Greetings from Hostos Community College! We look forward to seeing many of you at the 2024 Annual Scholarship Benefit this Thursday, May 9. This lovely article highlights many of the outstanding individuals and unique programs that are preparing students for high-demand, future-ready careers.
In recent months, the Foundation has increased our emergency fund resources, coordinated site visits with industry leaders, and—as of two weeks ago—finalized the largest endowed scholarship gift in the College’s history. Great things are happening, and we are grateful that you’re taking a moment to catch up.
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The Hostos Community College Foundation will hold the 2024 annual Scholarship Benefit on Thursday, May 9 at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. We welcome you to join us as we celebrate the College’s impact and honor outstanding individuals who have positively impacted our society.
This year’s honorees have spent their careers advancing equitable health outcomes and supporting the implementation of a more sustainable built environment. Their contributions benefit the wellbeing of all New Yorkers and create well-paying career opportunities for Hostos students.
The 2024 Annual Scholarship Benefit Honorees are:
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Sustainability Award
Muhammad Baig
Vice President and Regional General Manager Greater Northeast at Trane Technologies
Community Health and Engagement Award
Kevin Fiori, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., F.A.A.P.
Director of the Community Health Worker Institute at Montefiore Einstein and the Community Health Systems Lab at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Lifetime of Medical Research, Scholarship, and Community Health Award
Julianne Imperato-McGinley, M.D.
Associate Dean for Translational Research, Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Center, and Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College
Health Justice Advocacy Award
Julia Iyasere, M.D., M.B.A.
Senior Vice President for Health Justice and Equity, and Executive Director of the Dalio Center for Health Justice at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital
| The evening will gather approximately 300 community leaders and friends of the College. Thus far, more than 15 local businesses have sponsored the event, representing healthcare, education, development, financial services, and nonprofit sectors. | |
Michael Potack and Family
Establish Largest Endowed Scholarship in Hostos History
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It is our great pleasure to announce that on April 10, we finalized the Randi Potack, Dorothy Hausberg and Judith Z. Potack Memorial Endowed Scholarship. This is the largest endowed scholarship gift in the history of the College!
This fund, established by one of our 2023 Gala honorees, Michael Potack, and his three sons, Robert, David, and Jonathan, will ultimately total nearly half a million dollars and fund countless scholarships for students in Hostos’ RN program—year after year—in perpetuity. The Potack’s gift and pledge will also earn a 25% current use match provided by CUNY, made possible by a New York State earmark. The match will make it possible to disburse more than sixty $2,000 scholarship awards for students pursuing an RN between now and June 30, 2025.
The scholarships honor the memory of three beloved women whose care and concern for others has had a profound and enduring impact not only on members of the Potack Family, but also the Bronx community.
The Foundation is grateful to the Potack family for their years of partnership and their continued investment in Hostos students and the improvement of healthcare through nursing. Mr. Potack reflected on giving to Hostos at our 2022 Gift of Philanthropy event. “As leader of a company that employs many people from the same geographic area as the College, I strongly believe in providing support for the educational programs here. I am a product of city public schools and the City University of New York...and in those days, the tuition for all students was $25 per semester. Unfortunately, those rates don’t exist anymore, which is why for many years I, and my family, have provided funding to support this institution and [its] hardworking students.” For more information about the scholarships, please contact Marina Esquilin at mesquilin@hostos.cuny.edu.
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Two New Board Members Elected | |
In February, two new Board members were elected for two-year terms.
Ifeanyi Obinali ’15,
President and CEO Lead Security Inc.
The Foundation Board was pleased to elect Hostos alumnus Ifeanyi Obinali ’15 to the Foundation Board. Ifeanyi started his successful security business in 2017, and it has grown to more than 200 employees across several states. He has been sponsoring Foundation events for two years now, and he is excited to bring his experience as a student to the Board.
Rossalyn Quaye, Esq.
Section Manager, Steam Distribution Planning, ConEd
Rossalyn’s wildly varied career and education illustrates her commitment to excellence in everything she pursues—from a dual engineering degree at the University of Michigan, to a ballet certificate followed by a J.D. and an M.B.A., and most recently a Yoga teaching certification. Rossalyn is excited to help connect Hostos students to opportunities with ConEd, and she hopes to share her love of mindfulness, meditation, and wellness.
The Foundation Board is pleased to welcome these new members and looks forward to the insights their leadership will bring.
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The Division of Institutional Advancement continued its Nourishing Conversation series, which began during our CUNY Tuesday campaign in November. The April 17 Conversation featured Bronx-based Chef Carmen Báez, known professionally as Chef Yala, who grew her business from an electric grill on the patio of her beauty salon to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. We are grateful to Chef Yala for sharing her inspiring story and encouraging students, alumni, faculty, and staff to follow their passions and pursue their dreams Chef Yala also shared several Dominican-inspired recipes she uses as owner-chef at “La Cocina de Yala”, located on 174th Street, just off the Cross Bronx Expressway. Follow her on Instagram or visit her website to learn more about her, and to read more about the event here. |
Board Member Elba Cabrera
Honored in a Children’s Book About
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On March 11, Hostos Community College gathered for a presentation of "Best Believe: The Tres Hermanas, A Sisterhood for the Common Good," celebrating strong women during Women’s History Month. Author NoNieqa Ramos’ children's book honors the impactful contributions of South Bronx Puerto Rican trailblazers Dr. Evelina Antonetty, Lillian López, and Elba Cabrera. These three women forged a powerful sisterhood to lead transformative community and educational initiatives in the Bronx, notably during the Save Hostos Movement (1973–1979).
Ms. Cabrera, who attended the event, is a celebrated member of this community, and her service to the College is truly immeasurable. The book presentation, which contributed to the College’s Women’s History Month events, included a reading at the Hostos Children’s Center. Read more about the event here.
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Corporate & Foundation Relations News | |
Since our last newsletter, the Foundation has received the following grants: | |
- $126,000 from Gerstner Philanthropies to continue the Gerstner Helping Hands Fund at Hostos Community College.
- $25,900 from the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation to expand the Transfer Peer Mentor Program at Hostos.
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The Foundation is grateful for this impactful support.
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Partnership Highlight
The Hostos Game Design program, which is led by Professors Juno Morrow, Marcelo Viana Neto and Matthew Balousek, has forged a unique partnership with Ideas42 to develop a video game that challenges misconceptions around poverty and behaviors. The program’s game studio, Other Possible Games, will employ eight students to work with the research team from Ideas42 to create the game between spring and fall of 2024. Professor Viana Neto envisions that students from other disciplines and game design alumni will also get to work on the project as managers, mentors, and sound designers. This partnership will help students to gain paid work experience as they earn required degree credits. Stay tuned for more updates about this project as it evolves! We are very grateful to the exceptional team at Ideas42 for including Hostos students in their incredible work.
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Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture News | |
The HCAC Wraps Up a Great Fall Season
The Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture continues to bring exceptional performances from diverse artists to the South Bronx. This Spring season included the expressive multi-media exhibitions “Against the Grain” and “I Stood My Ground” in the Longwood Art Gallery @Hostos, which showcased diverse perspectives on the human experience through themes of resiliency, fragility, memories and emotions. Performance artists showcased Puerto Rican folk music, South Bronx hip hop dance, Latin big band, cross-cultural Asian American dance, African American spirituals, and multi-lingual children’s theater. These carefully curated programs celebrate and uplift both local and international artists, bringing unique cultural experiences to the South Bronx community.
To stay informed about our upcoming performances and exhibitions, please subscribe to the HCAC newsletter here.
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Hostos Presents:
First-time Homebuyer Conference with SONYMA
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On Saturday, April 6th, the Hostos Office of Alumni Relations, in partnership with the One Stop Program and the State of New York Mortgage Agency (SONYMA), successfully hosted a First-Time Homebuyer Conference at CUNY Hostos Community College.
At the event, more than 160 attendees, including NYC residents, Hostos students, faculty, and staff, had the opportunity to gain valuable insights and information to guide them on the path to homeownership.
A special thank you goes to Hostos alumnae Libria Gibson-Obama ’06 and Hostos’ Madeline Cruz ’91 for their invaluable support and leadership in making this event possible. We would also like to express our gratitude to the dedicated volunteers, Mariah Odom, and Miriam Fidelis Jr. who contributed to the success of the conference.
Thank you to our sponsors for their kind support: Contour Mortgage Corporation, loanDepot, Citizens, Movement Mortgage, M&T Bank, Norcom Mortgage, Emigrant Bank, CrossCountry Mortgage, LLC.
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The Office of Alumni Relations
Launches New Alumni Advisory Council
| The Office of Alumni Relations held its innaugural Alumni Advisory Council Meeting on Friday, February 9. This council will generate innovative ideas that will contribute to the progress of our students, focusing on advancing the academic mission of the College, identifying career advancement opportunities for students and alumni, and building a culture of alumni philanthropy. We warmly invite all Hostos Community College alumni who are interested in joining this promising committee to reach out to Felix Sánchez, our alumni relations manager, via email at fsanchez@hostos.cuny.edu. Your valuable input and participation are highly encouraged and greatly appreciated. | |
Alumni Spotlight
The Hostos Community College Alumni Spotlight series highlights the remarkable impact that our graduates have on our communities. These insightful and personal accounts from our alumni affirm that the potential of our students knows no bounds, thanks to the transformative power of education and the supportive environment provided by Hostos.
The March spotlight features veteran alumni Leonard Cardinale ’73, who recently returned to Hostos as a clinical internship coordinator for the radiologic technology program. Read his incredible story and catch up on past spotlights here. If you are or know an alumnus or alumna we should interview for our spotlight, reach out to Alumni Relations Manager Felix Sánchez at fsanchez@hostos.cuny.edu.
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The Isabel Li Endowed Memorial Scholarship
The family of late professor Isabel Li worked with the Division on Institutional Advancement to create this scholarship for graduating students. Professor Li’s sisters, Esther and Victoria, hoped to celebrate their sister’s love of uplifting students and helping them.
Over the course of her years in academia, Isabel taught Spanish and Literature but found her true calling as an administrator, eventually becoming the Director of the Hostos Academic Learning Center. She began working at Hostos in 1983 and joyously provided help and assistance to several generations of students.
The Endowed Fund is housed in the CUNY investment pool, where it will appreciate until the funds can be disbursed. Ms. Esther Li generously provided additional current use funds, enabling the Isabel Li Endowed Memorial Scholarship to support two students in the Spring 2023 semester. One recipient, a mother of four, intends to continue her education and become a midwife.
Scholarships, like this one, provide a great incentive to students who might otherwise struggle to continue their education at a four-year program. If you’d like to learn more about creating a scholarship with unique criteria, contact Development Officer Idelsa Méndez at imendez@hostos.cuny.edu or 718-518-4341.
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Thank you to our wonderful
Benefit Sponsors:
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