QView #193 | November 26

The first Debrief Meeting from the Constructive Dialogue program: How to Apply It at QC took place on Tuesday, November 19. The program—a CUNY initiative facilitated by the Constructive Dialogue Institute and funded by the Jeffrey H. and Shari L. Aronson Family Foundation and the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation—focused on providing conflict leadership skills for members of the president’s cabinet and developing a campus climate that can support a culture of trust and dialogue. Future debriefings will involve additional faculty and staff who participated in the university-wide training. 

From left: Assistant Vice President for Human Resources Lee Kelly, Assistant Vice President for External and Governmental Relations Jeffrey Rosenstock, Vice President for Institutional Advancement/Alumni Relations Laurie Dorf, President Frank H. Wu, Political Science Chair Francois Pierre-Louis, ACE Fellow Danielle Egan, Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson, and Director of the Office of the President Stacey Romano.

Students, faculty, and staff gathered on Wednesday, November 20, for the third annual meeting with Harris Horowitz ’78, founder of the Harris Horowitz Internship Opportunity Fund. Established in 2021, the fund supports internship stipends for approximately 25 students annually. Stipends are awarded to undergraduate and graduate students whose internships would otherwise be unpaid.  

From left, front row: Isabella Pinkhasov, Perri Krieger, Umema Tariq, Harris Horowitz, Maggie Dickinson (Urban Studies). Back row: Sara Kahan (Institutional Advancement), Kazi Hossain, Zavi Gunn (Center for Career Engagement and Internships), Habib Sadiq, Victoria Bamwo, Selassie Mawuko, Karina Robinson, Simran Parkash, Eric Goldfischer (Urban Studies)

In her seven years as director of marketing with the Office of Communications and Marketing, Lillian Zepeda had cause to collaborate with members of the college community across campus. Many of them attended a reception on November 21 to wish her well at her new job: head of marketing and communications for the Yale School of Nursing. President Frank H. Wu spoke; Vice President for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson read a poem he wrote; and Zepeda thanked QC for, in addition to professional success, giving her the support she needed to take care of her children, buy her first home, graduate from law school, pass the multistate bar exam, and develop the strength to deadlift 345 pounds.  

From left: Lillian Zepeda, soon-to-be former director of marketing; Shanequa Terry, executive assistant to VP for Communications and Marketing and Senior Advisor to the President Jay Hershenson; Lorena Lee, administrative assistant

Men’s Basketball Picks up First Two Wins of the Season; Women’s Volleyball Falls in ECC Semifinals

After a slow start to the season, the QC men’s basketball team got back on track last week, winning both of their games to improve to 2-3 on the year. The Knights defeated American International College last Wednesday, 67-63, and followed with a convincing 73-56 triumph over Goldey-Beacom College on Saturday.



On a sour note, the Knights’ women’s volleyball team fell in a five-set heartbreaker to Mercy University in the semifinals of the East Coast Conference Championships. Despite the loss, it was a great season for the Knights, as they finished with a record of 19-11.

This week, the men’s basketball team will host Post University on Tuesday, November 26 at 6 pm and Georgian Court University on Sunday, December 1 at 11 am. The women’s basketball team hosts the Knights Thanksgiving Invitational on Saturday and Sunday. The Knights will take on Felician University on Saturday at 2 pm and Dominican University on Sunday at 4 pm in FitzGerald Gymnasium.

Observing Transgender Day of Remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), held internationally on November 20, commemorates the lives of transgender and gender-expansive people who were murdered because of their identity. Members of the QC community marked this somber occasion by taking part in observances on and off campus.

On November 19, the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, LGBTQIAA+ Programs at QC, and QC students joined Queens Borough President Donovan Richards at Queens Borough Hall for the borough’s annual event honoring the lives lost to hate violence.

The next day, LGBTQIAA+ Programs at Queens College, in partnership with the Queens College Gender, Love and Sexuality Alliance; the student Pride Team at Queens College; and the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium, hosted its annual TDOR vigil during free hour. Gathered in the President’s Lounge, students and staff read the names and biographies of the past year’s victims. This list is always incomplete because many victims are under- or misreported due to misgendering and deadnaming. LGBTQIAA+ Programs at Queens College was presented with a special commendation by Queens Borough Advocate Norris Johns, on behalf of New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Transgender flags and ribbons were distributed.

That same evening, the New York City Public Advocate and the New York City Council held their Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience event at City Hall. Queens College and the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium were in attendance.

Career Design Lab Sets Up B School Students for Success

Through innovative career coaching and co-curriculum master class workshops, The School of Business Career Design Lab is guiding QC students to gain the essential skills needed to succeed in today’s workforce. Located in Powdermaker Hall, the Career Design Lab is overseen by Gerry Marotta, a QC alumna who had a long and rewarding career on Wall Street and in IT Consulting. She left corporate America to come back to her alma mater and help the next generation of QC’s business students succeed.



“I came back to Queens College because I'm really passionate about helping students become career ready,” explained Marotta.

For about two years, Marotta served in a part-time role as a career coach with the Career Services Center while still working as a consultant. But because of her vast experience in corporate America, the School of Business approached her to assist business students with career readiness in a full-time position.

“I was speaking to very high-level individuals at the C-suite who always indicated that they've had such a gap in talent,” Marotta added. “And yet, when I came to work with the students, I couldn't figure out why they couldn't find each other. What I learned is that there is a need to have someone who can, as an industry professional, bridge the gap between industry and academia.”

So, Marotta created the Career Design Lab, which helps students design and navigate meaningful career paths. Through the lab, students can attend career-readiness workshops specifically designed to improve professional development, offer experience through relevant project work, and provide a list of skills needed to increase marketability. Career Design Lab coaches are industry practitioners dedicated to working with students to sharpen their skills. 

“If you're an economics major and you're interested in data analytics, I will build a very specific self-learning career playlist that gives you the option to learn how to use tools and technologies that will make you marketable,” explained Marotta. “Now on your resume you have relevant project work and more skills that employers are looking for. No other university to my knowledge does what we do.”

Career Climbing 

The Career Development Masterclass Workshops are four-week, career-specific interactive sessions with industry professionals that supplement students’ regular classes. The Career Lab recently completed a master class which covered topics such as tackling career anxiety, understanding industries and roles, how to apply skills in financial services, networking basics, and how to tell your professional story on an interview.

Recently a highly successful Risk Management Workshop was led by a seasoned industry risk management executive, Micheal Goering. Marotta partnered with Cara Marshall (Risk Management) to encourage her students to participate. The students were assigned a project that gave them the experience to act in the role of a C-suite executive who had to address the risk consequences for the organization post 9/11.

Students who successfully participated in this actual case study received a reference letter from the industry professional and can add relevant projects and skills from their participation on their resume.

Additionally, Marotta along with other members of the Career Design Lab, including Don Chadwick, a recruiter specializing in the fintech industry, works with students on an individual basis to prepare them for the job search process. These career coaches teach students how to better sell themselves and their skillset and prep them for upcoming interviews.  

“When we started, it became pretty clear that most students don't know how to interview. That's a big problem,” noted Chadwick. “In order for people to interview well, they have to understand their story. That requires story extraction and then rebuilding that story so they can present it in a very cohesive way. And that makes a huge difference to employers.”

Students who have gone through the program are quickly seeing the benefits. Seventy-five percent of students who have come to the Career Design Lab landed high-performing jobs or internships. (Recent alumni can take advantage of this free service within one year after graduation.)

Student Success

“If you’re a Queens College student and approaching graduation, I highly recommend you enroll in the career master class,” said Mohamed Sylla ’23. “I took it right before graduation, and they helped me land my first job straight out of college. It’s made a huge difference—the one-on-one training, the advice, the mentorship—it’s really a community and a resource everyone should take advantage of.”

The Career Design lab is currently running a “Career in Consulting Workshop” with Career Coach Christine Parker, who has over 20 years of consulting experience with Accenture, KPMG, EY, and Gartner. The workshop will provide students the opportunity to work on a live consulting case study that will be presented to the organization partnering with the Career Design Lab. 

In Spring 2025, the career-readiness masterclass and six other workshops are being planned and will include topics such as technology for business leaders, risk management, consulting, software sales, and cybersecurity. Those dates and times will be announced soon.

For further information about the Career Design Lab, the workshops, events, and resources offered, please refer to the Career Design Lab website, or contact Gerry Marotta at gerardine.marotta@qc.cuny.edu.

Preserving Home Movies

Queens Memory—the community archiving program jointly sponsored by Queens Public Library and Queens College—recently published The Memory Keeper’s Guide to Home Movies, the latest brochure in a series intended to educate the public about personal archiving issues. Guide to Home Movies was created by Robin Margolis (GSLIS), building on work by students in the Fall 2022 Digital Preservation class led by James Lowry (GSLIS): Claudia Acosta, Josselyn Atahualpa, Sarah Barlow-Ochshorn, Paulette Bellins, and David Kambhu. The brochure can be downloaded for free from Queens Memory’s press and publications page. Another title in the series is The Memory Keeper’s Guide to Photo Preservation.

New Big Ideas Video Makes Its Debut

Applied Knowledge: Through Experiential Programs, Students Learn By Doing is the latest video in the Big Ideas at Queens College series. In Applied Knowledge, Urban Studies students talk about the impact experiential learning has had on them and the communities they served.

Big Ideas, launched in 2021 by the Office of Communications and Marketing, publicizes significant work conducted by QC faculty and staff. More than 20 videos can be viewed online.

Queeribbean Conference at QC

The Caribbean Equality Project, a Black and Brown immigrant-led social justice and human rights organization, is teaming up with the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium and Queens College to present Queeribbean Crossings: Solidarity as Resistance on December 5 at 9 am. Taking place during 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence—a period that starts on November 25 and culminates on Human Rights Day, December 10—the one-day community conference centers critical reflections and collaborative discussions on transnational cross-racial solidarities and multicultural artistic expressions through a diasporic Caribbean LGBTQ+ lens. Rajiv Mohabir ’12, a poet, memorialist, and translator, and Daryl Phillip, co-founder and president of Minority Rights Dominica, will deliver keynotes. Also on the schedule: the Queens premiere of the short film Caribbean Queen by GLAAD Media Award-winning director Sekiya Dorsett, panel discussions, workshops, a health and immigration resource fair, and a closing cultural and drag showcase.

Admission is free, advance registration required.

Party Like It Isn’t 2024

18th Century Tavern Night, at Queens County Farm Museum’s Adriance Farmhouse, features colonial-style fare cooked over a hearth and made from traditional local recipes, circa 1772. While the waitstaff is dressed in period attire, patrons can wear what they want. There are four dates in December; click here for the specifics.

To further whet your appetite for living in the past, the Queens Historical Society will hold its 37th annual Holly Tour on December 8. The tour, sponsored by ConEdison, starts at Kingsland Homestead, and continues to the Voelker-Orth Museum, Bowne House, Lewis Latimer House, and the Quaker Meeting House. Refreshments and entertainments will be offered at each destination. For details and tickets, click here.

Francine Sanchez

Francine Sanchez, an undergraduate admissions counselor at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies staff at Queens College, passed away last week. She was 64.

As reported in the Clarion in August 2012, Sanchez was a nontraditional student herself: a single mother employed at QC as an office assistant, she re-enrolled at the college at age 37 to earn the bachelor’s degree she needed to get promoted. She told Clarion that she loved working in admissions. “In some small way, I help people to reach their dreams.”

Sanchez is survived by her husband, Lieutenant Jose Sanchez, and her three children, Justin, Gabriella (Gabby), and Emily.

Elissa Bemporad (History) was quoted in the New York Times article “The Amsterdam Attacks and the Long Shadow of ‘Pogroms’” . . . .

Nuria Rodriguez-Planas (Economics) visited the International Labor Organization on November 13-14 as a member of the Research Review Group, providing feedback on reports on World Employment and Social Outlook, Lifelong Learning Skills, and the State of Social Justice. On November 18, she attended the Consejo Asesor de Brecha de Género at the Ministerio de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones as a member of the committee. “We brainstormed on better ways to serve victims and minimize victimization and gender gaps,” she reports. A link to the news report is here. In addition, the European Research Council showcased Rodriguez-Planas’s WomEmpower project on Instagram . . . . Jasmine Williams, QC alumna and program manager in the QC Experiential Education office, was spotlighted In a LinkedIn post by Make-A-Wish Metro New York and Western New York for her work supporting nonprofit employer partners who provide internship opportunities to CUNY students . . . . Five members of the QC community were honored at the 30th Power Women of Long Island event on November 13: Erika Calderon ’01, managing partner at Brinster & Bergman LLP; Jodi Fera, an alumna from the 1980s, director of Moves and Motions School of Dance; Ruth Kraft ’75, chair of the Labor and Employment Practice Group at Falcon Rappaport & Berkman LLP, and former administrative law judge; Sherry Overholt, lecturer at ACSM, and founder and artistic director of the Queens Summer Vocal Institute; Jennifer Grimaldi Toohey ’00, co-founder of Long Island Studio of Music and member of Athe CSM faculty.