KINGSBOROUGH BEACON

Building a Brighter Future!

A monthly philanthropy newsletter from the Office of Institutional Advancement | November 2023

View Jaweria's Valedictorian remarks here!

Alumni Spotlight: Jaweria Bakar '20

Originally from Pakistan, Jaweria Bakar successfully bridged a ten-year educational gap after marrying at a young age, following cultural traditions. During the break in her education, she dedicated herself to raising her two beautiful children. Bakar's educational journey commenced at Kingsborough Community College in New York, where she demonstrated exceptional academic prowess by excelling in all honors courses. She also assumed leadership positions in the Biotech Club and Phi Theta Kappa, participated in the CUNY Research Scholars program, interned at SUNY Downstate, and published in Distinctions and Scepter. Recognized for her outstanding potential, Bakar received the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship, the Freya Moskowitz Stern Scholarship, and an invitation to apply for Yale's Eli Whitney Students Program.


After completing her associate degree in biology as Valedictorian of her class, Bakar transitioned to Yale University's Eli Whitney Students Program, where she currently pursues a major in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Alongside her studies, Bakar remains actively involved as an Eli Whitney Peer Mentor, offering guidance and support to fellow students. Simultaneously, she engages in meaningful volunteer work for HAPPY (Hypertension Awareness and Prevention Program at Yale) and gains invaluable experience by shadowing surgeons at Yale School of Medicine. Bakar's exceptional research abilities as a STARS II scholar led her to conduct pioneering research investigating the off-target effects of anti-cancer drugs. Her remarkable contributions have already earned her the distinguished honor of being the first co-author of a paper in Cell Chemical Biology.


Envisioning a future as a neurosurgeon, she aspires to revolutionize the field of medicine, making significant scientific contributions and ultimately improving the lives of countless individuals. In her keynote address at Dean's List Ceremony on November 16, Bakar shared words of wisdom and inspiration with the exceptional students of Kingsborough that have demonstrated academic excellence. She shared that Kingsborough provided a cradle for her dreams to flourish and she felt welcome and accepted. This allowed her to dream big and reach the current success she has. Bakar encouraged KCC students to take advantage of all the academic and co-curricular programs available to them and foster relationships that will help them succeed. She loves Kingsborough and was so excited to be back with her family as she had not visited since the pandemic.

We wish Jaweria much continued success and cannot wait to celebrate her upcoming milestones!


NSLS KCC Alumni Chapter

A Community of Leaders Awaits

ATTN Alumni: Did you know that Kingsborough now offers leadership development for alumni through the new Learner to Leader program from The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS)?


Accept your invitation to join a leadership network with other alumni from Kingsborough Community College and with more than 1.8 million NSLS members across the country.


In the program, you’ll learn vital skills that encompass modern leadership and apply them in a real world community project. Meet and work with other leaders and make lifelong connections.

Are you ready? Visit NSLS.org/beyond and enter your invitation code.


Contact aba.agolli@kbcc.cuny.edu for more information.

Annual Scholarship Fundraiser

Celebrating 60 Years of Excellence

SAVE THE DATE

June 6, 2024

The CUNY Endowment Match

Increase Your Endowed Gift's Impact by 25%!

Read More

PSC-CUNY

Grants Proposal System is open through December 15, 2023 at 11:59pm.

PSC-CUNY Research Awards are designed to encourage the scholarly and creative pursuits of CUNY faculty, especially junior faculty. Funds for research and creative projects are available to all Permanent, Full-Time members of instructional staff, and untenured members of the faculty in particular (untenured associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer); and Full-Time staff in HEO series. For the purposes of the PSC-CUNY Awards, junior faculty comprise those at the rank of untenured associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, and lecturer.

Please click here to apply.  

Visit the PSC CUNY Webpage to learn more.

Email kathryn.giaimo@kbcc.cuny.edu with questions.

View event photos here

#KCCSPIRIT 2023

On November 28th, the Office of Institutional Advancement hosted #KCCSpirit Day, which is celebrated annually on #GivingTuesday, a global generosity movement that unleashes the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. The event was part of the #CUNYTuesday fundraising efforts, with proceeds going toward the Kingsborough Community College Foundation, which supports the needs of our students, faculty and the College. This year’s $50,000 goal was exceeded, with the college raising over $59,000 toward student scholarships. This was made possible thanks to our generous donors, alumni, participants, and supporters.

 Academic departments, alumni, administrative offices and students joined together in teams and faced-off against one another in a friendly fundraising competition. The teams donated the drawing prizes, entered in the "Creative Spirit" competition by decorating non-edible cakes and competed in classic NY Street Games in honor of Kingsborough's 60th Anniversary. Overseen by Professor Juan Franquiz’s Physical Education and Recreation students, the games included Skully, Hopscotch, Hit the Penny, Newcomb, Corner Spy, Tunnel Ball Relay, Modified Handball and fan-favorite Double Dutch! Each team played their hearts out on the court and fought to represent their respective offices and departments.

In addition to the philanthropic mission and community building, the event also reunited retired professor Susan Lavin and her former student, Grace who now works as a trainer for Crunch Fitness.

 “KCC Spirit Day is an example of what can be done when our generous partners, alumni, faculty, staff, former employees, retirees, and students take the time to commemorate 60 years of a college that serves the needs of students who deserve an opportunity to pursue their education regardless of barriers,” said VP for Institutional Advancement Nancy Sánchez-Badillo. “KCC Spirit Day made it possible to fundraise over $59,000, all of which will go to support our students. This grows out of the commitment and dedication of everyone who gave and deserve to be celebrated.”       

We are grateful to our event’s sponsors Metro Health Plus, Crunch Fitness and Foster Maaz Pharmacy. Connections like these, as well as those on the court, help bring the community together while supporting student retention and success.

KCC Students & Alumni New Service

HETS - Hispanic Educational Technology Services


We are happy to announce that Kingsborough is partnering with Hispanic Educational Technology Services (HETS) , an organization that promotes, supports and enhances Hispanic/Latino student success opportunities in Higher Education. Services include Peterson's Test Prep and Peterson's Career Prep to improve your score or advance your career.

For more information contact kccalumni@kbcc.cuny.edu

Pictured in the group photo from left are Daniel LaNoue, Nancy Sánchez-Badillo, Shannon Caravello, Sharon Warren-Cook,

Mark D'Alessandro, Mairead Daly-Diep, Olivia Guillotin and Aba Agolli

KCC Donor Visit

Société Culinaire Philanthropique

On Wednesday, November 29, Kingsborough hosted Mairead Daly-Diep, Director or Operations and Strategic Initiatives and Olivia Guillotin, Administrator of Société Culinaire Philanthropique (SCP). Founded in 1865, SCP's mission is to provide mutual aid, community, and philanthropic associations while promoting a culinary lifestyle.

Over the past several years, SCP has been a consistent and generous supporter of the KCC Culinary Arts Program.


The November visit served as a perfect opportunity for SCP to observe our KCC Culinary Arts students with the guidance and support of their faculty, fully engaged in the preparation of food and serving lunch at our KCC restaurant. Chef Mark D'Alessandro, Director of the KCC Culinary Arts program provided an overview of the program, its history, kitchens and showcased the students in action. Dr. Shannon Caravello, a KCC Health Sciences Professor and Administrator of the KCC Community Farm and Garden provided a tour of the farm's newly renovated beds and the newly installed and fully operational Hydroponic lab that can yield produce year round. The KCC Farm has been a great resource for providing produce and fresh ingredients to our culinary courses and the KCC community. 


KCC depends on the generous support of donors like SCP, and having the opportunity to showcase the work that is done by the dedicated staff, faculty and students is the best way to celebrate our partnership. KCC and SCP are both looking forward to using their strengthened partnership to enhance students' experiences and opportunities in the Culinary Arts field. The impact of its support is present in the art, work and talent of KCC students who work in the culinary industry.

KCC Grant Highlight

Joy of Giving Something, Inc.

Since 2022, Joy of Giving Something, Inc. (JGS) has funded a scholarship for talented, hardworking Photography students at KCC. The scholarship helps students to better afford tuition and other education-related expenses, as well as expenses that are often unique to photography courses such as cameras and other equipment. Thanks to JGS’ generosity, KCC’s scholarship recipients can invest in their educations and overcome financial obstacles that would have otherwise impeded their progress on the road to graduation. Per its official mission statement, “Joy of Giving Something Foundation (JGS) is committed to advancing the art of photography through support for residencies, museums, schools, and community-based organizations. We envision a future of cultural equity, access, and sustainability for visual arts education at every stage of learning.”


On November 13th, 2023, KCC had the great honor of hosting JGS for a site visit of the college. Coordinated by Photography Professor Thomas Mintz and the Office of Institutional Advancement, KCC gave its JGS colleagues an in-depth tour of campus highlights, photography classrooms, and the Kingsborough Art Museum (KAM). At KAM, JGS also had the opportunity to meet Alexandra S.. a recent scholarship recipient, who relayed her gratitude and shared her story.

Scholarship of the Month

KCC Foundation Scholarship

Also known as the “General Scholarship” or “FSA,” this scholarship is available to matriculated students year-round and is intended to provide general financial support. Students who are approved for this scholarship receive direct financial assistance that will help them better afford tuition, textbooks, transportation and other expenses related to their KCC education. To qualify, students must be in good academic standing (GPA of 2.0 or higher) and have demonstrated financial need. Interested students can Apply Here.


Unlike most scholarships, the KCC Foundation Scholarship is NOT funded by a single donor. Rather, it is sustained through annual charitable contributions from KCC alumni, faculty, staff, retirees, and other friends of the college. Click Here to donate to the KCC Foundation Scholarship today! When you arrive at this page, select either “College’s Greatest Needs” or “General Scholarship” under the Designation Tab.



Interested in starting your own scholarship? Contact Daniel La Noue, Director of Major Gifts and Planned Giving, at 718.368.6540 or daniel.lanoue@kbcc.cuny.edu.

@CUNYkcc

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