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Alexa Slack ’23 has made a significant impact while at ���ҹ�����. Earning a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and a minor in public health, she’s excelled admirably in the classroom—earning an impressive 3.96 GPA and establishing herself as one of ���ҹ�����’s highest achieving students.

At the same time, she’s also dedicated her undergraduate years to helping others; serving as a mentor to younger students while proving to be an effective leader through several different leadership roles across multiple organizations. Her commitment to service has been duly recognized by the ���ҹ�����—she was presented the 2023 Westchester Campus Community Service Award, an award that is presented to only one graduating senior, recognized for their outsized impact to the surrounding community through social responsibility.

Alexa has long been an advocate for student needs, empowering her fellow ���ҹ����� Setters to thrive in their own undergraduate experiences. This skill of hers has been on display for several semesters now as a University 101 Peer Leader, through which Alexa co-taught and mentored 21 first-year honors students with assistance from a faculty advisor, equipping them with the know-how and support to succeed socially and academically.

“It wasn’t something I initially set out to do,” says Alexa of her role as a Peer Leader. She notes that she was swayed by the support and enthusiasm of Honors College Senior Staff Associate Carol Turco, whose mentorship has played a major role throughout Alexa’s college career—ultimately inspiring Alexa to become a mentor to others.

“I love getting to interact with the younger students and guide them as they adjust to life at ���ҹ�����, and help them grow,” adds Alexa.

I love getting to interact with the younger students and guide them as they adjust to life at ���ҹ�����, and help them grow.

Alexa will graduate as one of the College of Health Profession’s brightest stars, but her path to health sciences wasn’t exactly straightforward. In fact, she entered ���ҹ����� not as CHP student, but as a prospective political science major. After taking some courses in health science, Alexa realized the policy and community change she was seeking in political science may in fact be more impactful through working for meaningful change in health care.

“I switched into health sciences and I took my first class, which was Health Care Ethics with Sheryl Scalzo. I fell in love with the subject of health sciences and public health.”

Slack credits professionalism of the CHP faculty and the high quality of the health sciences program for helping her find her professional calling. After graduation, Slack will be pursuing a master’s degree in epidemiology at The George Washington University—building upon her studies as an undergraduate to help implement holistic models of public health that look beyond individual-level diagnosis.

“One of my favorite things about epidemiology and public health is that it looks at the whole community—it gets down systemic roots of diseases and different healthcare inequities that I think is very, very important.”

Wherever the future takes Alexa, we know the communities she serves will have a fearless advocate, intent on fostering positive change through action.

Camden Robertson ’23 is busy.

It’s her final year at ���ҹ����� as a double major in peace and justice studies and political science. She’s minoring in creative writing, a member of the Pforzheimer Honors College, and a 2022 United Nations Millennium Fellow. She helped bring affordable online healthcare to students on campus through a healthcare startup, has been a Peer Advocate Against Sexual Assault for three years, and she won a Girard Cannon Award for Poetry in 2021.

Oh, and did we mention she’s graduating early?

Her packed schedule has had no negative impact on her enthusiasm for the work she’s doing, however. In fact, she credits her time at ���ҹ����� for her passion for equity. “I think my work in peace and justice studies have really informed my interests as a student and my eventual career path,” she says. “Peace and justice studies is a field uniquely situated at assessing social justice issues and inequalities in the present day and creating a more sustainable vision for the future. I think the research I have done has really put me in touch with the social justice issues I’m activated on outside of school.”

I think the research I have done has really put me in touch with the social justice issues I’m activated on outside of school.

Camden was recently featured in a , where she discussed her passion for affordable, online healthcare for students and how her work at Caraway, an independent healthcare start-up, is helping bring that to fruition. “Caraway is a start-up healthcare company specifically for women and people who were assigned female at birth in college,” Camden explains.

The outside work she did with Caraway went hand-in-hand with her work as one of ���ҹ�����’s Peer Advocates Against Sexual Assault (PAASA), and she utilized ���ҹ�����’s Office of Sexual and Interpersonal Wellness to help spread the word. “We went to a Reproductive Justice 101 panel and spoke to the importance of accessible healthcare, specifically online. We came up with a toolkit for abortion resources for students in New York City,” she says. “���ҹ����� students are extremely activated by social justice, so our goal was to create events that spoke to that.”

Camden has experience creating this type of programming through her work as a member of PAASA. She and five other students provide confidential support to members of the ���ҹ����� Community who have experienced interpersonal violence. Camden says, “Our other responsibility is to create workshops and events around healthy relationships, bystander intervention, consent, hookup culture, and more.”

���ҹ����� students are extremely activated by social justice, so our goal was to create events that spoke to that.

As a UN Millennium Fellow, she focused on three (good health and wellbeing) and five (gender equality) by creating a bystander intervention toolkit for individual use and through the Office of Sexual and Interpersonal Wellness. She also gained political experience working with a political consulting firm that recruits progressive women to run for office in her home state of Connecticut.

These experiences are not only informing her work with Caraway and PAASA, but also helping open paths for her future career. “I’ve been lucky in my undergrad experience to have a lot of work with nonprofit membership orgs and advocacy and that is where I want to continue to be, but maybe not in the capacity that I have been in the past,” she says. “Where I really want to focus my attention now is research and academia. My plan is to take a year after graduation to work and then go back to school and eventually get my PhD. That experience of doing the undergraduate research experience really in depth about something I was really passionate about solidified my interest in research. That’s where I want to end up.”

It’s the support I’ve had here at ���ҹ����� that has given me the motivation to do the work that I’m doing.

Camden has managed to fit a lot into her three years of undergraduate education, and she believes that tight deadline is part of why she has felt so driven. “I’ve felt the drive to fit as much as I can in the three years. Sometimes I find myself wishing I had that additional year to just continue to be at ���ҹ����� and work with my network here.”

But that’s really where she feels the credit is due, the network she has built right here at ���ҹ�����. “My drive really comes from the network that is available to me at ���ҹ����� and in New York City. Specifically, my faculty in my majors. These are a group of professors that are so motivated by student need and passion,” Camden says. “It’s the support I’ve had here at ���ҹ����� that has given me the motivation to do the work that I’m doing.”

Wherever her passions take her after graduation, Camden’s advocacy for the wellness of her peers will certainly leave a lasting mark on the ���ҹ����� Community that so inspired her.

For more information on PAASA and other sexual and interpersonal wellness resources, visit The Office of Sexual and Interpersonal Wellness. Learn more about ���ҹ�����'s Wellness initiative.

“All it took was a little idea.”

Tasfia Rahim ’23 is set to walk across the Commencement stage later this month with a BA in Political Science, a BA in Economics, and a Community Service Award. But she’s leaving one of her greatest accomplishments behind, right here at ���ҹ�����.

Back in 2020, Tasfia Rahim ‘23, Alex Kennedy ‘22, and Marisa Medici ’22 had a small idea. They had long been acquainted with jokes of college students surviving off ramen or sleeping through meals, but the pandemic brought the issue of food insecurity into even sharper focus as they saw food pantry lines stretching across their neighborhoods. Newly selected as UN Millennium Fellows, they came together with an idea for a project: tackling food insecurity on campus.

For a year, they conceptualized an idea, collaborated across multiple University departments, and finally solidified their idea. They established Fare Trade, a mutual aid fund where students could re-allocate meal plan dollars to students in need. Beyond running and marketing the program, they also planned to help fortify existing food insecurity services and raise awareness.

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Fare Trade launched in the Spring semester of 2022. In the meantime, both Alex and Marisa have graduated, leaving Tasfia to continue the custodianship of the program on her own. Now, three semesters later, Fare Trade is stronger than ever and is firmly established as an institution created by students, for students.

The shape of Fare Trade has grown but by its very nature, it’s ever-evolving. “During our first semester, we distributed $500, but last semester we saw significantly less,” Tasfia explains. Interestingly, that dip in donations may come from Fare Trade’s mission of raising awareness about food insecurity. “There was so much conversation about food insecurity, and students rising up to voice their concerns,” Tasfia explains. “So, their mindset was less about giving but rather about having their voices heard.”

Little passion projects like that makes such a huge difference to students.

Fortunately, those conversations did elevate the issue and ignited action from across the University. New York City’s Student Government Association rose to the challenge and donated $5,000 to Fare Trade to be distributed. Which proved necessary, as Fare Trade’s dip in donations coincided with a rise in number of appeals. Fare Trade began with 10 applicants in the first year to now 96―likely, once more, the result of raised awareness, and expected to grow. With this help from SGA, Fare Trade distributed $5,538.50 to 50 students in need this spring.

���ҹ����� also launched a Food Insecurity task force, where Tasfia participates in the funding group. “There’s only so much students can do for each other, the University needs to take a step to address this issue. Which they are now with the Food Insecurity Taskforce,” Tasfia says. “There’s a lot of conversation, which I appreciate. Now we need to see action.” Since its founding, ���ҹ����� has urged community members to support food assistance programs currently in place, created a permanent food pantry on the Pleasantville Campus, and is currently re-evaluating meal plan options for students.

The program is in safe hands, even after Tasfia graduates. Fare Trade is now officially recognized and falls under the umbrella of the Dean for Student’s department, ensuring its longevity. Even more encouraging is that the Fare Trade Coordinator will be a work-study position, empowering student workers to dedicate the time and effort Fare Trade demands. “It’s a lot of work because there’s so much communication, not only with the student body but also with the administration and other collaborators,” Tasfia explains. And even better? “With our expansion onto the Westchester Campus in the fall, they’ll be a paid coordinator position on both campuses.”

I never anticipated my freshman year that when I graduated I’d have this big project—a legacy—I’m leaving behind.

She’s not just excited about where Fare Trade will go but is thrilled to see other students rising up to make an impact. “So many good things come out ���ҹ����� and especially the UN Millennium Fellowship, such as the period poverty project. I love that there are now so many period products in the bathrooms, I see such a big change… See? Little passion projects like that makes such a huge difference to students.”

Tasfia’s plan for after graduation is to continue on to law school, but in the short term she’s excited to see what new passion project grips her.

“I never anticipated my freshman year that when I graduated I’d have this big project—a legacy—I’m leaving behind. I would have never guessed,” says Tasfia. But according to her, that’s what is special about ���ҹ�����. “You will find your community somewhere here. Someone shares the same values as you and you’re going to help each other work on something you care about. It’s amazing that ���ҹ����� gives these platforms to students, and that’s something I’ll always appreciate.”

Learn more about the food insecurity initiatives and programs at ���ҹ�����.

“I think the big philosophical takeaway for me was—as an employee and worker at ���ҹ�����—being a student at ���ҹ����� gave me the fullest understanding of what we’re all about.”

Later this month, Jerry McKinstry will walk the Commencement stage at Arthur Ashe Stadium to receive an MA in Communications and Digital Media. Jerry, however, is far from your traditional student. After an accomplished career spanning multiple decades in journalism, this will be Jerry’s second graduate degree.

But perhaps more notably, Jerry’s day job is not exactly a walk in the park—he’s the Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs here at ���ҹ�����.

“I was in my mid-20s, and I was looking into graduate school,” recounts Jerry. “The two paths I was looking at were journalism and film. I’ve always loved film, but at the time journalism felt like the more practical approach. I chose journalism, it was a good decision that led to a fantastic career.”

After receiving an MS in Communication and Journalism from Iona College in 2001, Jerry went on to wear a number of different hats as a journalist—evolving from a local reporter, to a political correspondent, to an investigative reporter, and later to a television commentator on politics and government, working for outlets including The Journal News and Newsday. His breadth of experience then took him to political communications, campaign work, and public relations, which is what ultimately led Jerry to ���ҹ����� in August of 2018.

Jerry—who stresses the importance of being a lifelong learner—picked up many unique, interrelated skills over the course of his career.

“I was a print journalist, a writer, but also in front of the camera,” notes McKinstry. But, as he recalls, he had always wanted to learn what was happening behind the camera.

His interest in film, if anything, had grown over the years with his appreciation of the technical expertise of camerawork and editing. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, while spending his increasingly long days ensuring University operations and messaging were running smoothly, the unique circumstances of 2020 enabled him to think more deeply about pursuing knowledge in film—knowledge that he had been thinking about pursuing for almost two decades.

“I thought, this master’s program is a great opportunity—learning the aspects of production, camerawork, lighting. All the technical stuff I never learned on the job in journalism.”

I thought, this master’s program is a great opportunity—learning the aspects of production, camerawork, lighting. All the technical stuff I never learned on the job in journalism.

A few short weeks later Jerry was officially enrolled in Dyson’s MA in Digital Communications and Media, with a concentration in digital media and film production. Soon, he was spending his evenings immersing himself in the world of film and documentary production. Soon after that, he was spending countless nights in the editing lab, losing track of time while taking in all of the information he could.

“It’s been one of my favorite experiences at ���ҹ�����; one of my best experiences in an academic setting in my entire life. I just loved learning about film, production, documentary film-making.”

Through the program, Jerry was an integral crew-member of two documentaries. The first, , an in-depth look at the relationship between nature, oyster farmers, modern technology, and restaurants, has garnered considerable acclaim and awards at multiple film festivals, including Best Student Documentary at the Williamsburg International Film Festival and a winner at Nature Without Borders International Film Festival. The second, For the Love of Food: Pour L’amour de la Cuisine, enabled Jerry and the documentary crew to travel France for an in-depth look at the “slow food” movement and how it’s combatting the rising popularity of non-local sourced eating and fast food. The film will make its worldwide premiere at the Jacob Burns Film Center on May 8.

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For Jerry, the learning has been a complex symbiotic web—learning a ton from Program Director and Professor Maria Luskay and Professor Lou Guaneri, imparting wisdom from his own career in journalism to his fellow students, and learning himself from the students, who, as Jerry admits, have a little bit of advantage on him when it comes to natural tech savvy.

“The beauty is—yes, I could bring experience to the class, but these students are actually teaching me. I could teach them about interviewing, journalism, the story—but they were like come here, let me show you this camera. They took me under their wing to teach me.”

While Jerry’s professional life at ���ҹ����� has grown steadily over the years with his quality of work, he believes this program has substantially strengthened his ties with the community, the University, and has given his role at ���ҹ����� an even greater sense of purpose.

“It’s brought a depth of experience that really helps me understand and enjoy what we’re all about at ���ҹ�����,” says Jerry.