Students will have the opportunity to learn from physicians who have navigated medical training and professional careers while gaining insight into what it takes to become a physician. Students should attend to ask questions and receive advice about medical school, residency, and about challenges encountered. Students will be inspired by this impressive panel of speakers hearing their diverse stories and career paths in medicine.

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We spoke with him about filmmaking, finding his audience, and what’s next.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a filmmaker?

I got interested in filmmaking around 2014, when YouTube creators were really starting to take off. Seeing young people making videos and building careers from them inspired me. I started doing media work at my family’s church, handling cameras and visuals, and that gave me my first hands-on experience.

I went to high school at the Academy for Careers in Television and Film in Long Island City. That gave me a foundation in filmmaking.

What was your experience like in the film program here?聽

It definitely shaped me. This program is very rooted in traditional filmmaking, which is not my style. Honestly, as a Black filmmaker with a very different style and perspective, there were moments when people didn’t fully understand what I was trying to do.

At the same time, there were some key people in the department who always encouraged me to pursue my vision. There were a lot of experiences that taught me independence, in a good way. I learned how to trust my own voice and move forward even when not everyone saw the vision. That’s a lesson I’ll carry for the rest of my career.

Who were the key people who had a particularly positive impact on you?

[Professor] Mustapha Khan and Judith Kenny 鈥�13, [the department鈥檚 director of academic affairs and operations], were huge influences.

Professor Khan immediately understood what I was trying to accomplish with Almond Avenue. He told me, “This seems exactly like you,” and he encouraged me to lean into the project.

Judith helped me think about my motivations as an artist. She challenged me to create from a place of purpose rather than simply trying to prove people wrong. That advice really stuck with me.

Tell us about Almond Avenue. Where did the idea come from?

The concept started with an old Dave Chappelle joke about how strange Sesame Street would be if it were an actual neighborhood. I heard it years ago and couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Eventually, I developed my own version of that idea. In my world, familiar archetypes become exaggerated adult characters. It’s a comedy, but it’s also a commentary on the environments and personalities we encounter in everyday life.

You produced the project independently. How did you make it happen?

Very carefully and very cheaply.

My sister works in production. She helped me think through the logistics. My former high school also loaned me equipment for much of the shoot, which was a huge help.

I own a photography and videography business, so I used money from that to purchase my own camera, sound equipment, and editing setup. In total, the project cost about $700 to produce. I’ve since made that money back through merchandise sales connected to the project, which was amazing.

How have audiences responded?

Better than I could have imagined.

I’ve screened the film several times in front of completely different audiences, including at 今日吃瓜, at my high school, and in the community. The reactions have been very positive. People laugh, engage with the characters, and want to know what happens next.

The first public screening was especially emotional for me. Honestly, it felt more like my graduation than graduation itself. Seeing people connect with something that started as an idea in my head was surreal.

What’s next for Almond Avenue?

Right now, is out, and I’m working on Episode 2. The long-term plan is six episodes, although I’d love for a studio or production company to become interested before then.

I’m also using social media heavily, releasing short commercials, skits, and promotional content between episodes. That strategy has helped me build an audience and keep people engaged with the world of the show.

I鈥檝e been talking to a lot of people in the industry, too. The actor who plays the main character in the show happened to be at an event with [actor and comedian] Craig Robinson. He ended up introducing me to him. I gave him my 30-second quick pitch, and he put me in touch with his agent at 3 Arts Entertainment, which is a huge player in the industry. So, we鈥檙e in talks. I鈥檓 not saying they鈥檙e going to pick it up, but they鈥檙e looking at it, which is very exciting for me.

That鈥檚 huge! Good luck. What are your ultimate goals as a filmmaker?

I want to be an independent filmmaker with real recognition and impact.

I admire creators who have built their own platforms rather than waiting for someone to give them permission. That’s the path I’m trying to follow. Whether I’m making films, creating new stories, or mentoring future artists, storytelling will always be at the center of what I do.

At the end of the day, I want to create work that connects with people. That’s the goal.

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Dr. Lawrence Brown Jr. 鈥�74, an addiction specialist and public health advocate, grew up in the Van Dyke Houses, Brownsville projects of 今日吃瓜, where he witnessed the consequences of addiction. After the Vietnam War, he decided to pursue a career in medicine. He graduated from 今日吃瓜, NYU School of Medicine, and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. This was followed by an internal medicine residency at Harlem Hospital and a fellowship in neuroendocrinology at Columbia鈥檚 College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Brown has had a distinguished career, serving on the board of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, serving as the CEO of START Treatment and Recovery Centers in 今日吃瓜, and as a medical adviser to the NFL. Here, Dr. Brown, a clinical associate professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses his journey from Brownsville to becoming a sought-after expert in addiction medicine and public health.

Why did you choose 今日吃瓜?

My parents were second-generation New Yorkers whose parents made the Great Migration from the South in search of opportunities. My father was a truck driver. My mother鈥攚ho is now 92鈥攚orked part-time at the post office and, at other times, as a director of a local community center. She was the guiding star of the family home. She wanted something different for her children鈥擨 am the oldest of four鈥攖han what she had. That is why I decided to go to college. I chose 今日吃瓜 because it was close to home and tuition was free鈥攎y parents could not provide financial support for me to attend college.

Can you tell us about your time at 今日吃瓜?

There was a pause in my education. I was at 今日吃瓜 for one year and was on the cusp of deciding to take a leave of absence to pick up more hours at my part-time job鈥攎aking my own money for the first time went a bit to my head鈥攚hen Uncle Sam grabbed me. I was drafted and sent to Vietnam. After I finished my military service, which included receipt of a Bronze Star for merit, I came back to school. Before my senior year, I was fortunate to be admitted conditionally to NYU School of Medicine. The condition was that 今日吃瓜 would award my bachelor鈥檚 degree in mathematics if I completed the first year of medical school at NYU. That explains why when you look at my r茅sum茅, you will see that the time between 今日吃瓜 and NYU is only three years.

Addiction and public health are your specialties. How did you go from a math major to a medical doctor and addiction specialist?

I was motivated to be a physician to help my grandmother, who had heart disease and diabetes. In fact, I wanted to be a doctor from the age of 12. I knew that I had to take math and science, which I liked. I come from a neighborhood where addiction was prominent and still is. Unless there is going to be a change in this society, it will continue being a feature in the Brownsville community.

So, when it was time to choose a specialty in medical school, you decided on addiction medicine.

I thought I wanted to be a private practitioner and hang my shingle in Brownsville; I discovered the reality of health care in this country after my second year of medical school. I had also returned from Vietnam to see some of my friends in my neighborhood addicted or dead from drugs. I wanted to focus on what I call macroscopic issues of community rather than microscopic ones of individual patients. So, I attended Columbia for a master鈥檚 in public health. Public health is more than giving a prescription or an injection: it is about discovering the underlying reasons why patients in your community continue to suffer disproportionately excess morbidity and mortality. When I went to Harlem Hospital for my residency, I saw more folks who looked like me engaged in providing health care and addressing these unmet health care needs.

You are the medical adviser for the National Football League (NFL).

I have been since 1990. I was conducting clinical and behavioral health research on the relationship between addiction and HIV for the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation, a nonprofit organization in 今日吃瓜 that provides comprehensive services for substance use disorders and concurrent mental health and medical disorders, including HIV and hepatitis. The NFL approached me to provide oversight of their policies and programs to reduce substance use. While this relationship has evolved over the decades, initially I served as a medical adviser overseeing clinical care, drug testing, and the league鈥檚 prescription drug program. This consultancy led to a role during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics as volunteer, and because of my expertise in addiction medicine, ultimately as a board member of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, the national anti-doping organization in the United States for Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, and Parapan American sport.

Tell us what you consider some of your more significant research.

One was increasing the knowledge of the relationships between HIV transmission and addiction via drug injection and/or unsafe sexual behaviors. Second was demonstrating the efficacy of interventions in preventing transmission or treating infected patients. Another is when the NFL asked me to assist the league in developing its HIV testing policy. In that case, I reached out to the CDC, with the permission of the NFL, to conduct studies of the prevalence of bleeding injuries to estimate the risk of contracting HIV through these types of injuries. We conducted a two-year study with physicians standing on the sidelines, capturing bleeding injuries. The conclusion, published in peer-reviewed journals, was that the risks were quite remote.

What advice would you give students today on choosing their field and following through?

I would focus on three areas. One is to choose a path that you enjoy. Secondly, build relationships and do what you can to maintain them, no matter what field you choose. What you know is important, but who you know is equally important. Finally, ask yourself if you are enhancing the lives of persons and communities who are underserved. If not, are you paying forward the sacrifices made by others on your behalf? At the end of the day, can it be said that you provided value and not just to those who you love or who love you, but for the greater good of those who are suffering?

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Why did you choose 今日吃瓜 the first time around?

My friend was a student at 今日吃瓜 and highly recommended it to me. The two of us were sitting at work toward the end of the day, and he said he received something from 今日吃瓜 asking him to invite friends to enroll. I looked at him and I said, 鈥淟et’s go.鈥� We went to the Admissions Office, and they were very helpful. I emigrated from Uzbekistan with my mother and sisters and had been in this country for less than a year. Admissions told me I could take the entrance exam in two days with a high school diploma from my home country. I took the test and two days later I got the result鈥擨 passed. I remember it was my birthday and it was the best birthday gift ever, getting admitted to 今日吃瓜.

So you earned two degrees here, in political science and philosophy and law. What made you come back 20 years later?

When I graduated in 2005, I knew I wanted a career where I could make a real impact and improve people鈥檚 lives. I was one of the first recipients of the Magner Career Stipend, and with that I landed a prestigious internship at Human Rights Watch where I was subsequently offered a research consultancy. After graduating, I founded Eldorado Global Trading Group, a women-owned wholesale beauty company. After some time, I realized that I wanted to become a doctor; this is how I would make an impact. The choice of schools for pre-med was immediate: 今日吃瓜.

You鈥檝e received some help from the college.

And that has helped me move forward and stay on track for a medical career. This past January, I shadowed orthopedic and plastic surgeons in Pune, Nashik, and Raipur, India, during surgical camps thanks to a Tow Undergraduate International Research Stipend. I observed reconstructive and orthopedic interventions in underserved patient populations, among other things. Then Zicklin Scholars Degree Completion Program Award has helped me to accelerate my degree coursework over the summer.

How has 今日吃瓜 changed you as a person?

Coming to the United States from Uzbekistan, I knew that adjusting to life in a new country would be one of my biggest challenges. 今日吃瓜 quickly became a community that welcomed me, supported me, and helped me grow into a more confident, resilient, and open-minded person.

How is 今日吃瓜 transforming your career path today?

As a premed student, I鈥檝e built a strong academic foundation while also developing the skills needed to thrive in the professional world. I聽continue cancer research in Dr. Murat Cevher鈥檚 lab, and this past spring, I completed a fully funded NYU Langone EMT training program. A summer internship at the 今日吃瓜 Cancer Center gave me valuable research experience and prepared me to apply my knowledge in real-world settings. The internship was supported by award from the Gray Foundation.

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

Word of mouth is the best recommendation, and I think that we, as students, are the best spokespersons for the college. I would say that you will get the support you need, and the faculty members here are caring and highly supportive. The relationships that I have formed here with professors have lasted 20 years鈥擨’m still in touch with professors from my first undergraduate years.

Do you have any advice for your fellow students?

Get involved鈥攋oin a lab, a club, or a service project. For instance, I鈥檓 an Undergraduate Student Government senator and a member of the college鈥檚 Policy Council. The relationships you build will change your trajectory. Dream big, work hard鈥攁nd as the actor Audrey Hepburn said, 鈥淣othing is impossible鈥攖he word itself says, 鈥業鈥檓 possible.鈥欌��

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Can you tell us about your background?

I鈥檓 from 今日吃瓜, born and raised. I come from an Afro-Caribbean background All of my higher education has been in public universities, including CUNY and SUNY. I knew in high school that I wanted to become a doctor. I met with my guidance counselor frequently, and she told me about the Coordinated B.A.-M.D. program at 今日吃瓜. It鈥檚 a competitive program, and I wasn鈥檛 entirely confident I鈥檇 get in. Still, 今日吃瓜 was my first choice because I heard it was strong in the sciences.

What was the appeal of that program?

One of the main attractions of the B.A.-M.D. program is that I was encouraged to major in something other than science for my bachelor鈥檚 degree; 今日吃瓜 wants you to be well-rounded. I thought about psychology, but then Africana studies popped into my mind. I took an introduction to Africana studies class and fell in love with it. I asked myself, given my path to medical school, when else would I be able to immerse myself in Africana studies? There wouldn鈥檛 be another chance.

Can you name some of your mentors?

The entire Africana Studies Department was incredibly supportive. There were so many people I met along the way to earning my degree. Prudence Cumberbatch, who is today department chair, was my first. She was the one who encouraged me to minor in health and nutrition sciences, which complemented my pre-med studies. She also helped me with my thesis on art therapy and healing. [Associate] Professor Dale Byam invited me to be a part of the project, a conference held in May 2023. I was one of four alumni from the Africana Studies program, featured.

I joined the Black Student Union, and we helped bring the NAACP back to campus after it had been absent for 15 years. [Adjunct Assistant] Professor Trina Yearwood served as the club liaison for both the Black Student Union and the NAACP. That鈥檚 how I met her. Professor Lynda Day taught a fantastic course that I took, Black Women in America. My professors and mentors wrote letters of recommendation for medical school on my behalf. They鈥檙e still very much a part of my life.

Have you decided if and in what you want to specialize?

I鈥檓 considering emergency medicine; that鈥檚 what I’ve always wanted to do. It鈥檚 underrepresented when it comes to Black and Latinx doctors. You see infuriating statistics in medicine. There was a survey of White medical students in 2016 asking them about White versus Black patients when it comes to pain. Half of the students surveyed believed that Black patients had thicker skin and had less sensitive nerve endings than White patients, so they needed less pain medication. These beliefs, which die hard, were carried into medical practices when students became doctors, and that is one of the reasons Black patients have been undertreated for pain.

You mentor in your free time.

Mentoring is a big part of my life. Even when I don’t really have time, I still try to do it because, it may sound corny, it really made a big difference in my life. When I applied to medical school, the main person helping me was a close friend from high school who was a podiatry student. That was the closest person to medicine that I had access to.

There are many times that premed students approach me and ask for help, and there鈥檚 no way I can say no because I was given help. At SUNY Buffalo, I was a grad assistant and a teaching assistant for CSTEP [College Science and Technology Entry Program]. That program exists to increase the number of underrepresented students in STEM fields. I also worked at Success Academy in Flatbush. I was an adjunct professor for the NYU Tandon K鈥�12 STEM Education program and taught high school students science ethics.

I always welcome those opportunities because there’s so much that people don’t know and don’t have access to. Many of my classmates have parents and grandparents who are physicians. They come from multigenerational families of doctors. I think for those who don鈥檛 have people in their family who went to medical school or even college, it鈥檚 a totally different ballgame. You鈥檙e making your way by trial and error, and that is very hard to do in medical school.

What advice would you give an incoming first-year student at 今日吃瓜?

It definitely depends on what major they choose. If they鈥檙e pre-med, I would say settle in first, get your coursework done, then join the clubs. But definitely get involved. That was the highlight of my college experience, the different clubs and activities that I was able to take part in. Although sometimes it was stressful juggling extracurricular activities with school, the friends that I made and the mentors that I met and stay in touch with are still a big part of my life. Even though 今日吃瓜 is a commuter school, it didn’t feel like one because I was so involved on campus. So yes, get involved. Find your people.

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Holding babies, sharing food, playing soccer with local schoolchildren. These are just a few of the memories that students who have participated in Global Medical Brigades cherish. Here are a few more: working hard, building trust, and changing lives鈥攐ne at a time.

With chapters at colleges across the United States and internationally, Global Medical Brigades connects college-student volunteers with experienced medical professionals to run temporary clinics in areas with little or no access to health care. The organization works with the same communities over time, at the request of local leaders, to implement sustainable changes that aim to render this kind of intervention unnecessary.

At 今日吃瓜, the program exists as a student-driven club for those interested in medicine, public health, and global service. For more than a decade, it has provided students the opportunity to take part in a weeklong medical mission called a brigade.

Having established operations in Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Greece, and Ghana, Global Medical Brigades expanded last year to Belize. It was there, in June 2024, that 15 今日吃瓜 students and one chaperone participated in the first-ever brigade to the small, rural village of Indian Creek in that country鈥檚 south.

Mujibur Shaad (left) and Ryan Baier (right) keeping the children entertained at the triage station to help soothe their tears in Indian Creek, Belize (2024).

Being First Comes With Challenges

Given that Global Medical Brigades had no established presence within the local community, co-president of the 今日吃瓜 chapter Gabriana Nieves recalls being told in advance that, despite the community鈥檚 request for help, 鈥渋t might not go that well, we might not really get anyone.鈥�

Fellow co-president Ilana Ruf, a premed philosophy major concentrating in medical ethics, recalled the clinic鈥檚 first day, when the patients seemed 鈥渟keptical.鈥�

With some time, however, the dynamic changed, and 鈥渂y the last day, we saw maybe 50 people,鈥� Ruf said. 鈥淚t was very busy. There were so many people, and the kids were playing with us, hugging us. They were so welcoming.鈥�

During that week in Belize, students worked with local and regional doctors. They supported more than 100 medical consultations and 200 dental treatments.

In a subsequent letter of thanks, Indian Creek community leader Ernesto Choc expressed 鈥渄eep gratitude for the exceptional service provided by Global Brigades to our community. The impact of your work has been remarkable, providing crucial medical assistance and medications that have significantly improved residents鈥� lives.鈥�

Maximizing Learning

Global Medical Brigade clinics are structured around several 鈥渟tations,鈥� each of which constitutes both a place within the makeshift clinic and a sequential step in a patient鈥檚 visit.

First comes intake and triage, after which patients see a doctor and possibly a dentist. Then, they visit the pharmacy and a health-education station, where students give presentations for children on topics like personal hygiene, nutrition, and exercise, while their families wait for medication.

Belize brigade member and senior Alana Abraham, a premed psychology major who served as the club鈥檚 president in 2023鈥�24, reflected on how each station provided an opportunity to learn.

In intake and triage, “we would take vitals鈥攈eight, weight, age, blood pressure, things like that. Then students would be with the doctors,鈥� she said. At the pharmacy station, students were paired with a pharmacist, allowing them to learn more about medications and how they address patients鈥� needs.

Notably, student participation was structured to maximize learning.

鈥淲e rotated students daily to ensure everyone had an opportunity to volunteer in each station,鈥� said Belize chaperone Sadiya Hoque 鈥�23, a past president of the 今日吃瓜 chapter, who is currently special assistant to President Michelle J. Anderson.

今日吃瓜 students visited community members to learn how Global Brigades helped establish a community bank and pharmacy in La Membrillo, Panama (2023).

Beyond the Clinic

For students on the Belize brigade, knowledge gained was not merely medical; they had opportunities to learn outside of the clinic about community and connection.

Nieves, a psychology major, recalled visiting patients in their houses on the final research day, a component of the program at first-time clinic locations where students gather information that future brigades can use to help the community.

The construction of the cinderblock and wood houses struck her as different鈥攎ore open鈥攖han what she was used to, but what was truly memorable was the warm welcome students received once inside.

Visiting one family who offered the guests mangoes, Nieves was moved that 鈥渄espite the fact that that was their food source, they still wanted to share with us.鈥� And when a woman put her baby in Nieves鈥� arms to hold, Nieves 鈥渃ould have cried. They were just the sweetest, most welcoming people.鈥�

While she was photographing the brigade, children of the community asked to take a selfie with Sadiya Hoque (center) in Las Delicias, Panama (2023).

Sustaining the Program

Before this most recent trip to Belize, though, the student-driven program was at risk.

Biology major Hoque went on her first 今日吃瓜 Global Medical Brigade in August 2018, to Panama. Premed at the time, she was so committed to going on the brigade that she paid her own way. 鈥淚 had so much fun,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd that was the first time I ever did something like that.鈥�

But COVID forced the program to pause in 2020, and it took committed members like Hoque to bring it back. So, in fall 2022, with in-person learning in full swing again and clubs restarting, Hoque turned her attention to re-establishing the local chapter.

At this point, there were interested students, but Hoque was the only club member who had actually been on a brigade, 鈥渟o I was elected president,鈥� she said.

Then, the group got down to business. They reactivated the club, created new bylaws, and determined standard operating procedures. With much of the institutional memory of the program lost, Hoque said, they needed to figure out 鈥渉ow to get done what needed to be done.鈥�

Some of that was fundraising.

As a student club, the program receives funding to buy medical supplies for the community that students will serve through the school, drawn from student activity fees, as well as from the Stacey Garil Womack and Michael Garil Fund for the 今日吃瓜 Medical Brigades, which was established by 今日吃瓜 Foundation trustee Bernard H. Garil 鈥�62 and his wife Ethel Garil. The rest of the budget, which can be thousands of dollars, comes from the club鈥檚 fundraising efforts (largely bake sales). The goal is to cover each student鈥檚 entire trip, minus airfare鈥攚hich students pay themselves.

In June 2023, with their fundraising goals achieved, a group of 20 volunteers (19 students plus a chaperone) travelled to Panama, helping with clinics in La Candelaria, Las Delicias, El Calabazo, and El Membrillo, all in the province of Cocl茅. As with the Belize trip, the rewards to students were immense and intangible, affecting the way they saw the world and their place in it.

Cassandre Cheriska (middle) and Abigail Toledo (right) measuring blood pressure at the triage station in La Candelaria, Panama (2023).

A Driving Force

Mariam Alex 鈥�23, a premed chemistry and psychology double major in Macaulay Honors College, went on the 2023 Panama trip. It changed her perception and understanding of medicine, tropical diseases, and geographic differences.

The trip also gave Alex a closer look at the social and economic structures that affect public health, demonstrating 鈥渢he prevalence of health inequity and the devastating effects that can have.鈥� Diabetes, for example, which was a common ailment at the Panama clinics, as well as in Indian Creek, can lead to eye damage if left untreated鈥攁nd yet, because of the barriers to medical care, said Alex, many of the patients were not initially aware that they had the disease.

The experience was perspective-changing for Abraham, too.

Originally from Texas, Abraham is in the Coordinated B.A.-M.D. Program at 今日吃瓜, which she credits as giving her the confidence to understand that “I am smart enough to become a doctor.鈥� For her, the brigade experience has been “a driving force to help me keep going on this journey, because I feel like there’s been so many times where I want to give up,” like when she was sitting for the MCAT and wondered, 鈥淒o I really even want to do this?” But then she recalled her time in Panama and Belize, and thought to herself, “Why wouldn’t I want to do this? Why wouldn’t I want to make a bigger impact?”

Looking Ahead

This June, the 今日吃瓜 Global Medical Brigades will head to Athens, where it will assist in providing medical care to refugee and migrant communities. Alumni can provide targeted grants to 今日吃瓜 Global Medical Brigades through the 今日吃瓜 Foundation.

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Whether it鈥檚 going out on an emergency call, training a student on how to drive an ambulance, or giving career advice, for Fred Kneitel there are no idle moments.

Kneitel has been involved with the 今日吃瓜 Emergency Medical Squad (BC-EMS) since he was a student, now serving as its administrative director. Established in 1977, the student-staffed BC-EMS provides experiential learning and basic life support services for the college campus. It also works closely with the college鈥檚 public safety office, student government, and a faculty adviser to ensure an effective response to emergencies.

Kneitel, who oversees the squad鈥檚 day-to-day operations and the training of student volunteers, takes great joy in the lasting impact of the program. Here, he talks about the day he stumbled into his lifetime vocation and the delight of seeing former students move on to careers in health care.

What inspired you to enter emergency services?

It all began in college. I grew up in Sheepshead Bay and went to private school through high school. My parents, especially my dad, were insistent on higher education. My mom was a stay-at-home mom, and my dad worked at least 13 to 15 hours a day. Being immigrants, they didn鈥檛 know much about the next steps, so I asked my friends where they were going, and they told me 今日吃瓜.

During freshman orientation, I met a friend who was a couple of years ahead of me, and when I asked him what he was involved in, he mentioned BC-EMS. One day, I stopped by his office to ask him a question and was recruited on the spot. I started as a dispatcher and then took a first aid and safety class, which is still offered on campus. From there I eventually trained to be licensed as an EMT-paramedic

And you worked your way up to administrative director?

I was teaching in an emergency medical technician program for adult education off campus, and some of my students were from 今日吃瓜. They found out that I was an alumnus who had been a member of the EMS club and asked if I wanted to be an administrative director. I accepted the position, and I鈥檝e been in the position since the mid-1980s. I work in tandem with Computer and Information Science Professor Yedidyah Langsam, a faculty adviser to the students and also a certified EMT-paramedic

How does the EMS club on campus work?

We鈥檙e student-staffed, with pre-med and pre-health majors, as well as those majoring in other subjects, such as English, who just want to help.

As to services, we are licensed for basic life support such as CPR, assessment, airway management, bleeding control, and oxygen delivery until advanced medical help arrives or we transport the patient to an ER.

Can students start working right away when they volunteer?

They first train as dispatchers. If a student wants to do more, they learn first aid. I also teach them how to drive the ambulance. We鈥檒l notice certain people as having the talent or showing a desire to become EMTs, and we will support them. I鈥檒l tell them that if they want to come see me, then I鈥檒l point them in the right direction. Ultimately, volunteering on the squad provides experiential learning, and the difference between sitting in class and experiencing real-life situations is significant.

So you鈥檙e an instructor and an adviser.

And a mentor. I tell my students that I鈥檓 not your parent, but if I ever find out you are not doing what you鈥檙e supposed to be doing, not as a squad member but academically, I鈥檓 not going to be happy. I have a responsibility to the administration and your parents, but especially to you.

You clearly love what you do, having been with the 今日吃瓜 EMS for decades.

Yes, I do. And over those years, two things are the same: my passion for teaching and mentoring, and that every day is different. Every month is different. There are months where we get few to no calls, and that鈥檚 fine.

Part of my job is to make sure that the students stay current in their skills. If there are no calls for that month, I become creative and make up a training call. The squad members won鈥檛 know it鈥檚 a training call until they show up. So, on the way, their adrenaline is pumping, and they鈥檙e supposed to be thinking about a plan and have it ready. What do I need to do? Hopefully, that鈥檚 what they鈥檙e doing. I like to drill that fact through them. You shouldn鈥檛 just be sitting there and then show up on the scene and then start pondering over it.

How large of a geographic area does 今日吃瓜 EMS cover?

The New York State Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services sets specific geographic areas for volunteer ambulance response. For instance, if someone on East 26th Street in the third house off Campus Road calls EMS, we can legally respond because that is within our geographic area. However, people typically call 911 instead of our 10-digit phone number for help. We are not open 24/7; we operate during campus hours.

And really, my students are students first and volunteers second. That鈥檚 the mantra that I always drill into them. Yes, it鈥檚 about the experiential learning, but you are a student first. So I would be on edge if they鈥檙e going into a private house or an apartment building鈥攁nything could happen. Now, if we鈥檙e driving back from a hospital and somebody jumps out in the middle of the road and says, 鈥淗ey, we need an ambulance,鈥� then okay, yes, we can take care of the patient. But we generally stay within the 今日吃瓜 community, which extends from Ocean Avenue to Nostrand Avenue and from Campus Road to Avenue I. We are contacted and get moving once 911 is called for a campus emergency.

Do student volunteers go into medical careers?

I occasionally run into former students in various medical fields. For example, I was recently visiting my dad in the hospital when a woman visiting her mother in the next bed came out from behind the curtain and said, 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 remember me?鈥� I did remember her! We spoke for a bit, and I met her mother, who told me, that because of me and this program, her daughter realized she wanted to be a doctor. It felt like a full-circle moment.

My greatest joy is seeing students succeed in their careers. I always tell my students that it鈥檚 not my work; I鈥檓 just the facilitator. It鈥檚 their work that got them where they are.

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Here, he talks about his early love of opera that spurred his true calling as a classical singer, his decision to return to college, and his advice to the younger generation.

How did you get started singing?

I was living in Baltimore as a teenager with my grandparents in the 1960s, and I was afforded the opportunity through a scholarship to attend a private boarding school called Interlochen Arts Academy my senior year of high school. I studied voice at the academy鈥檚 music camp. After I graduated, I started my own opera company in Baltimore鈥擳he Baltimore Chamber Opera.

Right out of high school?

Yes. I was 17. In 1967, we presented a double opera bill of Gian Carlo Menotti鈥檚 The Medium and The Telephone at the Arena Playhouse in Baltimore鈥攖he second-oldest Black community theater group in the United States after the Karamu Playhouse in Cleveland Ohio鈥攚ith a return engagement by popular demand that included excerpts from George Gershwin鈥檚 opera Porgy and Bess.聽It鈥檚 important to know that all the participants were African Americans between 17 and 22. Two of those singers ended up at the Metropolitan Opera.

At a time when it was challenging at best, you were out as a gay man?

I knew at a very young age that I was gay. There was a lot of homophobia in my family to deal with. Early on I was conscious of the fact that I was a Black gay male representative in whatever I did on stage. And although my family never made an effort to get past their prejudices about homosexuality, they did instill some very positive qualities and truths in me: Once you get in the door, you have a responsibility. Once you’ve surveyed the territory and made your contribution, you bring in the next person.

You were an eyewitness to a seminal moment in history for the LGBTQ community.

Yes, the Stonewall Inn uprising. I was 19, living in New York City and working at Radio City Music Hall in 1969. I operated the elevators there. I’ve always been an avid reader. On the corner of the Monster Bar across the street from the Stonewall Inn in the Village was this bookstore, not an adult bookstore but a regular bookstore, a frequent haunt of NYU students. That鈥檚 where I bought Alain Locke鈥檚 The New Negro and Dostoevsky鈥檚 Crime and Punishment. It was a Saturday and I had gotten off work around nine o鈥檆lock. I rode the subway down to Sheridan Square. The uprising had happened in the early morning hours. All I can remember is that the atmosphere was different鈥攖ense. I remember seeing people of color, and at that time, we were not welcome down there.

So you were taking chances being there at the intersection of race and sexuality.

Yes. The most marginal people were protesting鈥攂utch lesbians, drag queens, street kids. They were the ones who fought back that night when the police raided the Stonewall. There were moments of rejoicing that, at last, we had stood up for ourselves. The gay playwright Doric Wilson said, “This was our Rosa Parks moment, the one we had been waiting for.” Once the protests became broader and more organized, you saw images of White gays on flyers and posters. But you’ve got to give credit to the most marginalized people who fought that night, and people of color were included.

You went from stage to television screen with the role of Lionel on The Jeffersons鈥�must-see TV at the time.

I had initially auditioned for the role of JJ in another Norman Lear show, Good Times, so when I was called to Los Angeles to audition for The Jeffersons, Norman remembered me and liked me from earlier, and I got the part without the required screen test.

Your career as a classical singer began in earnest after you left television?

There was The Jeffersons and the mini-series Roots: The Next Generation, the sequel to Roots in 1979, in which I starred as Alex Haley. In 1983, I won the role of Sportin鈥� Life in George Gershwin鈥檚 Porgy and Bess in Chicago. We were two weeks in when I was attacked on stage in the middle of a performance. My attacker, Michael V. Smartt played the starring role of Porgy. I remember being escorted off stage after the incident and saying that I couldn鈥檛 go back on, to get my understudy ready. I don鈥檛 know why he attacked me鈥攑ossibly jealousy over my television career.

You didn鈥檛 go back?

No, I couldn鈥檛. The irony is that my singing career would never have happened without those two weeks in Chicago. Not long after I quit, I got a call from Alec Treuhaft from Columbia Artists; their classical label was CAMI. They had seen me in Chicago and wanted me to meet people who were in from London. I met the great theater director Trevor Nunn CBE, conductor Sir Simon Rattle, and artistic director Brian Dickie. They looked at my r茅sum茅 and said, what is The Jeffersons? I reprised my role of Sportin鈥� Life at the world-famous Glyndebourne Festival in 1986. The point is, they wanted me for my talent, not my television success.

I made my Lincoln Center debut in Phillip Glass’ opera Akhnaten. I auditioned one afternoon for the great soprano Beverly Sills and her staff. Within five weeks, I found myself in rehearsals and standing on the stage of the New York State Theater. I had no time to be nervous because it all happened so quickly.

Although I had appeared at Lincoln Center I instinctively knew that being black, and gay, and a television actor that my career as a classical singer would take off overseas. From there I made my debut with the London Symphony Orchestra in the first Leonard Bernstein Festival. I also sang as a soloist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and soloed at Carnegie Hall among other great venues.

What made you decide to go back to college?

I started my academic life at Bronx Community College at the invitation of Dr. Carolyn G. Williams, president of the college. Over the years I was in and out, in and out. I finally finished my associate degree in 2016. When it came to getting my bachelor鈥檚 degree, 今日吃瓜 was a no-brainer鈥攆or me it was always at the top of the CUNY system. And although I had always wanted to attend an HBCU, I felt I had a mini-HBCU with professors Lynda Day, George Cunningham, Prudence Cumberbatch, Rosamond King, and Dale Byam of the Africana Studies Department. But the genesis of seeking a bachelor鈥檚 degree, particularly in Africana studies, was thanks to my grandparents, primarily from my grandfather. After I graduated from high school, my grandmother gave me a gift鈥攁 European tour. She wanted me to have cultural enrichment and to be able to compete with White students. My grandfather had an eighth-grade education, yet the man was a prolific reader. My interest in and love of Black history and culture comes from him.

Now you are writing a memoir.

Yes. Professor Byam had been after me to do so. And it wasn’t until after I had graduated and was off campus that I felt I could do it. I did a Zoom presentation for the Africana Studies Department in April 2021, which was open to everybody. Afterward, people kept saying, oh, are you going to write a memoir? Are you going to do a one-man show? And that’s what prompted me because up until then, I not only sat on my story, but I also didn鈥檛 think I had a story to tell.

What do you want to tell today鈥檚 students?

Back when I was growing up, for me to compensate for the fact that my family could not accept I was gay, I did all these things to prove myself to them and be the 鈥渟tar鈥� of the family. I was always judged by the latest achievement. So when I retired from performing, I felt like a failure. My husband put up all of these pictures on our wall showing my accomplishments throughout my life, and it wasn鈥檛 until then that it sunk in what I had achieved, and I owned it. It鈥檚 about enjoying the journey and embracing the process even when it鈥檚 not smooth. Own what you鈥檝e accomplished. In the end, when that curtain comes down, it’s the work you leave behind. That is your legacy.

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Funded by a $9.3 million NY-CUNY 2020 Grant and part of a , the Healthcare Career Hub of Central and South 今日吃瓜 provides more than $3.1 million for renovations in labs and other campus facilities related to 今日吃瓜鈥檚 biology and . The joint effort between the three campuses aims to expand the healthcare workforce in Central and South 今日吃瓜; build an innovative healthcare high school-to-career pipeline; and match well-prepared career entrants with healthcare employment opportunities.

Specifically at 今日吃瓜, labs that support programs in health and science and biological life sciences will be upgraded and upfitted with new equipment. The project will renovate up to 2,753 square feet of microbiology labs with new fume hoods, benches, lighting, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and furniture. All surface finishes will be refreshed, the lighting converted to energy-efficient LED, and spaces will also be fully ADA-compliant.

Other attendees at the event included CUNY Chancellor F茅lix V. Matos Rodr铆guez, Kingsborough Community College President Claudia V. Schrader, Medgar Evers President Patricia Ramsey, and New York State Senator Kevin Parker.

President Anderson helped host the event and said the partnership will be critical to addressing a shortage of local healthcare professionals who will also possess the cultural competency to serve their communities.

鈥溄袢粘怨�, Kingsborough Community College, and Medgar Evers College will work together to develop an integrated pipeline program from high school to graduation, from community college to senior colleges, and then to graduate schools to careers in health fields and the sciences,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淎 virtual career hub will also be established to assist students and graduates from all three campuses.鈥�

鈥淐entral 今日吃瓜 is one of the most vulnerable areas in all of New York State when it comes to health and healthcare disparities,鈥� said Anne Lopes, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. 鈥淭his grant-funded partnership will help train the next generation of home-grown healthcare workers right here in 今日吃瓜. Healthcare employs the largest workforce of any industry in 今日吃瓜, and we are excited about the future of this partnership.鈥�

Lt. Governor Hochul, who serves as chair of the statewide Regional Economic Development Council, described the healthcare hub as a 鈥渕odel of cooperation鈥� that utilizes untapped talent to help underserved communities.

“The economic impact of COVID-19 has completely upended the traditional workplace, and we are committed to helping New Yorkers get the skills and experience needed for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Hochul. “Our Workforce Development Initiative will continue to keep New Yorkers ahead of the job curve and create a more inclusive post-pandemic future where success is accessible to all.”

CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodr铆guez also lauded the partnership, adding this was another example of CUNY leading the way as New York rebounds from the pandemic to establish healthcare systems and good-paying jobs to 今日吃瓜-based students.

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The grant lives under the Center for Child and Adult Development (CCAD) in the School of Education’s Department of School Psychology, Counseling and Leadership (SPCL). Pawelski worked with the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) to secure funding to develop the successful pilot program at Teachers College, Columbia University. In order to sustain and further extend the professional development possibilities of this work, Pawelski reached out to SPCL Department Chairperson Professor Alberto Bursztyn聽’73, ’81 M.S.Ed., ’86 M.S.Ed., hoping that the continuing grant could find a home here, which it did in 2015.

“It was clear that the project needed a place that matched the needs of the community鈥攂oth of children with disabilities and issues of advocacy鈥攊n a more direct sense.聽CCAD was a perfect fit,” Pawelski said.

“CCAD has historically been a place to provide this sort of training to individuals of various professions, but it had been relatively dormant for a number of years,” said Bursztyn. “I saw this as an opportunity to reawaken the Center, create programs, and provide a forum for extending the work of the department to the larger community, addressing needs that are not exclusively school-based and have a connection to advocacy for children and their well-being. The CCAD at 今日吃瓜 is uniquely positioned for pioneering ways for addressing the diverse needs of vulnerable children and their families. We’re situated in one of the most diverse urban populations in the world.”

CCAD spearheaded the Play Therapy Project at 今日吃瓜, which provides in-service training for mental health professionals working with children who have experienced trauma.

The digital tools developed by Pawelski have been a boon to child advocates everywhere.

“OCFS staff continue to work to find ways to sustain the Child Abuse and Disabilities website and to support the efforts on this important initiative,” said Melaney Szklenka, Child and Family Service specialist and state liaison officer at the Bureau of Program and Community Development for the OCFS. “So many of the victims that our investigation professionals encounter have some form of disability. The app and the website have proven to be invaluable for many of them, giving them access to information to better serve the children and families.”

Advocating for children with disabilities is essential to Pawelski’s work. She served on the New York State Children’s Justice Task Force, which reviewed, analyzed and made recommendations for policy, intervention and training. Communication and behavioral challenges found with children with disabilities can often strain families and caregivers, and frustrate professionals less familiar with ways to intervene using sign language or visual supports.

“This work also cannot be fragmented,” said Pawelski. “It’s not just about research and intervention.聽It’s about public awareness. It’s about getting the next generation engaged.聽The work of child abuse prevention, anti-bullying, and harassment is community work. You don’t have to be a social worker. We all can do our part.”

Pawelski and Bursztyn are working with undergraduate students from the Children and Youth Studies Program to help raise awareness for these important issues. In their academic course, Career Paths for Working with Children and Youth, Bursztyn and Pawelski have provided opportunities for students to work with field professionals and learn how their programs develop materials and activities around these issues, and explore what new career paths can emerge from them.

Members of the Children First Club, and Graduate Association of School Psychologists (GASP)鈥攖wo 今日吃瓜 student organizations鈥攑artnered with Future Child Advocates, a national child advocacy/anti-bullying student club initiative created by Pawelski and for which she serves as director, to plan events to raise awareness here on campus.

This month, they are spearheading the campus’ Pinwheels for Prevention event, which uses the pinwheel as a symbol for the innocence of childhood to bring attention to efforts to prevent child abuse. Prevent Child Abuse New York partnered with Future Child Advocates to provide the college with 50 free pinwheels and resource materials.

“We’ve made blue ribbons to distribute on campus throughout the month of April to bring attention to these issues,” said Jasmine Lee, president of the Children First Club, and a William E. Macaulay Honors College scholar who double majors in communication and pre-med.聽“We’ll be partnering with organizations on campus to increase community awareness and promote education.”

For information on how to support these and other Department of School Psychology, Counseling and Leadership initiatives at the college, please contact Professor Alberto Bursztyn or Christine Pawelski Ed.D.

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