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Alexis, did your father’s career as a lawyer inspire you to attend law school?

Absolutely, I grew up watching him. I would go to court with him all the time when I was younger to watch him in action in the courtroom. I saw the impact he made in people’s lives and learned that I too wanted a career where I could make that difference in someone’s life. I believe that being able to see the reality of what it takes to be a lawyer before coming to law school helped me in deciding whether law was the career for me. My decision to come to ���ҹ����� was impacted by my father’s experience because he was able to tell me about what opportunities there were before even visiting. Ultimately, coupled with my father’s experience, I also chose ���ҹ����� because of the number of public interest opportunities and I knew that was something I wanted to go into.

Steven, how did you feel about your daughter following in your footsteps and pursuing a career in law?

I was thrilled that Alexis chose the law and especially ���ҹ����� as her pathway to make a difference in the lives of others and help improve the world we all live in. It is the size of her heart, her desire to succeed, and her intelligence that empowers her to help others. Becoming a lawyer and now a public defender was a perfect pathway to make a difference in the lives of others. How much more proud can a father be than of that.

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Alexis, how was your experience at Haub Law?

My experience at ���ҹ����� was great! I was drawn to the criminal justice path and took a number of Professor Dorfman’s classes, such as Criminal Procedure and New York Criminal Procedure. Both classes were very helpful when it came to interviewing and I always enjoyed his classes. He also became a mentor for me outside the classroom, which I greatly appreciated. I also took Professor Mushlin’s Prisoners’ Rights class, which is something I’ve always been passionate about and really enjoyed his class. My last year I was fortunate enough to be in the Criminal Defense Clinic where we represented clients and were able to do so much as students under the practice order. To be able to apply what you’ve learned in a clinic setting was extremely valuable and helped me in securing my post graduate job. Lastly, I was heavily involved in the advocacy program, which solidified that I wanted to do litigation.

Steven, can you talk about your continued involvement with ���ҹ�����?

I am a founding partner of Barket, Epstein, Kearon, Aldea & LoTurco, LLP and head of the firm’s DWI and Vehicular Crimes group. I have also been an adjunct professor at Haub Law for over 22 years teaching trial advocacy. During that time, I have also been coaching trial teams that compete at various trial competitions representing the School. Most recently, I opened The Steven Epstein DWI Defense Institute, which is an educational program designed to teach lawyers how to defend DWI cases and it is housed at Haub Law. And, I should note, all Haub Law alumni receive a 15% discount on tuition!

Alexis, you are now working in the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office – how has that experience been?

Yes, I was fortunate enough to have a position immediately after law school as an Assistant Public Defender with the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. It has been a tremendous experience so far and I am learning a lot. The Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office is very busy and we have a large caseload. I am in the courtroom each day advocating for everyone to be treated equally and assuring justice for all. It has been a tremendous and eye opening experience seeing a judicial system in another state.

Steven, what would your advice be for future or current law students?

There is nothing in this life that is worthwhile that comes easily. The most rewarding things in life take the most amount of work. So find what it is you want, do not let anyone or anything get in your way of accomplishing it and most importantly work as hard as you can to accomplish that goal. In the words of Derek Jeter, “there may be people who have more talent than you, but there's no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do” - and I believe that.

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Works Featured Ponder Daily Life With Play and Rigor

The ���ҹ����� Art Gallery in Lower Manhattan is pleased to present “Dallies,” a solo exhibition of paintings, photographs, and mixed media works by . The “Dallies” exhibit is on view concurrent with Kahn’s “,” an exhibition of seven monumental new Cor-Ten steel sculptures at , presented by the . Just across Park Row from each other, both exhibits opened with public previews. “Dallies” will be on view in the gallery through September 9, 2022.

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Wyatt Kahn is primarily known for his investigations into the visual and spatial relationship between painting and sculpture. Kahn assembles complex wall-mounted works in which the gaps between the individual canvases give rise to abstract or pictorial compositions. Rather than tracing the lines and shapes directly onto the canvas itself, he turns them into physical components of the artwork. Kahn says his painting are, “made by me, made by hand. There are errors in the lines. They are imperfect. They have a certain representational or human quality.” For the exhibition at ���ҹ����� Art Gallery, Kahn also presents drawings, prints, collages, and photographs in addition to his sculptural paintings.

Exhibit dates/times

On view:
June 8-September 9, 2022

Gallery hours through Labor Day:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m.

(Closed on University Holidays, Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays)

Closing Reception:
Friday, September 9, 5:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

* Please note that for COVID safety, proof of vaccination and face coverings are required, and no food or drink will be served or permitted.

About the artist

(b. 1983) lives and works in New York. His work is included in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; MOCA, Los Angeles; Dallas Museum of Art; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; and Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, among others.

About the ���ҹ����� Art Gallery

Founded with the conviction that art is integral to society, the ���ҹ����� Art Gallery is a creative laboratory and exhibition space that supports innovation and exploration for both artists and viewers. Open to students, staff, and faculty from across the ���ҹ����� campuses and, equally, to the Lower Manhattan community and visitors from around the world, the Art Gallery encourages personal investigation and critical dialogue via thought-provoking contemporary art exhibits and public programming. Enhancing the Art Department's Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts programs, the Art Gallery offers students real-world opportunities to exhibit their own art and to work directly with professional artists to install and promote exhibitions.

About Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

���ҹ�����’s liberal arts college, Dyson College, offers more than 50 programs, spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and pre-professional programs (including pre-medicine, pre-veterinary, and pre-law), as well as many courses that fulfill core curriculum requirements. The College offers access to numerous opportunities for internships, cooperative education and other hands-on learning experiences that complement in-class learning in preparing graduates for career and graduate/professional education choices.

About ���ҹ�����

���ҹ����� has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique programs that combine immersive academics and real-world experiences. ���ҹ����� is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides.

When you work in the digital sphere, it is easy to become disconnected. A year ago, clinical professor and former Wall Street data analyst Frank Parisi, alongside other ���ҹ����� faculty, conceptualized a space where individuals with an interest in data science and machine learning could connect. “We wanted to make a central repository for all kinds of data, where we have the computational power to do interesting things, work together and collaborate across the University and, in the long-term, with outside partners for research.” Now, the space has been set up, the machines moved in, and ���ҹ�����’s Computational Intelligence Lab is open for business.

Computational intelligence refers to the machine learning and data analysis abilities of a computer—it’s what allows us to collect data, speak to Siri, and play the newest video games. Having a physical lab with quality equipment and dedicated software means that students and faculty engaged in deeper analysis will not have to rely on remote Google servers to get their work done.

“This will be a proper space for computational intelligence specifically, from Artificial Intelligence, pattern recognition and machine learning.”

The lab isn’t just powered by machines, but also by passionate students. Multiple student employees are hard at work developing content for other students to exercise their technical skills while getting hands-on help from their peers.

Austin Blaise ’22 is a graduate computer science student who finds so much value in such a space that he volunteered to help set up the lab. He hopes for it to become a vibrant hub for students interested in data science, saying, “This lab allows you to learn the basics to create your own artificial intelligence model, and also have an environment wherein you have similar-minded students working on similar technologies.”

“This lab allows you to learn the basics to create your own artificial intelligence model."

Jon Lee, a clinical professor, was one of the architects of the Lab and he believes it will be unique in what it offers. “There are other ���ҹ����� hubs that exist for design, digital forensics, cybersecurity,” he says. “This will be a proper space for computational intelligence specifically, from Artificial Intelligence, pattern recognition and machine learning.”

More importantly, perhaps, is its function as a place for students and faculty with similar interests to gather and connect. According to Lee, this lab is “one more way to get Seidenberg students engaged, active, and doing amazing things on campus, especially those who are feeling disconnected after COVID-19.”

Want to see the Computational Intelligence Lab or learn how you can get involved? Reach out to Frank Parisi at fparisi@pace.edu or Yegin Genc at ygenc@pace.edu.

“You are capable of doing whatever you dream of,” says ���ҹ����� School of Performing Arts student Camila Rivera, who grew up in the countryside of Puerto Rico and is now studying acting in the most connected city on Earth.

Once a month, a mobile food pantry rolls onto ���ҹ�����’s Westchester Campus and staff and students from across the community—with special support from the Center of Community Action and Research; Student Engagement; and the Division of Opportunity and Institutional Excellence—gather. There, volunteers distribute food to any member of the ���ҹ����� Community who needs the support, no questions asked. It feels less like a food pantry and more like a farmer’s market. Why? Because the volunteers know that there is no shame in food insecurity.

“This isn’t a ���ҹ����� problem. It’s not even a student issue. It’s a national issue,” Heather Novak, director of the Center for Community Action and Research, explains. She recently became coordinator for the ���ҹ����� Pleasantville Mobile Food Pantry, which has been operating since 2018. Her passion for the project, besides supporting community members who may need a leg up, is in taking away the stigma around food insecurity.

“There should be no shame. Food is a right.”

The mobile food pantry is the product of an award-winning partnership between ���ҹ����� and , a nonprofit dedicated to distributing nutritious food across Westchester. Feeding Westchester provides the food at no cost to ���ҹ�����, and ���ҹ����� provides the volunteers to distribute food once a month.

There isn’t a blueprint for what makes a person food insecure. Visitors of the mobile pantry span across students, staff, and faculty, and at varying degrees of need. “There are levels of food insecurity. From the individual who has no access, to those individuals who have situational need for access,” Novak explains. “We also get to the end of the semester where students run down their meal plans and need support. They don’t have many alternatives.”

One of the primary ideologies surrounding the mobile pantry is curbing feelings of shame for needing services like food banks and food pantries. Novak explains that the pantry should not be viewed as charity or be associated with a sense of saviorism. “Those using the pantry are not less fortunate, they are community members,” she insists. “And we are responsible for making sure they have the support they need to be successful. If you’re hungry, you can’t focus on anything. You can’t be a successful student or employee. There should be no shame. Food is a right.”

“Those using the pantry are not less fortunate, they are community members.”

Novak is especially proud of the conversations the pantry has stirred up. There is an oscillation between satisfaction that people are using the pantry, thoughtful commentary on the greater systems at play, and hope for a future where such services are no longer necessary. She hopes for everyone involved to look at the larger picture with a critical eye. “It’s more than just feeling good; we’re helping our community members, but also normalizing the conversation around it. So, when someone says that it’s good we have so many people using the pantry, the conversation doesn’t end there.”

Initiatives like the pantry are temporary solutions to systemic problems. Mutual aid services become more effective when they are institutionalized and when deeper discourse begins to unravel the roots of the problem. But in the meantime, the ���ҹ����� Pleasantville Mobile Food Pantry will make sure our community stays fed.

Need food resources in New York City or Haub Law? We’ve got our community covered. Check out Provisions, a Bhandari Jain Family Food Pantry on the NYC Campus and Haub Law’s recently launched pantry.

“People don’t believe in their own ability to make changes. Or they look at something—let’s say solar energy in New York, or clean energy in New York and think ‘this is impossible.’ That idea, in and of itself, is probably the biggest obstacle. Because it is possible.”

These are the words of Dyson Assistant Professor of Media, Communications, and Visual Arts Melanie LaRosa. Over half a decade ago, LaRosa, who is also a documentary filmmaker, began to further explore clean energy transitions being done in New York City, primarily out of curiosity. As LaRosa recounts, “you would go to a farmer’s market and there’d be these tables set up, and they’d be like, ‘hey you want to switch to wind-power?’ I remember talking to some of the people at the tables and honestly, they couldn’t give great answers about how it worked. That’s documentary filmmaker catnip right there—if I’m interested, other people probably are too.”

Wanting to further explore how these processes worked in practice, LaRosa decided to find the closest wind farm to New York City. Her research took her to Atlantic City, New Jersey, home of the Atlantic County Utilities Authority (ACUA), a wastewater treatment center committed to 100 percent renewable energy. While LaRosa was impressed the initiative alone, she also noticed something that she didn’t quite expect from a wastewater treatment plant—that they offered tours.

“Let me say that again: They gave tours. This was a wastewater treatment facility,” says LaRosa. “Have you ever gone on a tour of a wastewater treatment facility?”

By this point, LaRosa began to sketch out the idea that eventually became her documentary film . While at ACUA, she discussed her intention of documenting the people and projects being conducted, and how they are helping to bring clean energy to the public in a sustainable way. With ACUA on board, she began further exploring related initiatives across the country.

Over the next several years, LaRosa followed diverse stories across the US and Puerto Rico—ranging from Las Vegas’ pledge to become the first large city in America to run on 100 percent renewable energy, to a Vermont utility company committed to being the first in the nation for clean energy integration, to energy transformation and resilience following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. All in all, LaRosa chronicled six locations, all of which faced different challenges to bringing clean energy to their region. Whether these challenges were bureaucratic, technological, or financial, each group remained committed to their ultimate goal.

“I think everybody started with a sense of their own ability to make some change happen.”

“I think everybody started with a sense of their own ability to make some change happen,” said LaRosa. “Every person in all those different cases or situations felt like they were able—and to me that’s what distinguishes them from people who say, ‘yea, climate change is terrible, we should get off fossil fuels, but we don’t know how.’ That was really the genesis of the film title, How to Power a City.”

LaRosa was recently named a 2022 Public Voices Fellow on the Climate Crisis. Awarded through the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, the Fellowship recognizes individuals who have demonstrated “high-powered thought leadership in a variety of ways, including education, community organizing, public advocacy, and writing.” LaRosa, along with 19 other individuals are helping to bring new voices to this ever-important conversation.

“We’re a cohort of 20 people working on climate change. Some people are doctors, activists, or work in media. The idea is to bring new voices to discussions and public conversations about climate change. And to show unique perspectives. For me, the fellowship is a way to keep sharing what I saw on that journey without trying to bring it to the public as a lecture.”

After several years of filming, unintended delays caused in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, and a few short-film detours telling stories of individual projects (one of which, Solar Libre: Family Affair, won the Best Short Documentary Award at the Rincón International Film Festival in Puerto Rico), the feature film, How to Power a City, is nearly ready to be broadcast to the world.

LaRosa is excited to share the stories of resilient individuals, as well as their actionable solutions to the ever-complex problems posed by energy consumption. Her solutions-based journalism approach—a style of journalism that supports social change—is intended to be empowering and energizing to the audience; perhaps motivating viewers to join community solar initiatives, or simply believe that their actions can in fact make a positive impact.

“When it comes to bringing clean energy to where they live, a lot of people feel like maybe they don’t know how. These people we featured not only knew how, but they went there. Just the ability to believe in their own efficacy. That they could change something.”

To learn more about the clean energy initiatives featured and future screenings, . You can also follow on instagram or .