Category: Student Stories

Doshi Rahman, a Student Government senator and orientation leader, has recently returned from her CUNY Service Corps stint in Puerto Rico. Read more about Doshi and her experience at NECHAMA.org.

CUNY – Samantha Wong was born with dwarfism. When she was in high school, she began to realize she could channel her energy to bring about positive change. Wong, who graduated from the College of Staten Island on May 30, has kept on working to make a difference — and her efforts have benefited many others along the way. Read more on the CUNY Website.

Mahima Hettiarachchi, a Mechanical Engineering student at the College of Staten Island, gathered four of her fellow students from the Center for Global Engagement, and a friend from Baruch College, and took the initiative to tidy up the back entrance of the Willowbrook campus, early this month.

Mahima said of the project, which involved picking up plastic bags, bottles, and other trash in an area that naturally collects a lot of refuse, “I decided to come up with the green clean project, which would [make] the College premises clean and environmentally friendly. As an Engineering Science student, I believe that we need to protect our planet and prevent any further damage done to the environment.

The other members of the clean-up crew were Mechanical Engineering students Adarsh Bahadur, Maheshi Rajasekara, and Melvin Sumemrville; Computer Engineering major Sachin Stanly; and Madushan Pussewala, a Marketing major from Baruch College.

 

Mohammed Islam has recently become the College of Staten Island’s first student to be selected for a grant from the Fund for Education Abroad (FEA), a partner of the Institute for International Education that provides scholarships and ongoing support to students who are underrepresented among the U.S. study abroad population. FEA grants are highly competitive, with only about 5.86 percent of the applicant pool selected annually.

Commenting on receiving this honor, Mohammed said, “I feel honored and humbled by receiving this grant because it is a very competitive scholarship. The chances to fund my study abroad without FEA would have been very dim if they did not see me as a deserving candidate. I thank them for their generosity.”

Mohammed will use his grant to participate in a medical internship this summer at Fes University Hospital in Morocco, a program led by Prof. Abdeslem El Idrissi, which gives students the opportunity to shadow physicians within the Moroccan health care system, as well as conduct a presentation on the case studies they will encounter. Mohammed, an aspiring physician, will also use this opportunity to enhance his fluency in Arabic, as he plans to work with institutions such as Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization in the future.

Mohammed is a student of the Verrazano School Honors Program as well as the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), and has participated extensively in College and community initiatives, including serving as President of CSI’s Muslim Student Association, where he seeks to foster a sense of campus community among his fellow students. He has also made a difference for residents of the New York City Housing Authority by participating in an Advisory Group on Smoking and Health, which resulted in the implementation of smoking cessation policies within their buildings. He has additionally interned at Staten Island University Hospital by attending to patients via the Emergency Room Ambassador Program, an opportunity obtained through the CUNY Service Corps. Through a demonstration of his strong work ethic and outstanding manner with patients, Mohammed was hired as a scribe last year, where he works under the guidance of Emergency Department physicians.

Commenting on his CSI experience and how it has affected his receipt of this award, Mohammed said, “My time at CSI has contributed to this achievement in various ways; I am a first-generation college student and navigating college is certainly a challenge for me. However, I have had the fortune to be surrounded by amazing professors and advisors who went above and beyond to guide and assist me throughout my collegiate career. I would like to give special thanks to Dr. El-Idrissi,-Biology Department, for always believing in me and granting me the chance to do research in his lab. He introduced me to the Summer Medical Internship/Research Programs in Morocco that students take part in every summer and has encouraged me to take part year after year. Another special person who helped contribute to this lofty accomplishment was Michele Callahan from the fellowship and scholarship office. She has also been a continuous gift who has guided me all along my undergraduate years and helped me revise my essays and prepared me for the interview! I am very grateful for all the love, support, and guidance I have received from both Michele and Dr. El-Idrissi, and the rest of CSI.”

After his studies in Morocco, Mohammed noted that, “I plan to finish my undergraduate degree (only Biology Minor left!), prepare for the Medical College Assessment Test, and start my application for medical school.”

 

Amanda Tukaj, a Verrazano School Honors Program student, Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship recipient, and Journalism major at CSI, has recently been accepted into Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism for Fall 2019.

Commenting on her recent acceptance, Amanda said, “I am extremely excited to have been accepted into the Columbia School of Journalism. I put a lot of work into my application and have been trying to better myself not only academically as a student, but also professionally and personally over the last four years. I’ve been aspiring to become a journalist since I was about nine-years-old, so having been accepted into one of the most prestigious and longstanding journalism schools in the country is an honor. It all feels a bit like a dream still.”

While pursuing her degree at CSI, Amanda has engaged in initiatives to further her writing by composing profiles of former students for features in the College of Staten Island Alumni Newsletter. Amanda has also complemented her degree with a minor in Political Science, as her future goals include addressing issues surrounding bias in news reporting.

As a Watson Fellow, Amanda interned in the United Kingdom last summer for Reporters Without Borders, an international organization that advocates for freedom of information and the press. She has additionally interned at the Gotham Gazette in Manhattan, where she gained experience writing and publishing articles regarding New York City and State policy issues.

Recalling her academic career at the College, Amanda remarked, “My time at CSI has been very valuable to me. If I were not a student of the Verrazano Honors program, I don’t think I would have had the chance at the number of opportunities I’ve been given. Thanks to the resources available at CSI, I was able to make my four years here meaningful.” She also noted her Watson internships, and added, “I think having those experiences on my résumé really set my application apart and gave me a chance.”

Looking to the future, Amanda stated, “After I complete the MS program at Columbia and graduate, I plan to work for a media organization in the city for either print, broadcast, or digital journalism. Ideally, I’d want to write about international politics, but I’m open to exploring a lot of different media fields and seeing what comes out of that. I don’t necessarily have one singular ‘dream job’. I think it’s important to be flexible and to adapt when it comes to jobs in journalism because it’s undergoing a great deal of change at the moment. Some might argue ‘journalism is dead’, but I don’t think so. I believe the way in which we go about producing and distributing our media is simply changing. I know Columbia will prepare me for those changes, and I’m looking forward to learning as much as I possibly can.”

Art student Margaret Ricciardi, who still attends classes at CSI at the age of 104, was recently interviewed in the April 2018 edition of CUNY TV’s Study with the Best.

CSI Senior Isaac Kovnator, a Cinema Studies major, and former Vice President of the Gay-Straight Alliance at CSI,  published an article on the “Moving beyond marches: How you can become an activist in your community” on the amp Website.