Four out of the 25 Fellows who comprise the latest class at the prestigious CUNY Leadership Academy are from CSI, making the College’s contingent the largest in this year’s Academy. They include Qimei Luo, Jimmy Domdeth, Linda Gomez, and Katrina Hannan.

“I was so thrilled and excited to know that I have been selected as one of 25 fellows by the CUNY Leadership Academy,” says Luo, a Corporate Communications major with a 3.836 GPA who came to the U.S. from China three years ago. “Being selected is an honor but not an award. It is just beginning of a challenging journey.”

Katrina Hannan, who is double majoring in English and Psychology with a 3.9 GPA, is also excited about being selected, noting that “Out of all the CUNY schools, they chose me. Therefore, I feel blessed, and also accountable for upholding a good reputation for the College of Staten Island.”

Linda Gomez, who is a returning adult student majoring in Early Childhood Education, comments that she is “grateful for this opportunity to have been accepted into the CUNY Leadership Academy. The CLA allows me the opportunity to attend workshops on developing my leadership skills, and helps with my individual professional development.”

CSI’s fourth Leadership Academy Fellow, Jimmy Domdeth, a first-year graduate student in the Master’s of Neuroscience program at CSI and the CUNY Graduate Center, could not be reached for comment.

Regarding the large CSI contingent in the Academy this year, Dr. Jerald Jones-Woolfolk, CSI Vice President for Student Affairs, says “In the Division of Student Affairs, we are all very excited about CSI having the largest group of Fellows in the CUNY Leadership Academy this year. We are excited, but not surprised. Our staff is committed to student leadership development, and through our programs and services, we prepare students for this kind of success. Our students are very committed to excellence and extremely engaged with the College community, which ensures their success in and out of the classroom.”

The Leadership Academy Fellows are able to attend the Academy thanks to a $125,000 grant to CUNY from the Verizon Foundation, which presents $5,000 scholarships to each Fellow to cover the cost of tuition and fees for the 2009-2010 academic year.

The Fellows Program is the Academy’s signature program and provides a unique academic and co-curricular opportunity for students who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership on their campuses and in their communities. Each week, the Fellows hone their leadership skills as they meet with Academy staff for workshops.

The year-long program brings together best practices in leadership development from across CUNY. This year’s Fellows represent 16 CUNY colleges, 20 majors, and all five boroughs of New York City, and highlight the diversity of students at CUNY.

Last year, CSI sent three student leaders to the inaugural class of the CUNY Leadership Academy. All of the Leadership Academy Fellows are graduates of the CSI Office of Student Life’s Emerging Leaders Program.