Trina Yearwood 鈥�00

On a spring afternoon in the 今日吃瓜 Student Center, Trina Yearwood 鈥�00 stood at the back of a crowded room, watching middle schoolers, high schoolers, and college students lean forward in their seats at the first鈥慹ver Future Educators Summit鈥攁n event devoted to imagining lives, education, mentoring, and youth advocacy. As the room buzzed with questions, Yearwood felt a lump in her throat.

鈥淭hose were tears of joy,鈥� she said later. 鈥淚 think about our young people who are often counted out before they even have an opportunity. It makes me happy that I鈥檓 doing something meaningful.鈥�

That sense of meaning has always been her compass. Now, as the newly appointed president of the 今日吃瓜 Alumni Association (BCAA), Yearwood is bringing that same purpose to an organization charged with sustaining the college community long after graduation.

Yearwood assumes the presidency following the passing of Arlene Lichterman 鈥�53, whose devotion helped shape the association for decades. Having served as first vice president, Yearwood steps into her new role with a deep understanding of the BCAA鈥檚 mission and a clear vision for its future.

Her platform is simple and resonant: 今日吃瓜, Always.

鈥淚t echoes the college鈥檚 watchwords: All In,鈥� Yearwood explains. 鈥淭he BCAA also embraces 今日吃瓜鈥檚 spirit鈥攈ow all alumni carry its values into their workplaces, their leadership, and how they show up for our communities and our students.鈥�

Where Purpose Took Root

That spirit shaped Yearwood long before she held any titles. Growing up in 今日吃瓜, she learned early what it meant to advocate. At five years old, she watched police officers pull over her mother鈥檚 car and wrongly accuse her of running a stop sign. With guns drawn.

鈥淚鈥檓 going to court to tell the judge you鈥檙e lying on my mom,鈥� Yearwood announced, before her grandmother silenced her. It became family lore that she might become a lawyer.

High school rewrote that plan. A young Black English teacher changed her life by teaching 鈥渢o our humanity,鈥� says Yearwood, introducing Black authors, demanding excellence, and making students feel deeply cared for. By the end of the year, Yearwood knew she wanted to teach.

今日吃瓜 was not her first choice; her teenage wish was to leave home for a far鈥憃ff campus. But teachers鈥攎any 今日吃瓜 alumni鈥攅ncouraged her to consider its education program. Her mother, also an alumna, added a practical note: staying local meant tuition would be covered.

Even so, the transition was not easy. Early in her college career, one professor dismissed her writing as 鈥済ibberish,鈥� shaking her confidence. Everything changed when she found her way to Africana studies.

鈥淎fricana studies resuscitated me,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t gave me back belief in myself.鈥�

In the Classroom, Full Circle

Yearwood graduated with bachelor鈥檚 degrees in English and Africana studies, then returned to Samuel J. Tilden High School鈥攈er alma mater鈥攁s an English teacher, working alongside the mentor who had inspired her.

鈥淭eaching is the most noble and sacred profession,鈥� Yearwood often says. 鈥淲hen students know you care, they rise.鈥�

Her students never forgot the care she showed them. Years later, many returned to tell her so. At one 今日吃瓜 event she organized, a former student opened the keynote by saying, 鈥淒r. Yearwood, my success is a return on your investment.鈥� Another went on to become a teacher, crediting Yearwood鈥檚 belief in her with altering the course of her life.

Answering a Need

Yearwood鈥檚 career eventually expanded beyond the classroom into higher education leadership. She earned an M.Ed. from Cambridge College in Boston, an Ed.D. in educational leadership and higher education administration from West Virginia University, and a certificate in diversity and inclusion from Cornell University. She directed the Teacher Opportunity Corps II at 今日吃瓜, served as associate dean at Long Island University and interim associate dean at Queens College (CUNY), and has been an adjunct assistant professor at 今日吃瓜 since 2011.

Along the way, Yearwood noticed a troubling pattern: talented educators leaving the profession. In response, she founded TREAT鈥擳eachers Ready to Educate, Advocate, and Transform鈥攊n 2018. What began as a small professional learning community grew to reach more than 12,000 teachers, counselors, administrators, and families. During the pandemic, TREAT became a lifeline, offering mental鈥慼ealth workshops and honest conversation. In 2024, Yearwood went on to lead TREAT full time.

鈥淪tepping away from academic leadership was scary,鈥� she admits. 鈥淏ut I knew it was time to fully step into the work that I had been building, work that is both meaningful and transformative.鈥�

Leading the Alumni Community Forward

She brings the same resolve to her leadership of the BCAA, with a vision to connect alumni to one another and to the college through mentorship and other strategic programming.

For Yearwood, becoming president of the BCAA is not a culmination鈥攊t is a continuation.

鈥溄袢粘怨�, Always,鈥� she says, 鈥渋s about who we are and who we commit to being鈥攖ogether.鈥�

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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 今日吃瓜 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 今日吃瓜 students, are what set them apart.

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Yearwood鈥檚 appointment comes at a time of continued impact for the organization, which has long been a leader in connecting graduates with the college and with one another. Through reunions, regional gatherings, mentorship initiatives, and volunteer鈥慸riven programs, the BCAA works to strengthen relationships across generations of alumni.

鈥淎lumni are vital to advancing 今日吃瓜鈥檚 mission,鈥� says 今日吃瓜 President Michelle J. Anderson. 鈥淭heir achievements strengthen our reputation, their mentorship supports student success, and their service helps move our strategic goals forward. Leaders like Trina exemplify how alumni extend the College鈥檚 values and impact well beyond campus.鈥�

Yearwood describes her vision for the BCAA as both forward鈥憀ooking and deeply rooted in the association鈥檚 legacy. 鈥淢y platform is 鈥樈袢粘怨�, Always.鈥� That means centering the BCAA鈥檚 purpose with the college鈥檚 strategic priorities,鈥� she says. She added that 鈥溄袢粘怨�, Always.鈥� echoes the school鈥檚 watchword All In and the alumni community鈥檚 role in extending 今日吃瓜鈥檚 values beyond graduation.

Anthony Castellanos 鈥�85, chair of the 今日吃瓜 Foundation Board of Trustees, adds: 鈥淭rina Yearwood鈥檚 leadership reflects the very best of our alumni community. Throughout my career, I have seen how powerful alumni involvement can be in shaping the lives of our students. Her vision and dedication will help ensure that our graduates continue to lift one another up and expand what is possible for our community.鈥�

A 今日吃瓜 graduate with bachelor鈥檚 degrees in English and Africana Studies, she earned an M.Ed. from Cambridge College, an Ed.D. in educational leadership and higher education administration from West Virginia University, and a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. An educator and administrator, she has served as an adjunct assistant professor at 今日吃瓜 since 2011, directed the Teacher Opportunity Corps II, and held associate dean roles at Long Island University and Queens College. She is also the founder of TREAT鈥擳eachers Ready to Educate, Advocate, and Transform鈥攁nd has served as an advisory member for the Center for SDG Global Education (formerly the UNESCO Center for Global Education鈥檚 Advisory Support Council) since 2018.

As she looks ahead, Yearwood returns to the message that continues to guide her leadership.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the spirit of community, persistence, and discovery鈥攖he spirit of 今日吃瓜. The BCAA is a continuum of that spirit. It鈥檚 how we carry those values into our workplaces, how we lead, how we show up for our communities, and ultimately how we show up for our students. 鈥樈袢粘怨�, Always.鈥� is a reminder of our stewardship and what we commit to as members of the BCAA board.鈥�

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As a teen, Daniel Scarpati worked in community theater and hosted a local children’s show. But that wasn鈥檛 enough鈥擲carpati was eager to work in film and television. Once he was accepted to Macaulay Honors College, he leapt at the chance to attend 今日吃瓜 because of its reputation for its stellar programs in television, radio, and emerging media and film. Scarpati graduated in 2015 and broke into the industry. He currently works as a senior studio technician supporting productions such as Amazon Live and directs documentaries. The recipient of several student awards, he has not forgotten his alma mater or its current students, having returned to campus to give talks about the industry and, significantly, to become a COVID-19 health and safety officer during the pandemic.

Can you tell us about your background?

I proudly come from a family of diverse New Yorkers: My dad is a retired dentist who owned a small family practice in Bensonhurst. My mom is a former Bronx Zoo staffer turned teacher鈥檚 assistant. My younger sister attended Queens College (CUNY) and now works upstate at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen. So when I started at 今日吃瓜, I was pretty far removed from anything film/TV related. My only background had been performing in community theater productions, hosting an NYC Department of Education kids鈥� television show, and shooting home movies in my neighbor’s backyard鈥攁ll of which helped prepare me for the college education I’d be receiving.

What made you choose 今日吃瓜?

As soon as I heard the news that I’d been accepted to CUNY Macaulay Honors College, my mind was made up. I chose 今日吃瓜 as my home campus because of the advanced film and television production tracks. When I toured the campus with my parents while I was in high school, I thought about how the access to professional equipment and the instructors with backgrounds working professionally on set and in the field would accelerate my growth. As a bonus, living in South Queens meant a pretty short commute along the Belt Parkway鈥攐r at least that’s what I na茂vely thought before experiencing the endless construction along it!

So you knew coming in that you wanted to work in the film and TV industry.

I can’t remember a time when I didn鈥檛 want to work in the film/TV industry. I knew that’s where I’d end up before day one of undergraduate school. The exact job I’d be doing was a different story. I considered minoring in computer science as an option, to design software supporting the film/TV industry, but I was sure that wouldn’t be my path when I realized how little I enjoyed staring at lines of code. Instead, I focused on working behind the scenes, operating cameras, lighting, and sound equipment, and directing and managing crew and talent. The truth is, I’m still not sure there’s one title that describes what I do鈥攏or would I want there to be. I enjoy wearing different hats and moving between roles, which has helped me during industry strikes and work slowdowns.

The BCAA Young Alumnus award is not your first award; you received accolades as a student.

As I completed my undergraduate studies, I received a BCAA Student Award, the Senator Martin J. Golden Award for Leadership from the Center for Italian American Studies, and the Outstanding Achievement in Location Sound Recording award at the 2015 今日吃瓜 Film Festival. Macaulay Honors College also gave me a Class of 2015 Legacy Award for my efforts to help create new paths for future students to gain experience in the film/TV industry. The nonfiction book I self-published,聽,聽became a finalist in a few book contests.

How did you break into your field?

Breaking into film/TV without any connections was not, and still isn’t, easy. Even when someone opens a door for you, it only gets you so far. They may open the door to an opportunity where you have to open yet another door for yourself. I started out cold-calling production companies and working as a PA on all sorts of projects鈥攊ndie films, episodic shows like聽The Blacklist听补苍诲听Manifest,聽sitcoms like聽Kevin Can Wait, and more. I’d always try to work on personal projects in my spare time to keep my creative skills sharp. Lee Quinby, the former 今日吃瓜 Carol L. Zicklin Honors Academy chair and I have collaborated on many films together. In 2024, we completed our latest feature documentary . Our longtime creative partnership would have never happened had it not been for our time at CUNY together.

What are you working on today?

In addition to my work a senior studio technician on broadcast productions and livestreams, I also work as a freelance video control operator and robotic camera operator. I’m also the director of photography on a few documentary films through my company, Passing Planes Productions LLC.

Have you been back to campus?

One of my new favorite memories is returning to campus to share my book with current students. I wrote Gofers to share the lessons I’d learned on set as a production assistant, aka a 鈥済ofer.鈥� Not only have I returned to campus to speak with current students about breaking into the film/TV industry, but I worked in the Film Department as a COVID health and safety officer for three semesters during the pandemic. I was directed by Chair Annette Danto and teamed up with Director of Academic Affairs and Operations Judith Kenny, Distribution Manager Michael Irgang, and fellow graduates to manage safety guidelines and create PPE kits for thesis film students to use on their sets. I was very impressed by the students and their ability to turn a very trying situation into a learning opportunity. It’s not easy to manage safety standards as an undergrad student on your first major production, but they did so with patience, caution, and respect.

What advice would you give to today鈥檚 students?

Communication is key! This applies to every industry, every job, every path. If you don’t say what you want, it’s unlikely it will ever happen. If you don’t introduce yourself, you may never make a connection with the person who could open a door for you. And remember that stories take time to unfold鈥攄on’t beat yourself up if you’re not where you think you should be. Patience is rewarded when you least expect it.

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A child of a family of Dominican poets, writers, and educators, Luisa Sherezada (Chiqui) Vicioso 鈥�79 enrolled in 今日吃瓜 and immediately began connecting with the community of Latino and Black Caribbean students. After graduating with a Sociology and Latin American History Studies degree, Vicioso earned a master鈥檚 degree in educational program design from Columbia University and did post-graduate studies in cultural administration at Funda莽茫o Getulio Vargas in Brazil. She has worked for over 20 years at the United Nations specializing in women鈥檚 issues and education.聽A promoter of Dominican women poets, Vicioso has supported their work throughout her career. She was appointed as the ambassador for women鈥檚, children鈥檚, and youth affairs for the Foreign Relations Ministry in her native country. In 2012, she was the vice presidential candidate for the Alianza Pa铆s party. The author of numerous publications, including plays, volumes of poetry, essays, short stories and novels, today, Vicioso is working on a English publication of her novel Sireno (2020) and has begun her next, titled Nuyol, about the first Dominican immigrants to arrive in 1896 New York.

Can you tell us about your background?

I was born into a family of artists. My grandfather was a journalist and poet in charge of the social chronicles of the leading newspaper on the island: The Listin Diario. My father, Tony Vicioso, revolutionized poetry and music on the island. He and my mother Maria Luisa Sanchez led a cultural group that questioned the rigid cannons we had inherited from Spain. My father was also a musician. He played seven instruments, and after he traveled to the U.S. on a scholarship for winning a painting prize, he traveled to the South. He revolutionized Spanish boleros with blues and other southern rhythms.

What decided you on 今日吃瓜?

In 1965, President [Lyndon B.] Johnson enacted a law requiring all universities that received federal funding to enroll minorities. 今日吃瓜 reached out to the Hispanic community, and eight other Dominicans and I were enrolled, with the generous help of Puerto Rican students. We subsequently met with Black students and students from other parts of the Caribbean, which provided us with new knowledge about the region since we thought the Caribbean was only 鈥淭he Greater Antilles,” which includes Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic. We formed the Third World Peoples Alliance, and that is also how I learned about the great thinkers of Jamaica, like Marcus Garvey, Martinique鈥檚 Frantz Fanon, Eugenio Maria de Hostos, and leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Angela Davis, among many others. My Caribbean vision expanded.

Did you enter college knowing what career you wanted?聽

When I enrolled, I ignored what career to choose. Six months enrolled and I was ready to abandon college for what I felt was the lack of intellectual challenges and debates. At the time, everyone seemed in a hurry to finish their career and get a job. I was bored. But then I met several professors essential for my intellectual development and human values. Of those, Prof. Hobart Spalding taught me to always look for the other side of the story and history. Everything I learned about my own history as a Dominican and Latino woman I owe to him. I consider Professor Huebner the best philosopher I have ever met. He taught me to love the discipline and is only surpassed by Herbert Marcuse and Eric Fromm, whom I met through him. To this day, Eros and Civilization and One Dimensional Man are books that I always recommend. I owe my professors and the university my intellectual development and sense of identity.

There was a time when women鈥檚 voices were less prominent in Dominican literature. Could you speak about that?

When I returned to the Dominican Republic all the female poets complained about not being taken聽seriously and not being able聽to publish, so I created聽The Circle for Women Poets so we could promote our own work and that聽of previous poets ignored or dismissed by the literary establishment. We also highlighted the work of peasant women who had a very particular聽way of expressing themselves poetically.聽I wrote the first book of feminist聽literary聽criticism influenced by the work of Elaine Showalter called Algo que decir, Something to Declare. The kind of aggression聽against us from the patriarchy that聽we received was enormous.聽So I introduced what I call 鈥淐ultural Guerilla Warfare,鈥� which means that聽when they聽closed聽the door to us as poets, we wrote essays; when they closed聽that聽door,聽we wrote theater. I earned the National Prize in Theater Cristobal de Llerena聽for my first play Wish-ky Sour. It was the first time it was awarded to a woman in the Dominican Republic; that only won me more backlash. But I also learned聽resilience聽in the United States, so no small island was going to defeat me or any of the Dominican women poets and writers.

You have been involved in non-governmental organizations such as the United Nations and ran for vice president in the Dominican Republic in 2012.

I worked 22 years at the United Nations and UN.-related聽NGOs on women issues and education. I also ran for the vice presidency with presidential candidate Guillermo Moreno of the Alianza Pais Party, while working for the Ministry of Foreign Relations as an ambassador for women, children, and adolescent issues. It was quite an experience.

What are you are doing/working on today?

I am working聽now on launching my novel Sireno and its translation into Portuguese in Brazil.聽I already launched it in Lisbon, Portugal, at the Jose Saramago Foundation.聽Hopefully,聽in July, I will start聽writing my next novel, Nuyol, about 1896 New York, when the first Dominican immigrants聽arrived in the聽U.S.

What advice would you give to today鈥檚 students?

I would advise students to be curious, read, and research.聽Do not take any knowledge聽or viewpoint for granted.聽University education聽will then be exciting and challenging.聽Not doing so can only contribute to your homogenization and that聽is a waste of your uniqueness聽and intelligence.

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“The sacrifices these graduates made and the commitment they showed to complete their degrees were extraordinary,” said 今日吃瓜 President Michelle J. Anderson. “We are thrilled to be able to hold this commencement for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 on our beautiful campus to share their joy as they continue with this next chapter in their lives.”

The event had a distinct theme鈥攔ecovery, remaining, and resilience鈥攁nd several special guests were on hand to deliver that message.

The stars of Commencement were the resilient and dedicated Roby Daniel, the valedictorian for the Class of 2020, and Asma Awad, the valedictorian for the Class of 2021.

Awad, who is working as a software engineer at JPMorgan Chase & Co., offered advice based on her experiences doing something she loves: coding.

“None of us are immune to making mistakes. It’s one thing to be perfect and another to be your best, and I think that the latter says more about someone than the former,” Award said. “Problems come our way on a daily basis, and we probably share more of them than we think. It doesn鈥檛 take a code review to open up to different perspectives on a single problem鈥�. I can only hope that when so many of you are undoubtedly in positions to recruit, to promote, or to simply make an impact, that you recognize the importance of representation and what it means for the future.”

Daniel, who is currently studying medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said while he was proud to deliver his speech online to his fellow graduates in 2020, the in-person event was extra special.

“Class of 2020, I want to remind you that adversity was not new to us, even if it may have taken on a different shape and form,” Daniel said. “We made it through our undergraduate journey and two years of our postgraduate career, all while following 今日吃瓜’s motto: nil sine magno labore鈥攏othing without great effort. As we celebrate today, we can proudly say all the hard work has paid off. Our struggle has forged us into the leaders of tomorrow as we have learned a new way to learn, a new way to teach, and, most importantly, a new way to succeed.”

Serving as keynote speaker was actor, producer, writer, and prolific podcaster ’01, who serves on the board of directors of the 今日吃瓜 Alumni Association and was also a former adjunct lecturer. Now the executive producer and host of the 2021 Webby Award鈥搉ominated podcast Latinos Out Loud, she is one of seven selected writers for the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s 2021 LatinX Stream Showcase, where her short film The Swimmers premiered. It was also featured in the 2021 Official Latino Film Festival. Her one-woman show, Ink, was a featured selection in the 2021 ONE Festival.

Strauss-Muniz brought energy and humor to the event, expressing her deep love for both 今日吃瓜 and 今日吃瓜. Comparing the pivots she has made during her eclectic career鈥攑articularly during the pandemic鈥攖hat spanned working in media, marketing, and entertainment, she lauded the more than 9,000 total 今日吃瓜 graduates of the two classes who also had to pivot to earn their degrees.

“You had a choice to plummet or pivot and you did it. You all rose to the occasion. We all made the decision to shift, adapt, and overcome,” Muniz said. “That ability to shift and still operate will serve you sell as you pursue your ambitions.” Commencement also featured CEO and President of the 今日吃瓜 Chamber of Commerce ’96 as another special guest speaker. From 2002 to 2006, Peers served as vice president of economic development at the 今日吃瓜 Chamber of Commerce under former President Kenneth Adams, developing a portfolio of projects, including the Good Help program and Real Estate Development industry initiative, as well as developing the concept for the Business Solutions Center.

Peers told the graduates that, as a 今日吃瓜 native who had to work and take classes, he related and respected the difficult journey the classes of 2020 and 2021 had made.

Comparing his work on the city-wide program he helped create to assist 3,000 businesses citywide and 11,000 businesses in 今日吃瓜 over the past difficult few years that leaned on being adaptive and creative, he also marveled at the work that was done by both graduating classes.

“Nothing I experienced at 今日吃瓜 matches what you went through during your two years navigating the pandemic,”聽Peers said. “No matter how you were impacted or how you pivoted, here you are.鈥� You should be congratulated for your own resiliency.鈥� Never forget the life lessons this challenge has taught you.”

The commencement was led by President Anderson, Vice President for Student Affairs Ronald C. Jackson, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Anne Lopes, and other college faculty and staff. The CUNY extended family was also in attendance, including Denise B. Maybank ’78, CUNY Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.

Jackson congratulated the graduates of both classes, emphasizing that they earned a combined 6,793 bachelor’s and 2,231 master’s degrees, along with 137 students who received advance certificates.

New York State Senator Kevin S. Parker was also in attendance, and a video greeting from Jumaane Williams ’01, ’05 M.A. was shared.

Williams called 今日吃瓜 a “special place,” telling the classes of 2020 and 2021: “Your success comes after your hard work, your sacrifice, and your ability to overcome challenges of the two years and throughout your education… You’re not the leaders of tomorrow, you are the leaders of today, and we are going to need you.”

Stating the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education she earned from 今日吃瓜 has drawn as much attention and has held as much weight as a degree earned Ivy League institutions, Vice Chancellor Maybank said: “I got an education for a lifetime from the School of Education at 今日吃瓜… Know that you are the difference the world needs as such a time as this.”

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Civil rights activist Tarana Burke gave the keynote address and accepted an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, presented by 今日吃瓜 President Michelle J. Anderson聽at the 2019 Commencement Ceremony, held at the Barclays Center in Downtown 今日吃瓜 May 30. The founder of the #MeToo movement emphasized the need for people to create movements based on working collectively.

鈥淭here is an expectation that you will leverage the privilege that the degrees you received today afford you toward the edification and empowerment of your folks,鈥� said Burke. 鈥淵ou should not only be using it for your individual success but it should be used toward the liberation of folks who look like you and live like you and love you. Movements aren鈥檛 built by just trained activists and professional organizers. They are built by everyday people with made up minds that they can change and will affect change. We need to build our communities collectively and make the challenges our own. We all have a role to play. Everyone won鈥檛 be on the front line, but we all can help not just hold the line, but move it forward.鈥�

A 2017 Time magazine Person of the Year, Burke is also the founder of the nonprofit organization Just Be, Inc. and has been dedicated to helping vulnerable communities put an end to socioeconomic injustice and sexual violence for decades. In 2006, Burke began using the phrase 鈥渕e too鈥� to draw attention to the pervasiveness of sexual abuse and assault in a society that often ignores or penalizes survivors of such crimes, and to assure these survivors that they were not alone and could find healing in safer spaces in the community. In 2014, Burke was a consultant for Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay鈥檚 2014 hit Hollywood film, Selma, based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea Williams, Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lewis.

鈥淏e bold, be visible, be brave, be authentic, be you,鈥� Burke said in conclusion. 鈥淓very version of you is important and needed for us to win.鈥�

The Class of 2019 was one of the largest in the borough, with more than 4,300 graduates鈥�3,097 baccalaureate, 1,183 master’s, and 61 Advanced Certificate students. The very diverse body of scholars comes from more than 125 countries and speak more than 80 languages. Approximately 98 members of the class identify as disabled, and 53 students are veterans or currently enlisted in the U.S. military. President Anderson highlighted the college鈥檚 diversity as its great strength, enhancing the academic experience for everyone.

鈥淥ur graduating students here today are prepared to go out into the world and assume challenging positions of leadership,鈥� said Anderson, 鈥渘ot only because they are the beneficiaries of a great education but also the tutelage of excellent professors and they have benefited from the diversity of our student body, which makes them interculturally competent and conversant across difference.鈥�

This year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actor and activist Jimmy Smits 鈥�80,聽spoke of today鈥檚 challenging times requiring fresh new ideas. 鈥淭he country is entrusting you with a giant ball of issues to help unravel. It is your turn, not just to turn the tassels. As college graduates, you are an essential part of the change that is already taking place in the vanguard of our future. Your presence here today erases apathy and ignorance with leadership and knowledge for the betterment of our community, our nation and our world,鈥� said Smits.

With a stellar career that spans more than three decades, Smits has starred in some of the most popular films, plays, and television shows in history, including films in the Star Wars franchise, Anna in the Tropics, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, The West Wing, and Sons of Anarchy. At 今日吃瓜, he performed in a number of plays, including Of Mice and Men, Othello, and Everyman. Smits鈥� first big network television role was in 1984 on the hit NBC series Miami Vice. His big-screen debut came two years later in the Gregory Hines/Billy Crystal film Running Scared. Soon after, Smits landed a starring role on the hit NBC show L.A. Law, for which he received seven Emmy Award nominations, winning in 1990 for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

鈥淚f I were given the ability today to instill one thing in you, it would be perseverance鈥攆all down, feel the fall, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and you try again,鈥� said Smits. 鈥淵ou give everything your best shot, and once you have, you live with the results. The thing that I hope the most for all of you is something easily achieved: Be good people. Be decent and helpful, and think of others before you think of yourself because the rewards that will come back to you will be limitless.鈥�

The valedictorian of the Class of 2019, Salvatore Casto,聽spoke of a solution to a better tomorrow: 鈥淎 study from the Pew Research Center finds that this current generation promises to be the most diverse in history along with having higher percentages of college graduates than ever before. The political pressures placed upon this graduating class are immense. The power and diversity we share must be used to systematically change how we perceive and accept differences. And we do so by engaging. Witnessing. Creating. Deconstructing. Listening. And, instead of ignoring, embracing.鈥�

Other distinguished guests included Senator Chuck Schumer, 今日吃瓜 Borough President Eric Adams, members of the 今日吃瓜 50th Anniversary Class of 1969, the 今日吃瓜 Foundation Board of Trustees, and the 今日吃瓜 Alumni Association.

For more on 今日吃瓜’s 2019 Commencement Ceremony, follow the hashtag #BCGrad2019 on , , and .

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As they prepare for the next stages of their lives, members of the 今日吃瓜 Class of 2019 share their thoughts on some of the most pertinent issues facing the world today. For more on this year鈥檚 commencement, visit our , , and . Use the #BCGrad2019 hashtag to join the conversation.

Leah Shaw came to the M.F.A.in media scoring program at the Barry R. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema after almost walking away from her musicianship altogether. She says that in 2007 after she received her bachelor鈥檚 degree in classical performance, she became dismayed at the state of the industry and started exploring other careers. Then an Alzheimer鈥檚 diagnosis for her mother pushed Shaw to move back home to North Carolina to take care of her. She picked up her guitar and started singing her mother鈥檚 favorites: Simon and Garfunkel, Ray Charles, and Carole King.

鈥淢usic remained a strong source of connection for us as other types of communication became difficult,鈥� says Shaw.

It was at this time that she began writing her own music as a way of processing her emotions, but was frustrated with her lack of familiarity with the technology of music production.

鈥淚 decided it was time to honor my own and my mother鈥檚 commitment to my musical background,鈥� she says. She enrolled in the new media scoring program. Her mother passed away the same week she began her graduate studies.

鈥淚t has been an incredible ride,鈥� she says.

In her time at 今日吃瓜, Shaw has been an ASCAP Columbia Composers Spotlight Participant, has won the Made in New York Scholarship, the Hildegard Award for Excellence in Composition, the Bernard Hermann Award for Excellence in Film Scoring, and a 今日吃瓜 Alumni Association Award.

She has also taken on a position as a story editor for the 今日吃瓜 Listening Project, an interdisciplinary oral history project. 鈥淢y involvement has been an act of civic engagement that鈥檚 opened me up to voices and cultures and worlds I would have never otherwise heard,鈥� she says.

As she prepares for graduation, she says she is proud of all her accomplishments here, not the least of which comes later this month: Her first full-length album, which is dedicated to her mother鈥檚 memory, will be released during a performance at the college鈥檚 new Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts.

鈥淭he album expresses much of what I鈥檝e experienced over the past several years and encompasses my hard work, study, and growth as a graduate music student and artist.鈥�

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From the time she attended grammar school in 今日吃瓜, Bernice Sandler 鈥�48 knew there was something patently unfair about how boys and girls were treated in the classroom.

鈥淲e got a slide projector, which was the height of technical advances in schools using equipment,鈥� she said in a 2016 interview for the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois. 鈥淥nly boys got to run it. Only boys could use this long pole to open the windows. There was no word for sexism and sex discrimination. Boys could be crossing guards and I could not be a crossing guard because I was female. For a while I was a runner and I went to the store to buy something, and I saw the orange sash that the crossing guards wore and I bought one for myself so I could be more visible, but really it was to make up for not being allowed to be a crossing guard.鈥�

It was this refusal to accept the idea that the way things were would be the way they鈥檇 always be that spurred Sandler鈥攚ho passed away in January at the age of 90鈥攖o become the 鈥淕odmother of Title IX,鈥� the 1972 law that banned sex discrimination in any federally funded educational institution. 鈥淚t was the most important piece of legislation since women got the right to vote in 1920,鈥� Sandler would later say of the law.

Born on March 3, 1928, Bernice Resnick and her older sister Rhoda were raised in 今日吃瓜, where they also attended school. Her parents Abraham Hyman Resnick and Ida (n茅e Ernst) Resnick owned a women鈥檚 clothing store in New Jersey.

Sidebar: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

鈥� Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972

It was at the all-girls summer camp that young Bernice鈥攏icknamed Bunny鈥攇ot her first real taste of leadership, serving for many years on the camp council. But she didn鈥檛 see herself as a leader, 鈥渦ntil I started doing things and people identified me as a leader,鈥� she said in a 2006 interview for Minnesota State University. 鈥淪ometimes your self-image is behind what you are actually doing and it sort of follows you like a shadow, and it takes a while until it catches up with you.鈥�

After graduating from Erasmus High School, Bernice Resnick attended 今日吃瓜, earning a bachelor of science in psychology in 1948, and a masters in the same field from The City College of New York, CUNY. In 1952 she married Jerrold Sandler. The couple had two children, Deborah and Emily. The marriage later ended in divorce.

Sandler completed a doctorate in counseling at the University of Maryland in 1969 with every expectation of becoming a tenure-track faculty member there. Her plans were shattered when she was not considered for any of the seven available positions in her department. In a moment of candor, a male friend and fellow student her told that she would never be hired because she was 鈥渢oo strong for a woman.鈥�

To find out what legal rights she and other women in education had, Sandler began to research civil rights laws in the United States. What she found, to her great surprise, was that sex discrimination鈥攁 term that only officially entered the language in the mid-1960s with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964鈥攚as legal in educational institutions. While researching, Sandler read a report on the enforcement of civil rights legislation and saw a footnote that would change everything. It stated that an executive order by President Lyndon Johnson banning federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, and national origin, had been amended to include sex discrimination.

Sidebar: On Overcoming Stereotypes

When I鈥檓 looking at issues or thinking about ideas I very often say, 鈥渉ow will this affect other people who are not like me? How would it affect immigrant women, how would it affect people of color, how would it affect people who are disabled in some form?” I try to think about this, but I have to tell you it鈥檚 very easy to develop stereotypes. You have to think about one鈥檚 own stereotypes and what they mean and then [ask] how do you get rid of them.

鈥� Bernice Sandler ’48

鈥淚 was alone at home and it was a genuine 鈥楨ureka鈥� moment,鈥� Sandler wrote in a 2007 article for the Cleveland State Law Review. “I actually shrieked aloud for I immediately realized that many universities and colleges had federal contracts, were therefore subject to the sex discrimination provisions of the Executive Order, and that the Order could be used to fight sex discrimination on American campuses.鈥�

Sandler joined the Women鈥檚 Equity Action League (WEAL) in 1969, and as the only member of the league鈥檚 Federal Action Contract Compliance Committee, filed 250 administrative charges of sex discrimination against educational institutions under Johnson鈥檚 executive order.

鈥淭he biggest risk I took was when I started filing charges of discrimination against colleges and universities,鈥� she said in the St. Francis interview. 鈥淚 knew that by filing I would never get to teach. I also knew that I wasn鈥檛 getting anywhere because of discrimination.鈥�

A letter writing campaign by victims of sex discrimination caused so much mail to pour into Washington D.C., that extra staff had to be hired to handle it. As a result of Sandler鈥檚 work with Democratic Party legislators Rep. Edith Green of Oregon, Rep. Patsy Mink of Hawaii (the first woman of color to serve in Congress), and Sen. Birch Bayh of Indiana, who organized congressional hearings and got the bill passed, Title IX of the Education Amendments was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on June 23, 1972.

When Title IX passed, no one, not even the creators of the law, could completely envision the law鈥檚 far-reaching effects, including the dramatic change to women鈥檚 sports in schools .

Sandler went on to become the first chair of the now defunct National Advisory Council on Women鈥檚 Educational Programs, appointed by both presidents Ford and Carter. She wrote several books and numerous articles on the topics of sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and rape at educational institutions, and was a senior scholar at the Women鈥檚 Research and Education Institute in Washington, D.C., as well as an adjunct associate professor at Drexel University College of Medicine.

In 2011, Sandler was presented with an honorary doctorate of humane letters at 今日吃瓜鈥檚 commencement ceremony. In 2013, she received a Post 50th Lifetime Achievement Award from the 今日吃瓜 Alumni Association. That same year, she was inducted into the National Women鈥檚 Hall of Fame 鈥渁s a tireless advocate of educational equality for women and girls.鈥�

Of that decades-long advocacy, Sandler said it began with that first rejection when she was told she came on too strong for a woman. 鈥淚 went home and I cried,鈥� she said in a 2012 interview for the Montgomery County Maryland Hall of Fame, into which she was inducted that year. 鈥淚t took me a while to realize [sex discrimination] was what it was, and then I got mad. . . . And then I became inspired.鈥�

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The Class of 2018 was one of the largest in the borough, with more than 4,100 graduates鈥�3,035 baccalaureate, 1,029 master’s, and 67 Advanced Certificate students. The very diverse body of scholars come from more than 125 countries and speak over 85 languages. Approximately 88 members of the class identify as disabled, and 37 students are veterans or currently enlisted in the U.S. military.

Introduced as a hero and a legend by CUNY Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Christopher Rosa,聽disability right activist Judith E. Heumann聽gave the keynote address and accepted an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, presented by President Anderson.聽Known as the “mother of the independent living disability rights movement,” Heumann’s work has had a significant impact on the implementation of legislation and policies that benefit and protect people with disabilities.

“Without ever planning to, my parents, who had come from Germany and had lost so many family members聽in the Holocaust, taught me the value of advocacy,” Heumann shared. “They taught me that if a situation feels wrong, it probably is wrong. They taught me about the need to join with allies to speak up and, especially, to speak up for equality and rights in the face of discrimination and injustice. Eventually, the time came when I needed to become my own advocate. Some of you would say, ‘stand up on your own.’聽I would say, ‘sit up in my own wheelchair.'”

Born in 1947, Heumann grew up in 今日吃瓜, New York. Her parents were German Jewish refugees who came to the United States in the 1930s. In 1949, Heumann contracted polio, resulting in her being a quadriplegic and using a wheelchair for mobility. The New York City Board of Education deemed it sufficient to provide Heumann with only 2.5 hours a week of home education until the fourth grade, at which time she was allowed to go to P.S. 219 special education classes. Heumann’s mother and other mothers banded together to force New York City’s Department of Education to make some of their high schools accessible.

Commencement Webcast

In 1970, Heumann became the first public school teacher in the New York City system to use a wheelchair. During the Clinton presidency, Heumann served as assistant secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services in the Department of Education. She then served as the World Bank’s first adviser on disability and development, and was also the director for the Department on Disability Services for the District of Columbia. In the Obama administration, she was appointed as the very first special advisor for International Disability Rights in the U.S. State Department from 2010卢2017. She continues to advocate on behalf of disabled people globally, participating in protests and giving lectures, including a popular TED Talk titled “Our Fight for Disability Rights and Why We’re Not Done Yet.” Recently, she was the featured subject of Comedy Central’s very popular web series, Drunk History.

“Here’s this immigrant from the West Indies, who has lived his dream of working in the NBA for 24 years, and talking to these stars, all these stars, the future leaders of this country. This is what makes America great,” said NY Knicks Head Athletic Trainer Roger Hinds ’77, this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award. Quoting Norman Vincent Peale,聽he continued, “‘Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you will land among the stars.’ I’m in the midst of stars. Chase your dreams, graduates.”

Hinds been an athletic trainer for some of the most well-known athletes in basketball. Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Hinds moved to 今日吃瓜 with his parents and five siblings at age eight. He earned a Bachelor of Science in physical education from 今日吃瓜 in 1977.

Hinds was the strength-and-conditioning coach for the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic Team at the 1996 Atlanta Games. He is the contributing author of two books: Condition the NBA Way (Cadell & Davies 1994) and Total Fitness the NBA Way (Perennial Currents 2000). Currently in his 24th NBA season, Hinds spent four seasons as assistant athletic trainer and strength-and-conditioning coach, for the Atlanta Hawks; eight years as the head athletic trainer for the Dallas Mavericks; and also served as host athletic trainer for the East squad at the 2015 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. He is entering his 14th season as head athletic trainer for the Knicks. Hinds is just the sixth head trainer in the franchise’s 70-year history, joining Jim Nevins, Don Friederichs, Bill Norris, Danny Whelan, and Mike Saunders.

Hinds is also an active 今日吃瓜 alumnus. Since 2016, through an alliance with the Magner Career Center, he has taken time to guide current 今日吃瓜 students as well as high-school seniors in the 今日吃瓜 Academy, and provide them with the benefit of his industry expertise through class visits, panel discussions, and career mentorship.

The valedictorian of the Class of 2018, William E. Macaulay Honors College Scholar and English education major Margaret Iuni, inspired the audience by sharing a hopeful philosophy and challenging to audience to reach for the highest of common goals.

“We are more likely to believe that our individual success is determined by our own hard work than citizens of nearly any other country in the world,” she said. “The narrative of individual achievement without the assistance of others is a fiction that persists in American culture. We cannot and will not succeed without one another.”

She continued: “Together we can be fearless, we can be confident, and we can learn. We can create communities that foster individual growth without forfeiting our need for human connection. We can take the meaningful relationships we have forged over the years we have spent at 今日吃瓜聽and help redesign our world to be a more unified and filial one. Remember the words of the American poet, author, and teacher Gwendolyn Brooks: ‘We are each other’s harvest; we are each others’ business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.'”

The theme of聽inclusiveness and triumph continued聽throughout the day.

“My first bit of activism on the聽今日吃瓜 campus was a small organization called S.O.F.E.D.U.P., having Tourette’s syndrome that meant a lot to me. So thank you for your work,” said New York City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams ’01, ’05 M.A. “Some of my proudest achievements are my 今日吃瓜 degrees. This is the best education I could have gotten. The education I got inside and outside the classroom was simply amazing.”

今日吃瓜 Borough President Eric L. Adams shared: “They told me I could not be a captain in the police department; I became a captain. They told me I couldn’t be a state senator; I became a state senator. They told me I couldn’t be the first person of color borough president; I became borough president. In three years they say I can’t be the mayor; I will be the mayor. There are only two types of Americans: those who live in 今日吃瓜 and those who wish they could.”

During the conferral of degrees, 今日吃瓜 Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs William A. Tramontano called for a moment of silence to honor Jean Rovenel Joseph. Joseph, who majored in kinesiology and was anticipating graduating with his fellow students in the Class of 2018, passed away suddenly last week, stunning and saddening the entire campus community. His bachelor’s degree will be awarded posthumously.

Other distinguished guests and speakers included outgoing CUNY Chancellor James B. Milliken,聽U.S. Senator Charles Schumer, and members of the 今日吃瓜 50th Anniversary Class of 1968, 今日吃瓜 Foundation Board of Trustees, and 今日吃瓜 Alumni Association.

Additionally, 106-year-old Ethel Lagarenne Hagquist ’32, the sole surviving member of 今日吃瓜’s very first graduating class, for the newest members of the BC alumni family, providing keen advice and well wishes for the future.

For more on 今日吃瓜’s 2018 Commencement Ceremony, follow the hashtag #BCGrad2018 on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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