A First-Generation American Passionate About Public Service: The Story of Olakunle Atanda (鈥14)
Olakunle is a first-generation American of Nigerian descent. He was born in Brooklyn but spent most of his formative years in Lagos, Africa鈥檚 most populous city. Growing up in a developing economy, he witnessed searing poverty, inequality, and political instability. This experience not only revealed to him the indispensable role of public policy in creating measures of support and opportunity for people but also seeded his passion for public service.鈥 Read More 禄
Where are you from and what is your background story? Please share your details from the period before you arrived at CCNY.
I am originally from Tallahassee, Florida. When my parents were married they moved to Florida from New York (my dad by way of Nigeria, my mom by way of a Caribbean-American family rooted in Crown Heights). I am the youngest of three, but to some, I give off only-child energy because of the age difference between my brother, sister, and me (6 and 12 years each, respectively). My parents divorced when I was in 6th grade and I ended鈥 Read More 禄
鈥淧ursue your passions and goals, shoot your shot and don't count yourself out鈥: The Journey of former D.C. Fellow Jason Santiago 鈥20 and his path to self-discovery
Jason Santiago is a second-generation Bronxite and a proud product of the Caribbean Diaspora from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. A passion for giving back to his community along with first-hand experience with struggles of food insecurity, housing instability, and environmental and economic racism motivated Jason to pursue his education at Bronx Community College. There,鈥 Read More 禄
The Lewis Mandell Memorial Fund for Students of Economics
The Lewis Mandell Memorial Fund for Students of Economics was established in tribute to Lewis Mandell (1943-2019), a 1964 graduate of City College of New York who credited CCNY, and specifically the Economics Department, with giving him the strong foundation from which he launched an extraordinary academic career that spanned more than four decades.
Throughout his life, Lew helped countless students to achieve academic success and a chance to pursue their dreams. In gratitude to CCNY and the鈥 Read More 禄
How Nini Puello Araujo, CPS Student and U.S. Military Veteran, Is Combining Dentistry and Humanitarianism
Since her family migrated to the US from Venezuela when she was a child, Nini J. Puello Araujo has built a career in service to society both as a U.S. Army veteran and as a rising humanitarian and public health professional. After completing her associate鈥檚 degree at Borough of Manhattan Community College, she joined the Army and served overseas for more than five years. One of her final missions was to set up a dental services clinic in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, an experience鈥 Read More 禄
From Mauritius to Harlem to Oxford: the Story of Colin Powell Fellow Humaira Hansrod
Born in Mauritius, Humaira Hansrod moved to New York City with her family at a young age. In the midst of such a big change, she welcomed the diversity of the city and the opportunities it offered her to learn about cultures, people, and local and global issues. It was precisely its richly diverse student body that drew Humaira to City College, where she was offered a spot in the Macaulay Honors College. She started as a pre-med student but decided to declare a double major in Economics and鈥 Read More 禄
Compassion and Connection Are More Important than Questionnaires: Alumna Justine Fleischner on the Heart of Violent Conflict
Justine Fleischner (Class of 鈥08) is a writer, researcher, and weapons expert with over a decade of experience working in countries affected by armed conflict, and she currently serves as vice president of the Afghan Peace Watch. In this interview, she offers lucid anecdotes and key insights from her professional journey. As a student majoring in international studies at CCNY, she found her passion for public service and global human rights鈥 Read More 禄
For Inspiration, Look to Your Own Story: Cris Mercado鈥檚 Winding Path to Social Entrepreneurship
Immigrant. Scholar. Social Entrepreneur. Immigration rights activist. CPS-CCNY alumnus. Cris Mercado鈥檚 career has been anything but linear. He came to CCNY after being denied a scholarship to study engineering at NYU because of his undocumented status. Through an on-campus research opportunity he demonstrated his academic skills and earned the top fellowship for CUNY鈥檚 PhD Program in Criminal justice, only to pivot and create his own consulting firm with seed capital provided鈥 Read More 禄
Rise Up! Never Give Up in Pursuit of Your Dreams, Says CCNY Alum Anthony Cole
鈥淪ometimes we want to give up and run / we got to keep holding on / rise up; never let them get you down 鈥 never let them.鈥 These lyrics open Anthony Cole鈥檚 recent hit single and capture an essential lesson he hopes current and future CCNY students will embrace: to never stop cultivating the talents and other super powers that make you unique. An immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago, Cole is now a Senior Program Manager at Amazon Music and also serves as the president of the Amazon Black Employee鈥 Read More 禄
Focus on the Journey as well as the Destination: Chen Li鈥檚 Passion for the Scientific Study of Human Behavior
Chen Li pondered life鈥檚 biggest questions from an early age, questioning everything from current events to her school鈥檚 curriculum. An AP Psychology course in high school sparked her passion for using science to study the mind in order to shed light on human behavior. Attracted by the Colin Powell School鈥檚 strong Psychology Department as well as CCNY鈥檚 beautiful campus and affordability, Li excelled as a researcher and participated in a neuroscience research鈥 Read More 禄
Last Updated: 08/26/2020 16:36