.

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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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He reflects on his journey to student leadership, his plans for the year, and the lessons he has learned along the way.

You鈥檝e been part of USG since your sophomore year. What inspired you to run for president?

I always wondered how things could be better. Having served under two different student government administrations, I saw what worked and what didn鈥檛. What excites me is being able to bring people together鈥攚hether we agree or disagree鈥攁nd still enact change for the student body.

Honestly, I love 可乐视频. This place shaped me, gave me confidence in public speaking, networking, and leadership. Running for president was my way of giving back and showing others that if I can do it, you can, too.

Do you see yourself in politics, or is this more of a campus chapter for you?

听That鈥檚 the million-dollar question. (Laughs.) I wouldn鈥檛 say no forever, but realistically, politics isn鈥檛 my career plan right now. But I do believe you never really know your path until life unfolds.

Very true. You were born in Brooklyn but spent part of your life in North Carolina. How did that shape you?

听I moved south in third grade, to a small town called Havelock. It鈥檚 the complete opposite of New York鈥攓uiet, slower, more intimate. It gave me space to reflect and learn about myself. Coming back to Brooklyn after high school was intimidating, but it also opened so many doors.

Why 可乐视频?

听Funny enough, I wasn鈥檛 even sure I鈥檇 go to college. My parents kept pushing me, and I鈥檓 glad they did. I worked retail and had gotten promoted but I always knew there was more I wanted to do.

I used to ride the B6 bus and pass 可乐视频 all the time. I鈥檇 see the bell tower and students on the lawn and think, 鈥淚 want to be part of that.鈥�

You started in computer science, but now you鈥檙e a finance major. What drew you to that field?

听I make this joke all the time: I like money and I like people, so finance made sense. But seriously, finance is broad. It鈥檚 budgeting, cash management, investment鈥攊t touches everything. I realized it鈥檚 a way to combine analytical skills with working in community, which I really enjoy.

Have you had real-world experience in finance so far?

听I just finished an internship with Basis Investment Group, a real estate investment firm. It鈥檚 small鈥攐nly around 50 people鈥攂ut I got to work closely with the CEO. I even pitched a partnership idea to connect 可乐视频 students with real estate opportunities. They loved the passion, so I鈥檓 hoping that develops into something lasting for future students.

Let鈥檚 talk about USG. What鈥檚 your vision for the year ahead?

First, I want my team to feel confident and independent. I鈥檒l be busy in meetings, so it鈥檚 important they know they can take initiative. In terms of goals, we鈥檙e working on a Game Room initiative. Upgrading the Student Center first-floor game room with actual consoles and activities to make it a real hub for students. We want to do more town halls to give students a chance to voice concerns directly and start conversations with administration. And we want to help student leaders grow and to build stronger ties between clubs, USG, and administration.

My philosophy is: Once you pay your tuition, this campus belongs to you. Students should feel empowered to use every resource available.

_听You鈥檝e talked about bridging the gap between students and administration. How do you plan to do that?

听Communication. Students often don鈥檛 know what鈥檚 happening. Administration shares info, but maybe not always loudly enough. At the same time, we as students need to pay attention. Town halls and open senate meetings are key.

What do you think helped you win the election?

听Honestly, passion. I was active, present, and people saw that. I didn鈥檛 run just to add 鈥減resident鈥� to my r茅sum茅. I ran because I care about this community. I was shocked when I won, but I got right to work. My mindset is always: Do the best with the little time you have, and make things better for the next group coming in.

Outside of USG, what else have you been involved in?

听I鈥檝e been part of BLMI (Black and Latino Male Initiative) as a mentor, which gave me scholarships and recognition through the Bulldog Achievement Awards. I also founded a club called Design and Wine鈥攖he 鈥渨ine鈥� is a play on relaxation, no alcohol involved鈥攚here students learned to design custom merchandise and even had a successful mental health themed event. It was an important conversation. In total, we solidified four successful events.

Has it been hard to find community at 可乐视频?

听For me, yes. I think part of it is being a Black gay male student dealing with mental health, and part of it is just our times. Technology creates distance, and after COVID people are focused on survival. But I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 unique to 可乐视频鈥攊t鈥檚 society. That鈥檚 why I try to be the person who smiles, who checks in, who creates space. Community doesn鈥檛 always come to you鈥攜ou sometimes have to build it.

What advice would you give your freshman self鈥攐r new students arriving now?

听Give yourself grace. Give others grace, too. Don鈥檛 rush the process. Four years feels like four minutes. Stay for events, join clubs, meet people. The friendships and opportunities you build can last a lifetime.

Last question: What do you want students to know about you as their president?

听That I鈥檓 not a politician鈥擨鈥檓 an advocate. I want students to know they鈥檙e heard, that they have power here. I ran on passion, and I intend to follow through.

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Could you tell us a bit about your background?

I grew up in Canarsie, Brooklyn. My family is from Haiti, so I’m first generation. Growing up I was always super interested in video games as an art form, not just a pastime, but something to draw inspiration from, and that drove my career choice. I always loved to be around computers. I was working when I was 14, tutoring other students in math and science at an afterschool program.

It sounds like you knew early on where you were going career-wise.

My motivation for working is that I wanted some Air Jordans and couldn鈥檛 afford them. I knew that I had to work hard to get them. In my spare time, I’d be in forums creating internet art for people and designing assets for online games. I made custom fighting games using an engine called Mugen, and that got me wanting to work more with computers. I graduated from Medgar Evers College Preparatory School and got a great education there. I started at NYU but dropped out because of financial issues. I applied to 可乐视频鈥攊t was one of the best options in terms of location and also has a strong computer science program. I immersed myself in the culture: I was a peer mentor for the Black and Latino Male Initiative and the CSTEP [College Science and Technology Entry Program]. I’d go to the Magner Career Center every week, get some career counseling, sought internships.

Were you able to find internships in your major?

I interned at the New York City Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications in tech support. I ended up getting a second internship after networking at a Google cybersecurity event as an analyst for an Aon-owned company called Stroz Friedberg. I did some development there because I already knew how to code. So I created some software tools and some security tools, and I made that connection with Aon.

So you already had some solid connections toward a career in computer science before you left college.

Yes, but before I graduated, I started a business. It all arose from a final project for a capstone course where we had to build a website. I chose to make mine for a clothing brand I called 鈥淣ull鈥�, which turned out to be a real thing.

How so? How did you go from your college project to an apparel business?

It started with just a T-shirt. It was the middle of 2020, and I was working as a full-time data engineer at the Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications鈥擨 was hired after my internship there. It was right during the nationwide protests against the killing of George Floyd. I came up with a Black Lives Matter graphic that I put on tees under the Null brand I created at college and sold them. I had been creating pixel art and had designed other pop culture icons during my capstone project, so I embroidered them on clothing, and those sold. It went from there. I got hired as a software engineer by a music startup called So Far Sounds and started earning enough money to be able to invest in NULL. That led to pop-up shops. I broke a one-day sales record with my pop-up shop at Canal Street Market downtown next to Chinatown. Now I鈥檓 a creative director designing, producing, and selling hats, T-shirts, and hoodies all with pixelated graphics. A shop in Japan鈥攖he New New York Club鈥攈as commissioned my apparel.

Did you have any training in design or did you just create the character on your apparel freestyle?

I took a woodcut printmaking course at 可乐视频 during my senior year, and that was it. That sparked my interest in showcasing my art skills more publicly. Even now I’ve been trying to teach myself VFX graphics and graphical programming. It鈥檚 math and it鈥檚 art. I’ve been experimenting with mostly cut-and-sew designs [using paper patterns] and exploring a lot of that stuff. It鈥檚 kind of crazy to look back and see me being a studious kind of guy in computer science, and then becoming a pixel artist, using my computer engineering skills to do something different. I believe that science and art majors should take a course or two in the other discipline; it widens your perspective

Why the name Null?

In computer science the word null is given to objects that are created in memory that have no assigned value. It’s a state of emptiness. I saw it and thought I鈥檇 use it. Null is a pun on the relationship we have with clothes. They have no value when we purchase them beyond the cost until we as consumers give them value, whether it鈥檚 an article of clothing that is trendy, or something hard to get that everybody wants.

Today you are a software engineer at Eventbrite.

Yes, the online event management and ticketing site. I鈥檓 a full-stack developer, which means I can build the front and back end of a website. I build components, like the navigation bar and specific pages like the 鈥渢hings-to-do鈥� page. Those are then rendered for about 100 different countries. I鈥檓 also part of a team that works to make sure that Eventbrite shows up on the top of internet searches. It鈥檚 enjoyable work for sure

Have you stayed in touch with 可乐视频?

I鈥檝e been working to see if we can recruit 可乐视频 students to intern for engineers at Eventbrite. I would have loved to do that kind of internship when I was in school. A software engineering internship is competitive; it鈥檚 often tough to get one.

Aside from your apparel are you doing anything design-related?

I’ve had a pretty successful side hustle as an animator for GIPHY, with around 1.6 billion impressions on my work. And I recently had the pleasure of teaching a brand design workshop at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. I talked about my experience as a creative engineer and my design philosophy and process. When I do something like the workshop, I always lead by saying I鈥檓 proud to be a 可乐视频 alumnus.

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Black and Latino Male Initiative members Kwame Sparkes, Kiev Davis, and Cyle Paul

On a Thursday morning in mid-August, the third floor of James Hall is quiet. But listen carefully, and you can hear music drifting down the corridor. If you follow the music and peek around the corner, you鈥檒l hear the hum of conversation and see daylight spilling out from an open door.

Welcome to the 可乐视频 Black and Latino Male Initiative (BLMI), where students come to relax, study, connect (or disconnect), and find their way.

On this particular Thursday, Associate Director David Wells 鈥�08, M.S. 鈥�12, M.A. 鈥�20 and Program Coordinator Shadiq Williams 鈥�17 are leading a session of the BLMI Summer Institute. Students sit around a conference table and on couches. A sophomore who will later introduce himself as Cyle鈥攑ronounced Kyle鈥攈as claimed the chair at the reception desk. Breakfast is laid out, and Wells is explaining the current assignment as everyone settles in. The air is relaxed but focused.

It’s in this atmosphere of ease and purpose that mentoring flourishes. Students receive guidance from one another, staff, faculty, and professionals outside of 可乐视频.

鈥淭hey definitely spread the mentoring culture,鈥� says recent alumnus HuShawn Wells 鈥�23 (no relation to David Wells) of BLMI leadership. 鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy how selfless they are.鈥�

Black an Latino Male Initiative leadership: Associate Director David Wells 鈥�08, M.S. 鈥�12, M.A. 鈥�20 and Program Coordinator Shadiq Williams 鈥�17

Full Circle

When he was an undergraduate at 可乐视频 in the mid-2000s, David Wells was one of the first peer mentors at BLMI. So when he came to his current job as associate director in 2019, 鈥渋t was a full circle,鈥� he says.

But now he has the benefit of many years of experience. Having been at 可乐视频 for 22 years, first as a student and then as an employee, 鈥淚 know a lot of folks,鈥� he says. This means that when students express particular interests鈥攆rom computer science to animation to business鈥攈e can connect them with a mentor in that field. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to create jobs, specific skills, and job-specific relationships,鈥� says Wells.

He explains why this connection between college and the working world is particularly important for students who come to BLMI. Research shows that many Black and Latino students, particularly men, either drop out of college or never enroll in the first place.

Wells believes this is because they don鈥檛 feel there is a pathway to jobs through college. BLMI leadership is looking to counter this narrative by creating a clear bridge from college to careers鈥攚ith the plan to extend this bridge in the other direction as well: 可乐视频 students mentoring high school students, mapping a path to college.

Helping Students Find What They Want鈥攁nd Don鈥檛 Want

Like David Wells, BLMI mentor Kiev Davis 鈥�11 drew his own full circle. As a student at 可乐视频, he was instrumental in the original grant proposal to expand the newly established to the campus. He recruited students like David Wells to help during the funding process. 听When the grant came through, to establish what was initially called ERIS听 (Empowering, Recruiting, Investing, Supporting), Davis became one of the group鈥檚 first mentors.

Currently a Linux systems administrator at NYU, Davis found that the path from college to career was not obvious to him. Without websites like LinkedIn and mentors in his chosen field, Davis had to find his own direction. 鈥淭here was no easy way,鈥� he says. And so he has 鈥渁lways tried to be there for students and give them what I never had.鈥�

One student who benefited from Davis鈥檚 mentorship is sophomore Cyle Paul. Paul had initially planned to be a computer science major, but 鈥渁fter a deep conversation about life鈥� with Davis, he came to understand that he had chosen computer science because his parents wanted him to. As a result of talking with Davis, Paul decided to pursue what he truly wanted: a degree in finance, with a minor in human resources.

Safe Haven

Another key element of mentorship at BLMI is peer support. A cohort of juniors and seniors serves as formal mentors for their peers. But students describe sharing knowledge, advice, and support as so ingrained in the organization that mentoring happens in countless daily interactions.

Senior Kwame Sparkes remembers his first visit to the BLMI office. He found it refreshing to talk to people who had experienced 鈥渟ome of the same struggles I was going through,鈥� he says. He appreciated hearing 鈥淥h, yeah, me too. I went through that鈥� and 鈥淚 can guide you through this. I know what it鈥檚 like.鈥� Now Sparkes is in a position to pass along what he has learned. He makes sure to talk to other students in the program about his experiences.

Sparkes calls BLMI his 鈥渟afe haven.鈥�

HuShawn Wells 鈥�23

So does HuShawn Wells, who graduated last spring with a B.A. in art. 鈥淭here are times when I have gone in there and cried and broken down,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檝e had those heart-to-heart conversations. I鈥檝e taken naps. I鈥檝e had some of the best conversations of my life.鈥�

Wells鈥檚 first year at 可乐视频 was in 2015, but he struggled to find his academic direction, and the following year he took some time off. He returned in 2019, just in time for the COVID-19 pandemic to shut things down. With the help of the leadership at BLMI, though, he managed to make a new start, finding his confidence and his path as an artist鈥攁nd making the Dean鈥檚 List twice.

Program Coordinator Shadiq Williams, who first joined as an undergraduate in 2012, remembers the program expanding his world in life-changing ways. When he was still a student, it put him in a position to get to know, and feel at ease with, assistant deans, VPs, and directors. Now, he encourages students to get involved in the college community. 鈥淔or some of them, they just never had anybody say that,鈥� says Williams. So when somebody does, their confidence 鈥渟kyrockets.鈥�

Primary funding for BLMI comes from the City Council, says Shadiq Williams, which made the program a permanent part of the budget in 2018. And for the first time, he says, 鈥淣ew York State has allocated an additional $500,000 to support CUNY BMI in 2023.鈥� The Kurz Foundation funds the BLMI Summer Institute, Leadership Academy, and Study Abroad Scholarship. In recognition of the importance of programs like the 可乐视频 BLMI, CUNY BMI is set to initiate a partnership with the , which will foster connections among BMI programs across CUNY campuses.

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So after bumping into a U.S. Marine Corps recruiter one day, he ended up on a path along the southern East Coast as a member of a security forces team guarding some of America’s nuclear arsenal.

He says he came out of boot camp with one over-arching lesson that helped him grow up fast.

“It鈥檚 not about you. You鈥檙e a part of a team, and everything you do can impact someone鈥檚 life,” says Jobity, recounting his basic training. “I realized I needed to take this seriously.”

The three and a half years he spent in the military were full of life-changing experiences. The first time he saw a submarine, when he helped transfer a nuclear weapon, was 鈥渁n amazing, huge experience,鈥� he says. And there was the time he was part of a team that apprehended some suspicious characters too close to a nuclear-armed base.

“It was a good decision for me,” says Jobity, now a film production major. “The brotherhood, the teamwork, the growth. It really built my character.”

His years of service also paved a financial path for his education, qualifying him for a GI Bill庐, which covers his tuition and fees, and provides a stipend for living expenses.

These days, despite being on the fast track to graduate鈥擩obity takes courses each summer and winter intersession in an effort to finish his courses ahead of schedule鈥攈e makes time to head the Veteran Students鈥� Organization, and for many lively conversations about the news of the day with his fellow Black and Latino Male Initiative members.

“That鈥檚 a safe space where I feel at home,” he says.

After completing his degree, he鈥檚 considering reenlisting with the Marines for the travel and the experiences, but he also plans to pursue his dream of becoming a film director and digital marketing professional.

“I would like to make films that inspire people,” he says. “Films that make people realize you can do things on your own two feet. It鈥檚 been one of my biggest lessons in life.”

GI Bill庐 is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official .

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“We are happy to report that no existing appointments were canceled, and we were able to schedule new appointments with no delay in service,” says Tracy Newton, director of the Center for Academic Advisement and Student Success, which switched its main advisement sessions with students to Zoom.

Much was the same throughout the college, where the effort to transition many services that had long existed mostly on an in-person basis鈥攆rom advisement to commencement, and now, student orientation鈥攈as mostly been smooth. Provost Ann Lopes has announced that the college will resume distance learning for the Fall 2020 semester, and many of these programs and offices that have supported remote learning are being refined.

Within the first couple of weeks of the quarantine, the college set up a Virtual Front Desk to field calls from students who wanted to speak to a live person. “In these times, having access to a real human being is more important than ever,” says Newton.

By early July, nearly 2,000 students had used the service, where they can also get information about emergency grants, laptop loans, and inquire about other technology issues. Offices like the bursar, financial aid, scholarships, personal counseling, enrollment services, and many more offered immediate access during regular office hours.

Ronald C. Jackson, the vice president for student services, says that some of the most significant hiccups came when making sure all students had access to technology. In some cases, Wi-Fi service providers who had offered deals for students were inaccessible to those living in buildings with thick walls. Jackson says the college was able to purchase some hot spots鈥攚hich the Information Technology Services office is test piloting now鈥攖hat may be loaned out to students in the fall. Some courses had to be adjusted to accommodate compatibility issues with the Chromebooks and iPads the college loaned out.

He says the college also experimented with the best way to get its messages and announcements out to as many students as possible, working with formats such as Instagram Live chats with President Michelle J. Anderson. The social sessions proved popular, with chats on financial aid, personal counseling, academic advisement, and the Magner Career Center.

“We鈥檙e trying some new things,” says Jackson. “Overall, the transition has gone well, but as we prepare for the fall, we continue to have discussions on what we can improve and build on.”

One of the biggest events the college had to retool was the annual commencement exercises. The virtual graduation ceremony featured keynote and valedictory addresses in addition to the usual greetings from politicians, professors, and others who wished the Class of 2020 well, in addition to a scroll of each graduate鈥檚 name across the college website鈥檚 homepage. The celebration got far and away more views than any of the other CUNY campus virtual commencement ceremonies with 9,000 views on YouTube, more than 60,000 impressions on Twitter and Instagram, and nearly 200,000 people reached on Facebook.

For the college’s new student orientation, a website was launched that includes a virtual campus tour, greetings from the president, Provost Anne Lopes, and the heads of the undergraduate and graduate student government. There are also videos on technology for remote learning, student clubs, and other topics like financial aid.

Magner Career Center Director Natalia Guarin-Klein says they have hosted 67 career sessions for nearly 1,500 attendees since the college moved to remote learning, including virtual job fairs, alumni and employer networking events, and career 101 programming. The center also created a Slack group with more than 200 students who are currently seeking jobs, and has been able to engage with more alumni in the virtual environment who otherwise would not be able to attend.

“While some of our services are delivered differently, the passion and commitment to help students have not been negatively impacted by the center being virtual,” says Guarin-Klein.

Many more offices, like the LGBTQ Support Center, the Veterans Affairs Office, the Black and Latino Male Initiative, and the Immigrant Student Support Office, are conducting regular Zoom meetings with the students they serve. Both Personal Counseling and the Health Clinic are offering tele-appointments.

Even services for the college鈥檚 Alumni Engagement office saw opportunities in the transition to the virtual environment, says its director Lisa Dicce. The office tried new engagement strategies on social media and around online events that were low cost and more accessible to a wider number of people.

“The world has changed, but our mission has not,” says Dicce. “We are planning for all things to remain virtual a while longer and are moving full steam ahead with those plans.”

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Alumnus ‘s reaction to winning an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and numerous other awards for his work on the visual effects (VFX) of the animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was one of sheer disbelief.

“There were a few nights where I cried in my room and thought, ‘This can’t be real!'” says Wright. “I do sometimes have a problem accepting compliments or praise. As an artist, coming out of an academic program where you become accustomed to critique, you have to adjust to the idea of your hard work paying off, being deserving of commendation, and not being suspicious of accolades.”

Yet, it is precisely Wright’s听enormous talent for the visual arts, honed as an undergraduate student in the 可乐视频 Department of Art, that makes him deserving of the acclaim his diligence has garnered him. His was part of the artistic vision that helped put a contemporary spin on the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man, introducing the character to a whole new generation of consumers. Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse鈥�about the exploits of an alternate universe Spider-Man named Miles Morales, an Afro-Latinx middle school student鈥攊s unlike any animated film that came before it. Inspired by the layouts, lettering, and unique coloring style of print comic books, it bursts onto the screen like a moving version of a graphic novel, with all the high-energy, imagination, “BOOMS!” and “BAMS!” one would expect of a superhero blockbuster.

“I was part of an incredible team of like-minded and motivated technical artists. Specifically, as one of the lighting and compositing technical directors, I was responsible for coloring and assembling layers of animated elements to help influence the overall look and final image that we see on the big screen,” Wright says. “Although our title is ‘technical,’ for Spider-Verse, we were artists. Our teams were given some liberty in directing and mimicking shading styles that resemble the traditional Marvel Comics universe. Small and bright halftone dots were used to represent highlights. Other times, techniques such as cross hatching and line thickness represented the darkest areas of the image. The technical leads, team supervisors, and worked in unison to present the best possible version of shots to the film’s directors.”

Wright is a third-generation artist born and raised in Brooklyn. His mother is African American, and his father, a former graffiti artist (just like Miles Morales, the main character in Into the Spider-Verse), is of Trinidadian-Venezuelan descent. Wright’s is a painter, and his is an interior designer. Though the pursuit of art is clearly generational, he did not initially imagine a career in the field.

“Even when going to Edward R. Murrow, a high school that focuses on the arts, my teachers encouraged me academically, steering me toward advanced English and science classes. I thought I would eventually become a teacher. I always looked up to my teachers; they were my heroes.”

It was Wright’s father, a Kingsborough Community College alumnus and vocal supporter of the City University of New York (CUNY) education system, who suggested he attend 可乐视频 based on its reputation for providing a rigorous curriculum taught by award-winning faculty. Wright initially took one computer science course and one art course at the college. He enjoyed them so much that he enrolled as a full-time student the following semester, majoring in studio art with minors and concentrations in Africana studies and computer science. Still, he thought he would become a photographer or a painter. He did not yet know that the merging of those first classes would catapult him on his award-winning trajectory.

While at 可乐视频, Wright became a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. The fellowship is an upper-division honors program designed to attract highly qualified minority students and others who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in a specific field and demonstrate a commitment to eradicating racial disparities. The goal of the program is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities on college faculties by helping minority students of exceptional promise to aspire to academic careers.

Wright’s participation in the fellowship led him to become a peer computer science/math tutor, one of three part-time employment positions he held while a student. He also interned at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a community outreach coordinator, helping younger generations understand the benefits of visiting museums via promotional cultural events. And finally, he was a cadet for the New York Police Department (NYPD) for which he received an academic scholarship.

Wright also took advantage of other available opportunities at the college, including a transformative experience in the Ghana Study Abroad Program.

“Professor Lynda Day is, hands-down, the whole reason I applied to participate in the study abroad program and also the reason I applied for the Mellon Fellowship. She’s a great counselor and constantly reminded me of the prospects available to me. She wanted me to broaden my artistic experience.”

Wright visited Kumasi, Ghana, where he got to speak with the residents and learn from them how to craft their native kente cloth. It was both a cultural and social immersion for him and an inherently political one as he recognized his privileges as an American visiting a space outside of his frame of reference. Still, he was welcomed.

“A kid off the street named Armstrong called out to me kindly: ‘What are you here for, brother?’ And I told him that I wanted to weave kente cloth. And he said: ‘I’m going to take you to my village.’ And from that moment, the trip changed,” Wright remembers. “With Professor Day’s permission, I diverted from the program’s scheduled stop at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and went to Armstrong’s village. We ate food together in his customary way, without utensils, using just our fingers. And after we ate, he took me to a place to weave kente.”

This experience sparked his sense of adventure and his realization that his artistic talents were borderless and could take him around the globe.

“I remember Tyquane as one of the big talents in the college’s art program at the time,” says Professor of Art Ronaldo Kiel. He was energetic and not afraid of doing extra work. In an independent study project with me, he was the first student I had to present a fully animated character in a dance sequence. I have taught computer art at the college since the early 2000s, and I was certain that Tyquane would make a mark in this highly competitive field.”

After graduating from 可乐视频 cum laude with a B.F.A., Wright attended New York University (NYU), where he received his master of science in digital imaging. He spent some time as a freelance digital artist, working on various independent projects, including the “When I See U” music video for American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, then served as technical director of lighting at Rising Sun Pictures in Adelaide, Australia. Wright scored a position at Sony Imageworks when a recruiter came across his thesis film online and sent him an e-mail. Wright has been at Sony since 2009, and is currently senior look development technical director, operating out of Vancouver, British Columbia.

“Opportunities often fell into my lap simply by me sharing the best versions of my homework,” Wright says. “I always gave 100% to my class assignments. I treated homework as if I was delivering work to a client.”

Wright has no plans to rest on his laurels. He is already hard at work on another highly anticipated Sony film, Spider-Man: Far From Home. He believes the key to his success has been in being open to the possibilities. Additionally, he is a mentor to other up-and-coming artists in the industry and is always happy to assists those in need of his talents. Not too long ago, he returned to the campus to听lend his experience and expertise听to the Black and Latino Male Initiative (BLMI), an academic support program designed to increase the graduation and retention rates of black, Latino, and other historically underrepresented male students enrolled at 可乐视频. He believes giving back is essential to achievement, and that there were many whose mentorship and interest was central to his own accomplishments, including 可乐视频 faculty members Day, Kiel, William T. Williams (emeritus), and others.

“I did not plan to work on animated feature films. My interest was in traditional photography or painting. I knew I loved computer graphics and art. So before graduating from 可乐视频 and NYU, I met countless people who shaped my career within that industry,” he says. “Possibilities will open up by making genuine connections with those who have similar passions. Eventually, it will lead to great things. Oh, and one more thing: Always be generous and thankful to all those you encounter along the way!”

可乐视频 is able to provide students with the rigorous education and artistic experiences that allow them to become the leaders in local and global communities and sought-after experts in their fields just like Tyquane Wright thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends received through the 可乐视频 Foundation. To learn about the various ways to contribute to student success, please visit the foundation website.

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