Sociology & Criminal Justice Archives | ��ƽ��

Because of a Scholarship: Gifts That Transform Lives

ckatz — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 18:02:49 +0000

In a single moment, relief replaces doubt. Scholarships deliver an unforgettable message from the alumni who walked these halls before them:

We see your struggle, we believe in your potential and we are here to help you stay.

Bennis Sujak ’21, MA ’24

Healing the Healers: Support for Mental Health Professionals

For Bennis Sujak ’21, MA ’24, the path to becoming a mental health counselor was intensely personal. “The topic of mental health is highly stigmatized in my culture, and I grew up sheltered from discussions surrounding it,” shared Sujak, the son of Muslim immigrants from Yugoslavia. “Struggling with my traumas and mental health, I always felt an intense desire to better understand myself and human nature as a whole.”

Lindsey Kupferman, MA ’02, PhD ’06

The financial burden of graduate school loomed large, threatening to derail his calling—until the Kupferman Family Endowed Scholarship stepped in. The funding didn’t just alleviate Sujak’s stress; it validated his entire journey. The scholarship’s founder, Lindsey Kupferman, MA ’02, PhD ’06, knows that lifting this burden “makes life a little bit easier for one student.” For her, funding this scholarship is a meaningful way to continue her family’s legacy of helping at-risk youth by supporting the very students who will one day heal them.

A Way for Dancers to Move Forward

Committing to a life in the arts is a beautiful but terrifying leap of faith. For dance major Sophia Nibbe ’25, the financial strain of pursuing her passion was daunting. Then, she received the Tina Bolton Endowed Scholarship. The support, she said with immense gratitude, was “beyond anything I could have ever hoped for,” allowing her to fully dedicate herself to her art without the crushing anxiety of how to pay for it.

The scholarship’s founders, Jeffrey Bolton ’61 and his wife, Tina, a former Broadway dancer, created the fund because they understand that struggle firsthand. “I know how difficult it is to commit yourself to a career in dance and support yourself,” Tina shared, offering Nibbe the exact encouragement she needed to keep moving forward.

Sophia Nibbe ’25, center, with arm raised

A Lifeline for the Next Generation of Teachers

Senior Itzel Guzman Juarez knows the exact feeling of that financial weight lifting. Pursuing her degree in the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences came with overwhelming pressure, but a scholarship changed everything. “This scholarship made me realize that even when you think your efforts are invisible, there is always someone noticing your hard work,” she said, describing the life-changing relief she felt.

Grateful scholarship recipient Miguel Velasquez ‘23, MA ‘24, now a high school teacher, with donor Diane Abbey ‘59

The person noticing her was Diane Abbey ’59. Abbey intimately understands the terror of an interrupted education; she faced sudden financial hardship as a junior and was saved only when ��ƽ��’s late dean of women, Ruth S. Harley, quietly arranged financial aid. “I owe her a career, a life,” Abbey reflected. Today, Abbey pays that exact miracle forward to students like Guzman Juarez and Miguel Velasquez ’23, MA ’24. Thanks to her generosity, Velasquez was able to stay at ��ƽ�� and is now an educator himself. “The impact I make on students is shaped by her spirit of giving,” Velasquez noted, proudly sharing that he has since started an organization providing school supplies to children in Central America.

Scholarships do more than help students earn a degree. They empower future leaders, inspire lifelong generosity and create a legacy of opportunity that transforms lives for generations to come.

For Athletes, a Way to Reach the Ultimate Goal: Graduation

Kris Amplo ’00

Balancing the rigorous demands of the classroom and the field is a monumental task for student-athletes—one made incredibly stressful without financial backing. Recognizing this, Kris Amplo ’00, a former ��ƽ�� lacrosse standout, created the Amplo Family Foundation Men’s Lacrosse Endowed Excellence Fund and the Joseph LaRosa Scholarship. His gifts give current players the ultimate assist: the chance to reach graduation without crippling debt, ensuring they can absorb the life-changing lessons of teamwork and resilience he once learned from his own coaches and professors.

Scholarships helped first-generation student Kyle Lewis ’26, ��ƽ��’s 2026 Male Athlete of the Year.

The Power of Paying It Forward

Vincent Tizzio ’89

At its core, receiving a scholarship is about so much more than tuition dollars. It is a profound declaration that a student matters. Vincent Tizzio ’89, who founded the Salvatore Primeggia Endowed Scholarship, captures this perfectly: A scholarship “tells a student that someone sees their potential and believes in them before they’ve fully found their footing,” he explained. For the students standing on the edge of having to leave ��ƽ��, a donor’s generosity is everything. It replaces their agonizing “what-ifs” with profound gratitude, transforming their fear into a lifetime of confidence, achievement, and a deep, enduring desire to one day do the same for someone else.

Sal Primeggia, PhD ’64, shaped thousands of lives in ��ƽ�� classrooms. Today, that legacy lives on through the endowed scholarship in his name.

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��ƽ�� Welcomes New Faculty for 2026–2027

ckatz — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 16:01:09 +0000

Stacey Balducci is a clinical assistant professor of health and sport sciences. She began her ��ƽ�� career in 2020 as an adjunct professor in the same department, following a 30-year career as a health educator at Syosset High School. Balducci also serves as assistant director of the Peer Teen Health Symposium, a Northwell Health-affiliated leadership conference for local high school students, and directs the summer day camp at the Cold Spring Harbor Beach Club. Outside of work, she volunteers with residents at Orchard Estate of Woodbury and cooks meals for families at the Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park.

Ez-Zouhra Elmaaiden, PhD, is a visiting assistant professor of chemistry. A research and development scientist with multidisciplinary expertise in bioanalysis, preclinical research and formulation development, her work focuses on bioactive compound extraction, molecular biology workflows and cosmeceutical innovation. She holds multiple patents in extraction technologies and natural product development, bringing extensive experience in interdisciplinary project management, commercialization and graduate student mentorship.

Wan Ling Fahrer is a visiting assistant professor of , bringing more than two decades of experience across higher education, K–12 schools, museums and community-based arts learning. Her work centers on art education, museum and object-based learning, and inclusive approaches to contemporary art and pedagogy. She has held appointments at Hunter College, Queens College and the School of Visual Arts, plus museum education roles at institutions including MoMA, the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, the Guggenheim and the New Museum. Fahrer has received the Keith Haring Scholarship Award and multiple outstanding art teacher awards from the NYC Department of Education, and previously served as president of the University Council for Art Education. She holds an MA in Art History from Hunter College and a BFA from the School of Visual Arts.

Marissa Galler, PhD ’26, is a clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing and Public Health. With a clinical background spanning critical care, oncology and palliative care, her research focuses on nurse practitioner communication surrounding end-of-life conversations. An alumna of ��ƽ��, where she earned her PhD, she also holds degrees and advanced certifications from Hofstra University, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), Thomas Jefferson University and St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing.

Charleen Jacobs-Mcfarlane ’06, PhD ’23, is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing and Public Health. A nurse scientist, adult nurse practitioner and double alumna of ��ƽ��, her clinical practice and research focus on health equity and rare disease care, particularly sickle cell disease. She previously served as a clinician-scientist and nurse practitioner at the Mount Sinai Center for Sickle Cell Disease, a postdoctoral fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and a faculty member at Yale University and Columbia University. She earned both her BSN and PhD in nursing from ��ƽ��.

Susan Kang ’14, MS ’15, DPT, is a clinical assistant professor of health and sport sciences. An ��ƽ�� alumna and former graduate assistant in the Human Performance Lab, Dr. Kang is excited to return to ��ƽ�� and join her colleagues in the exercise science program. Her professional experience spans clinical testing and a variety of rehabilitation settings, including acute care, sports, neuromuscular and cardiac rehabilitation. Through her private practice, Blueprint Performance Physical Therapy, she helps active adults return to the activities and goals that matter most to them. Dr. Kang holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exercise physiology and earned her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

Kyungmin Lee, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Sciences and sustainability director. Her research spans energy policy, climate policy, urban sustainability and community development, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Her recent work focuses on applying AI techniques to analyze public responses to environmental issues through large-scale image analysis. Dr. Lee holds a doctoral degree in energy and environmental policy, a master’s degree in environmental studies, and a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Louise Lee, EdD, is associate professor and founding program director of ��ƽ��’s new Physician Assistant (PA) Program, to be housed within the College of Nursing and Public Health. Dr. Lee has worked as a PA educator for more than 26 years and as a clinically practicing PA in internal medicine and emergency medicine for nearly 40 years, holding leadership roles including department chair, program director, and director of didactic, clinical and research programs at universities across New England and New York. She has taught clinical medicine, patient assessment, and healthcare law and ethics, among other subjects. Dr. Lee holds a doctorate in education with a focus on higher education leadership, a master’s degree in healthcare administration and a bachelor’s degree in PA practice.

Yongjin Lee, PhD, is an assistant professor of health and sport sciences. Building on a decade as a K–12 physical education teacher and teacher community leader, Dr. Lee’s research examines how teacher and student reflection strengthens social and emotional development and informs curriculum design and instructional strategy. His recent work highlights physical education as a vehicle for building social awareness and responsible decision-making, and he is currently studying how artificial intelligence can support reflection among teachers and students to promote character and ethical growth.

Kathleen O’Connor is an assistant professor in the College of Nursing and Public Health. She is a PhD candidate at ��ƽ�� and a nurse practitioner and clinical researcher whose background spans pulmonary medicine, post-operative surgical care and nursing education. She previously served as an adjunct instructor at ��ƽ��, a nurse practitioner and research coordinator at Northwell Health, and a clinical nurse at the Hospital for Special Surgery. O’Connor’s dissertation is focused on Rosemarie Rizzo Parse, PhD’s humanbecoming paradigm. She currently teaches pharmacology, fundamentals of nursing lab and health assessment lab at the undergraduate level, and her scholarly interests include nursing theory, competency-based nursing education and the human experience of isolation. She earned an MS from Pace University and bachelor’s degrees in nursing and kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Carlos Encina Oleart, PhD, is a visiting associate professor of sociology. A sociologist, journalist and organizational researcher, his work spans policy research, societal analytics, strategic communications and qualitative methodology. As a former investigative journalist and international correspondent for Chile’s La Tercera, he covered major national and global events, including human rights abuses during the Pinochet regime, the 2008 Wall Street financial crisis and international politics. He has advised multinational technology companies on strategic content and taught courses in criminology, gender studies, Latin American politics, the sociology of race and qualitative research methods.

Esi Quaidoo, PhD, is an assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics. A registered dietitian nutritionist and public health researcher, her work spans clinical nutrition consulting, community health and dietetic practice. She previously served as a nutrition consultant at Mission Clinic Accra and worked as a researcher and educator at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She holds a PhD in Public Health from UMass Amherst, an MPhil in Human Nutrition from the University of Ghana and a BSc in Biochemistry from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology.

K. Lynn Robinson, PhD, is assistant professor of . She holds a PhD in Arts Administration, Education and Policy (concentration in art education) from The Ohio State University, began her studies at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Master of Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University. She brings extensive experience in exhibit design and activation for arts institutions as a curatorial and archival assistant, and as a facilitator of community-based art and teacher development in arts integration. Her research expands the definition of educators to include caregivers exploring the arts and community-based interventions to support a “village” model for young Black learners and their caregivers, within and beyond formal schooling. She serves on the editorial review boards of Art Education, Visual Arts Research and the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education, and as an editorial assistant for the Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education.

Jason Spencer, PhD, is assistant professor of communications, teaching and researching AI, emerging media, podcasting, virtual production and immersive storytelling, with a focus on how AI, XR and adaptive learning can support creative practice, personalized education and public communication. He earned his PhD from Texas A&M University, where his work in virtual production and AI-assisted education produced six intellectual property disclosures. His 20-plus years in film, TV and emerging tech include work with PBS, MTV Networks, Bravo, and documentaries by Blackside and Florentine Films, as well as teaching 1,800-plus students at Texas A&M, Prairie View A&M University, The Art Institutes and CUNY. Dr. Spencer’s current work explores how emerging tech can expand human creativity and learning while preserving human judgment, authorship and agency.

Sloan Vahldieck is an assistant teaching professor in the College of Nursing and Public Health. She is a nurse educator and adult nurse practitioner whose career reflects a deep commitment to clinical excellence, student development and community service. She has taught at ��ƽ�� since 2018; after discovering how much she loved teaching, Vahldieck returned to graduate school to pursue her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at ��ƽ��. As an adult nurse practitioner at St. Francis Hospital, she provides comprehensive occupational health services, diagnostic interpretation and employee wellness support. Her earlier roles in the emergency department shaped her expertise in triage, quality assurance, interdisciplinary teamwork and high‑acuity patient care and developed her focus on initiatives that improve safety, strengthen clinical practice and enhance patient outcomes.

Eric Dean Wilson, PhD, is an assistant professor of English and faculty member in the Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing program. He is the author of After Cooling: On Freon, Global Warming, and the Terrible Cost of Comfort (Simon & Schuster, 2021), a work of literary nonfiction weaving the science and history of Freon with reflections on living meaningfully in a warming world. His essays have appeared in The Baffler, Orion, Esquire, Time, and Evergreen Review, among other publications. He holds an MFA in nonfiction writing from The New School and a PhD in English from the CUNY Graduate Center, and previously taught at Wagner College. He is currently writing a book-length work of literary nonfiction for Timber Press.

James Zahardis, PhD, is a visiting assistant professor of chemistry. He earned his doctorate at the University of Vermont and completed postdoctoral fellowships at both The University of Iowa and the University of Vermont. His research expertise centers on physical chemistry, with specializations in aerosols, mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy.

To learn more about the members of ��ƽ��’s faculty, visit our Faculty Profiles.

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Ivana Berlin ’18, JD

cscala — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 15:12:07 +0000

Faculty mentors, including Teaching Professor Stephanie Lake, PhD, and Professor Celeste Kaufman, helped her sharpen her writing, research and media literacy skills, deepen her interest in constitutional law and prepare for a career in civil rights. She later shared that learning as a writing assistant for the course Crime and Punishment.

After graduation, Berlin worked as a paralegal in family and matrimonial law before enrolling at New York Law School with a clear interest in mental health and disability law. She interned with several organizations serving people with disabilities and participated in the school’s Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic. She graduated magna cum laude, served on the New York Law School Law Review, joined the Dean’s Leadership Council and received the Alvin J. Bronstein Civil Rights and Social Justice Award.

Berlin began her legal career as a Wilf Public Interest Legal Fellow with Disability Rights New York (DRNY), a New York Law School-funded postgraduate program that places recent graduates with social justice organizations. Now serving as a staff attorney at the agency—New York state’s federally designated protection and advocacy system—she represents individuals with mental illness in matters involving employment, special education and access to public accommodations. She also monitors facilities for abuse and neglect and contributes to federal class action litigation, including a recent settlement intended to improve community-based mental health services for an estimated 200,000 Medicaid-eligible children statewide.

��ƽ�� honors Berlin for challenging inequitable systems while empowering individual clients with the knowledge and confidence to advocate for themselves.

Member of ��ƽ��’s

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Speaking for the Voiceless: Afra Masud, Our 2026–2027 Newman Civic Fellow

yigarcia — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:50:23 +0000

“I want to inspire people to take charge of their own lives and make the world a better place.”

That’s how Afra Masud describes her purpose. It’s a purpose that has guided her experience as a student leader at ��ƽ��, a podcaster and writer, and as a successful nominee for a prestigious from Campus Compact.

As one of this year’s fellows, she will be able to connect with other student leaders from colleges and universities across the country. She’ll attend an in-person Convening of Fellows, take part in virtual events and work with a mentor to further develop her leadership skills. She’ll also have opportunities to present or publish work through Campus Compact.

For Masud, the fellowship is “an opportunity to learn more about the world and connect with like-minded individuals who want to change the world for the better. I’m looking forward to the many leadership opportunities that come with the program.”

Masud gets around campus in an electric wheelchair, undeterred by the rare genetic disorder osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, which causes her bones to deform and break easily. “My disability has never been a problem for me academically,” she said. “But socially, physically and emotionally, it has always been a struggle. Despite all of this, I’ve never seen my disability as a burden or an obstacle. It’s one of my many superpowers.

“It motivates me to make the world a better place, and reminds me to take care of myself and others,” she added. “Ultimately, my disability is the reason I’m able to do so much. It gives me perspective, hope, courage and a lot of empathy.”

A Voice for the Silenced

The Queens native’s journey as a Panther is fueled by her inherent understanding of others that she has gained through her own experience as a Muslim woman in a wheelchair. She started her podcast drama, The Ugly Princess, in order to be a “voice for those of us who have been silenced and to speak for the voiceless,” she has said.

Masud’s short story “Our Fallen Stars” was published this year in issue. “I wrote about a girl who was named after a star [because] her parents wanted a child who would illuminate the world,” she explained. “This is what a voice can do. Armed with education and love, I aspire to do just that.”

A Campus Leader, a Global Scholar

Masud also met the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult at the Writers & Readers Festival.

From the start at ��ƽ��, she has exhibited a commitment to leadership, community engagement and service, and academic excellence as a sociology major and psychology minor.

“Sociology and psychology are fields about people—how our world works and who we become as individuals are explained in many ways through both fields of study,” she explained.

“One thing that fascinates me the most is what makes a human being so complex and multifaceted,” she added. “This combination has allowed me to get more answers and find more questions about this topic.”

While she has presented the results of a research project on societal reactions to people with antisocial personality disorders and psychopathy at ��ƽ��’s Scholarship and Creative Works Conference, she also explores arts such as filmmaking, sculpture and storytelling.

A student leader, Masud is the secretary of ��ƽ��’s Levermore Global Scholars (LGS) program, which prepares students for leadership roles as global thinkers.

“The thing I value most about LGS is the way it has enriched my college experience,” she said. “The classes that I took for the program have truly changed my life and the way I think about the world. It’s a great experience and a big key to why I love my journey as a Panther so far.”

She has also worked at ��ƽ��’s Innovation Center as an ambassador supporting fellow students’ academic success, and has served as an Office of University Admissions event assistant.

Looking Ahead to a Career Helping Others

“��ƽ�� has taught me a lot about independence and what it means to act on your own values and morals,” Masud said. “I’ve done many things that I never thought I would do before, and I’ve learned how to do many things by myself that I didn’t know how to do two years ago. I believe that I have become more grounded and more able to appreciate the world that I live in.”

It’s a world full of possibilities. “I want to do many things after I graduate,” she said. “I want to go to grad school and become a psychologist. I want to give TED talks. I want to write books about humans and how we make our own world without really realizing it.”

As a Newman Civic Fellow, Masud will be well on her way to honing the leadership skills that will help her meet those goals—now and in the years ahead.

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Yeah, I Got a F#%*ing Job With a Liberal Arts Degree

cscala — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:54:55 +0000

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Opinion: Why Study the Humanities, Anyway?

cscala — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:54:05 +0000

This April, ��ƽ�� hosted its second annual Writers & Readers Festival. More than 200 book lovers from our Garden City community and beyond came together with authors, faculty and students to talk about the vital place literature has in our world. Personally, I most enjoyed listening to current MFA student and poet Ed Mabrey talk with author and broadcaster Alvin Hall about his podcast and book, , a living history project in which Hall examines the legacy of the segregated South via a road trip from Detroit to New Orleans, with the famous Green Book as his guide. Driving the Green Book reminds us that the stories we tell connect us to one another. It insists that in an age of tremendous technological advancement and historical change, understanding what it is to be human matters above all else.

We live in an era of unprecedented access to information and in these moments of extraordinary change, reading books or diving into history seem at best, quaintly out of date, or at worst, an indulgence that cannot create the same opportunity that we see in other growing fields like computer science or marketing. As someone who works in higher education, I can tell you that there is always talk about the demise of the humanities. In moments of technological innovation, these conversations intensify, and yet, these are the points in history that need the humanities the most.

The humanities—the study of literature, language, history or philosophy—offer opportunities to think about why our world is the way it is, and give its students the tools to meet the changes we face. , but not always obvious, even as humanities students find their paths in education, law, business, management and the not-for-profit sector. The humanities invest in processes—developing critical thinking skills, intellectual creativity and flexibility. Put simply, humanities students know how to learn. At ��ƽ��, we have seen our graduates go on to become published authors, teachers, lawyers and technological innovators, finding jobs and building careers in unexpected and thrillingly varied fields. To follow the humanities is to pursue a passion, but that doesn’t mean that those of us who do so have to choose between that and a satisfying and lucrative career. We consider ourselves the lucky ones—more often than not, we can have both.

Here’s the thing about the humanities: The path ahead isn’t always clear. We take a road map, and set out on a path, perhaps stopping to listen to the stories or histories that will guide us on our path, and keep moving forward. As we study the humanities, building vast reserves of intellectual curiosity, empathy and problem-solving skills, we are moving toward jobs that we haven’t yet realized exist—or perhaps even jobs that don’t yet exist. We move with creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit that will serve us well in the world—not only as an employee, or (better yet) a boss, but as a human being, navigating the rapidly changing world with a sense of history, a sense of compassion and a sense of purpose. We understand how history and culture have brought us to this point in time, and we have the ability to imagine what comes next. We are, as Shakespeare put it, makers of manners.

In a world where technology insists that answers can be given instantly, and the world can feel increasingly unsettled, it can be hard to invest in a long-term strategy that can only promise to take you to places you are willing to go. But the outcomes are always worth it.

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History Made! A Look at ��ƽ��’s New Undergraduate Law Review

cscala — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:50:43 +0000

In fact, an MIT list of law reviews shows . Now, thanks to a handful of enterprising students, ��ƽ�� joins the ranks of elite institutions like Columbia University, Trinity College and Cornell University in hosting its own official undergraduate journal dedicated to exploring legal topics and ideas.

The is the brainchild of Peyton DeRouen, an ��ƽ�� criminal justice major and political science minor. Like many students considering law school who seek career assistance, she visited the Office of Pre-Professional Advising and Fellowships for guidance when she first started at ��ƽ��. “The director gave me the outline of the law school admissions process as well as what ��ƽ�� had that was pre‑law-oriented in terms of clubs and other initiatives,” she recalled, referring to David Oroza, director of pre‑professional advising and fellowships. “I immediately saw an opportunity.”

Oroza emphasized his office’s mission. “The Office of Pre-Professional Advising and Fellowships is devoted to the success of our students,” he said. “Our goal is to help them get into graduate school. Students contemplating careers in healthcare and law professions receive individualized guidance.”

The AULR Origin Story

A transfer student, DeRouen approached the only other student, at the time, who she knew was interested in pre-law—Samina Radia, who would become AULR’s managing editor—to help spread the word to others and gauge interest in a law review for undergrads. She researched how to form a club on campus, drafted a constitution and filled out the required paperwork. In August 2024, she put out a call for e-board applications, leading her to meet now co-editor in chief Sophia Sewpersad, a business management and English double major. The rest of the team was set by September and the first law review was published in the Spring of 2025, only a year after its formation.

Article topics in the first volume range from divorce and domestic violence to abortion and birth control rights, and international humanitarian law during armed conflict to the balance of power between federal and state in the United States.

The Benefits of Law Reviews

Law reviews allow undergraduates to develop critical legal writing and research skills, gain experience with the publication process and contribute to the broader legal academic conversation on contemporary issues. ��ƽ��’s student-run publication dives into timely topics, from landmark law cases to emerging debates, providing the reader with well-thought-out and researched arguments while benefiting the writer by providing an opportunity to hone their critical thinking and writing skills.

“At the law school level, law review articles shape legal academia—and are often cited in Supreme Court decisions,” DeRouen explained. “In today’s climate, law and policy affect our daily lives. Writing about them is a way for undergrad students to use their voice and engage beyond social media.” It is also a good way to “build your résumé and professional network,” Sewpersad added.

AULR is not just for pre‑law students; it offers tangible benefits to any student who writes, researches or thinks critically, including, but not limited to, English, , history and environmental studies majors. All are welcome and encouraged to submit.

“Law lies at the intersection of so many different fields,” said Sung Hoon Kim, JD, AULR faculty adviser and assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science who earned his juris doctorate from NYU School of Law. “In law school, you meet people who majored in various subjects, and the discourse of legal academia benefits from having this diversity of perspective. Having an undergraduate law review is a great opportunity for students to explore and advocate for a topic they care about and to have that work published. Who knows, this experience might even convince you to consider attending law school.”

The Process to Get Published

The AULR team is dedicated to helping those interested in submitting an article easily navigate the process, hosting informational workshops as well as those on best citation practices. After students submit their abstract and article through the , the submissions go through a peer review process and a round of editing before being returned to the author for two cycles of revisions. “Peer review is essential,” Sewpersad said. “We require legitimate sources, with information drawn from scholarly or official sources. We emphasize that truth is grounded in sources that are double-, triple- and quadruple-checked.”

��ƽ��’s Support System

No student‐run enterprise thrives in isolation—between assistance from the Office of Pre‑Professional Advising and Fellowships and faculty advisers and other supporters, the AULR has benefited from a strong network of guidance and encouragement. By offering events, workshops and mentorship, ��ƽ�� creates the conditions for students to translate interest into action—with AULR as a vivid example where student initiative, infrastructure, faculty support and a mission to amplify legal voices all intersect.

“The faculty response has been overwhelmingly supportive, and already this semester, new students are showing interest in the Law Review,” Sewpersad said. “It’s a really good opportunity, and I’m happy to be part of it.”

Looking Ahead

Submissions for the Spring 2026 journal are now and are being accepted on a rolling basis with a deadline of March 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. EST. Articles, research papers, essays and commentaries are welcome from all students and faculty at any university in any program of study as long as the submission relates to legal issues.

AULR, though new, already demonstrates that when students work together with support and rigor, learning goes beyond grades—it becomes contribution. “I’d love to see the AULR grow to be recognized beyond campus, with the goal to grow it into a nationally heralded law publication,” DeRouen said.

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��ƽ�� Hosts High School Students for Annual Human Rights Awareness Conference

edinda — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 14:57:47 +0000

On February 7, 2024, ��ƽ�� once again welcomed high school students from across Nassau County to the Ruth S. Harley University Center for the Human Rights Awareness Conference.

Sarah Eltabib, associate teaching professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, presented the workshop “Global Human Rights Defenders in Action.”

This collaboration began in 2007 with the ��ƽ�� College of Education and Health Sciences and was held every year until it was discontinued due to the pandemic. After five years, the conference has returned, with the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) stepping up, in partnership with the (NCCHR), the first conference the College has co-sponsored. In addition to attending the conference, students could explore the Garden City campus and learn about ��ƽ�� programs, such as Levermore Global Scholars and Artivism.

“��ƽ�� has been a staple in the community for a long time,” said Rodney McRae, executive director of the NCCHR. He explained that the conference gives students a place to get off their phones and meet in person to discuss important issues.

The conference attracted about 300 students from about 20 high schools, along with their teachers.

Maria Rivera, human relations representative of the NCCHR, said the conference “exposes the children to college life, and we share the same vision to try to help the community.”

Argie Agelarakis, adjunct faculty, introduced attendees to the Artivism initiative.

The conference began with a continental breakfast and a welcome speech by Susan Briziarelli, PhD, associate provost for faculty support and global affairs and interim director of Levermore Global Scholars. Her remarks were followed by Artivism: The Power of Art for Social Transformation, presented by Stephanie Lake, PhD, associate teaching professor and interim chair of sociology, Argie Agelarakis, MA ’00, adjunct faculty member, and student leader River Gorman.

Artivism is about activism through art, and how art can be used for self-expression or to fight for human rights. “I think that high school students are at an age where they can start thinking about human rights and fighting for injustices in the world, and that can be a good starting point for their activism through the rest of their lives,” said Gorman.

High School Students Speak

The students were able to attend three out of the nine workshops offered, so every student had the opportunity to learn something different and share with their fellow classmates. During the LGS workshop “Global Human Rights Defenders in Action,” presented by Sarah Eltabib, associate teaching professor, high school students gave examples of important qualities that leaders should have. “LGS creates those leaders of change to be the human rights defenders at the University and beyond the University,” Professor Eltabib said. And while it is extremely important for high school students to be learning the roots of human rights, she believes that it should be taught to kids even younger.

Through this workshop and others like it, high school students connected with students from other schools and shared ideas.

Ariel Boodhram, an 11th-grader from Mepham High School, said, “I think it’s important that everybody learns inclusivity because it’s taught in high schools, but to learn about it in this big group atmosphere, and learning about (inclusivity) from different perspectives, it helps us to relate to it more and be more aware of what’s going on in the world.”

Danya Zaidi, another 11th-grader from Mepham High School, said that some schools may be less diverse than others, and the conference gave students the opportunity to share perspectives. She said, “I think it’s important [for high school students to attend] because although past generations have built the platform for us, we need to grow that platform more and be able to have more diversity and inclusivity in our schools and in our own community.”

The day ended with a special performance by two students, ninth-grader Liam O’Farrell and 10th-grader Sierra McDaniel, as Walt Whitman and Bell Boyd meeting in the afterlife. Maria Cristina Zaccarini, PhD, professor of history, said, “The performance shows the way that ��ƽ�� helps students make their course content — in this case, the life of Walt Whitman — meaningful to their own lives. The character of the student expresses frustration with thinking that there is no value in studying a person who lived over 100 years ago, but the dialogue suggests that there is a human connection that persists despite the passage of time.”

Due to the success of this year’s conference, the College of Arts and Sciences is looking forward to co-sponsoring the conference next year as well.

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Hidden in Plain Sight No More: Professor and Students Research the Lives of New York City’s Mexican Tamal Vendors

edinda — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 13:20:02 +0000

During Summer of 2022, Jacqueline Olvera, PhD, director of Latin American and Latinx Studies and associate professor of sociology, was in Central Harlem, where she saw shopping carts chained to posts that she learned were used by Mexican immigrant women who sell tamals and other food items. Her interest was piqued, and during her sabbatical in Fall 2022 she began focusing her research on these tamal sellers who frequent the street corners of upper Manhattan.

She gathered information on a dozen vendors. Her plan was to include one student in her fieldwork during the Summer of 2023 who would help her expand this sample. Thanks to an ��ƽ�� Faculty Development Grant, she was able to offer four students, from various majors, invaluable social science research experience. These students expanded the group to about 40 tamal vendors. The additional field researchers also allowed Dr. Olvera to grow the geographic area covered and the times of day: She focused on Central Harlem and Upper Manhattan; the students expanded it to East Harlem and the Upper West Side. Mornings were her primary time for fieldwork; students covered into the afternoon.

“There’s something about getting students out of the controlled environment—it’s an opportunity for them to understand that the social world is a lab and one can do research outside the typical STEM lab,” said Dr. Olvera. “It’s also a chance for us to have more mentor/mentee relationships between professors and students.”

Student Researchers Gain Valuable Experience in Social Science

A tamal vendor’s table on a Manhattan street

Every week, the student researchers—Erica Criollo, Katherine Huerta Ruiz, Anna Varveris and Izzy Villa—took photos, wrote field notes or recorded voice memos, contributed to the building of a database on tamal vending, interviewed women and “hung out” to understand these practically invisible members of New York City, the intricacies of tamal vending and the ways in which Mexican women cobble together their economic futures, Dr. Olvera explained.

Varveris, a junior, is an international relations major, a member of both the Honors College and Levermore Global Scholars program and vice president of the Latino Student Association. After her summer fieldwork, she decided to add a sociology minor.

She said she learned about street vending, cultural adaptations, familial relationships, field research, collecting qualitative/quantitative data, cultural retention, immigration, economics, politics and urban sociology, and “about a subculture that not many people know about or pay attention to,” she said. “The experience allowed me to reflect on my own experiences as a Dominican American and has prepared me better for my future academic and career prospects in working with nonprofit organizations and addressing public policy gaps.”

Villa, a criminal justice and languages and cultures major who’s now completed her degree, had been thinking about going on to a master’s as well as doctoral program—but had never done this sort of research.

“I learned so much in six weeks, such as building a rapport with the women I would sit with every morning or afternoon,” she said. “Many of them are wary about speaking to strangers about their lives, so making a connection with them and building an honest relationship is super important and helpful.

“Selling tamals, or really any food vending, is a science,” Villa added. “One must decide the price of everything, what exactly they are selling, at what time, in what location, who their demographic will be, and when everything will get made. They’ve earned much of my respect, and as a Latina, I am very proud to see how my people have worked so their generations can thrive higher.”

Focusing on Hispanic Cultures and Populations

Dr. Olvera plans to continue the research and share results at professional conferences soon. She also will be using some of what she’s learned so far with her classes, including a sociology class on immigration this fall. She also notes that the work gives more grounding to ��ƽ��’s Latin American and Latinx Studies program—and further illustrates how students and professors can use the proximity to New York City to further knowledge and education.

“For our students who are Latinx, it’s a way to better understand their own cultures and language. For those who are not, it’s a way to learn about other cultures and put their language study to use,” said Dr. Olvera, who herself has been studying the Mixteco language of Mexico’s Oaxaca and Guerrero states, particularly the mountainous areas where many of the tamal vendors are from.

Dr. Olvera’s research and its involvement of students also help make the case for ��ƽ�� becoming an officially designated , as defined by the U.S. Department of Education.

Varveris added, “There is so much to learn from everyday life that we may not be aware of, but that could inspire research like Professor Olvera’s, just by pausing and looking at things more closely or talking to people.”

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Latin American Studies Becomes Latin American and Latinx Studies, Aims for New Relevance for Today’s Students

ckatz — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 20:41:39 +0000

She succeeded Raysa Amador, PhD, now professor emerita of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, who became the first head of the program in the early 1970s. Dr. Olvera began planning a transition for the program, based on review of the program over two years with a group of faculty colleagues.

As of late 2022, the program is now called Latin American and Latinx Studies (LAS), reflecting more inclusion of the American experience of those with Latin American roots.

“We’ll continue to study Latin America but bring in the U.S. population, the diaspora,” Dr. Olvera said. “We’ll remain global but also focus on the domestic side of migration, education and culture.”

A New Core Course: Latinidad

In Fall 2022, the first offering of a new foundational course, Latinidad, was designed by Dr. Olvera and taught by Sandra Castro, PhD, associate dean of the College of Professional and Continuing Studies and adviser for the Latino Student Association since 2016.

“Something like 24 out of the 26 students in the course were Latinx, most of them born in the U.S., many first-generation college students, with diverse majors,” said Dr. Castro. “We had faculty as guest lecturers from history, social work, art, English, philosophy, and African, Black and Caribbean Studies.”

The Latinidad course is cross-disciplinary and provides historical context and nuance to the diversity of Latinx stories and voices. There will be other courses connected to the program that will help students understand the connection between Latin American and Latinx cultures, and also connections with the rest of the world.

For Spring 2023, the Latinidad course is being taught by Marcos Gonsalez, PhD, assistant professor of English, whose teaching and research areas include Latinx and queer/trans literature.

LAS program goals include creating and cultivating connections to the Latino community outside of ��ƽ�� in the region, most particularly in Hempstead, New York, solidifying connections among ��ƽ�� programs—such as African, Black and Caribbean Studies—and developing study abroad programs.

Exploring Identity and Celebrating Music With a February 28 Event

Dr. Olvera plans for the program to sponsor more events, the first of which is Eddie’s Perejil: A Latinx Story of Confronting History and Love of Homeland on February 28.

�ʱ��ᾱ��—“parsley” in Spanish—refers to what is known as the Parsley Massacre, in which Dominican soldiers killed thousands of Haitians. Edward Paulino, PhD, author, playwright and assistant professor of history at John Jay College (CUNY), wrote and performs this production in which he plays a New York Dominican college student who reflects on this tragic event as well as the history of genocide, race, border relations, nation building and the African diaspora.

Before the February 28 event, there will be a reception for new ��ƽ�� admitted students. There will also be performances by Micah Oelze, PhD, assistant professor of history, who is also an accomplished guitarist.

Enriching Their Academic Experiences With a Minor in Latin American and Latinx Studies

Fiorella Albines, a senior political science major, and fellow senior and criminal justice major Savannah Mendez are minoring in Latin American and Latinx Studies.

“I am proud of my Latino heritage and wanted to dive into the different topics surrounding the community,” Albines said. “I found myself discussing topics that are otherwise overlooked and have been normalized within the older Latino generation. Minoring in Latin American and Latinx Studies has equipped me to have difficult conversations by expanding my knowledge about the long-standing history of the Latino community.”

Mendez noted, “I wanted to take classes that would allow me to diversify my education, especially about individuals whose stories are often not represented in the curriculum of higher education. This was particularly important to me as a Latina, since I wanted to expand my knowledge about the history of my ancestors. The Latinidad course helped to provide a baseline to explore the concept of Latinidad through an interdisciplinary lens—discovering its origins, impacts, and so much more.”

Program Director’s Research Focuses on Latinx Women

An associate professor of sociology, Dr. Olvera is conducting research on Mexican migrants in the New York City area who make and sell tamales and atole (a warm beverage made of grain—in this case, corn). One student who was in the fall Latinidad course will be a summer research assistant for Dr. Olvera, who explained that students will have opportunities to explore their own research interests.

“I think one of the most important things Latin American and Latinx Studies will do is provide ways for students to find in coursework and research an interest in their own culture and own history,” she said, adding, “There are many students who can benefit from this program, and they don’t all have to be Latino students. Even taking just one course can be useful. I see us as taking well-thought-out steps to ensure the program’s continued success.”

See more about Latin American and Latinx Studies as well as Dr. Olvera’s plans for the next several years.

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