Macaulay Honors College

Ava Nabatkhoran ’24 (John Jay) is graduating summa cm laude. Ava will be attending the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School in the fall. Ava is extremely grateful for these past four years at Macaulay John Jay and is very excited for the future!

Rachel Desir ’24 (Queens College) is graduating with a B.A. in Communication Sciences & Disorders and a double minor in Psychology and Cities & Social Medicine. She will be pursuing an M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology in the fall, making her one step closer to becoming a medical SLP!

Julianna Miranda ’24 (Baruch) is graduating with a 3.9 GPA. Julianna is a proud manager at a sports complex and cannot wait to further use her skills to tackle the operations management field.

Lauren Renzoni ’24 (Hunter) is graduating with a BA in Behavioral Neurobiology and a minor in French Language and Culture with a 3.9 GPA. Lauren will continue to work as a medical assistant and conduct research during her gap years before applying to medical school.

Join us for our annual Alumni Networking Night on Monday, June 24th at 6 PM! 🌟 This is your chance to meet and make professional connections with your fellow Macaulay alumni.

Whatever your field, profession or employment status may be, we hope to have you join us! RSVP: https://ow.ly/SSVE50Sc903 🗓️

Mohammad Mustafa ’24 (Brooklyn) is a first-generation Pakistani and the first college graduate in his family. He has presented his expire to Macaulay’s Foundation Board, completed a medical internship in Morocco through CSI, and presented his senior thesis on Echos of Musical Innovation in Jazz at the National Conference of Undergraduate Research. He is graduating this May with a 3.5 GPA and a Biology B.S.

📅 Save the Date: Macaulay's New Student Orientation will take place on Wed., August 21st and Thurs., August 22nd at John Jay College! Orientation is mandatory for all first year students.

Check back soon for more details. Visit: https://ow.ly/OjuC50S7SS8 🔗 (Link in bio.)

Leonidas Kalpaxis ’24 (City) is majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He will be interning at Bloom Energy in California this summer, conducting remote monitoring work. Leonidas will return this fall for his final semester, and he is excited for the journey ahead.

Kristine Sabo ’24 (Hunter) is graduating with a double major in Clinical Psychology and Studio Art. During her time at Hunter, she has contributed to cutting-edge research in three labs (Dr. Oberlin: Lehman, Dr. Suzuki: NYU, and SIP Study: Queens College) where she has gained experience in neuropsychology, physiological psychology, and psychological assessments. Outside of school, she became a national figure skating competitor. Kristine will head off to get her masters in Clinical Psychology.

Mia Carranza ‘24 (Hunter) is graduating with a BA in Creative Writing and Spanish Translation & Interpretation. Mostly notably, Mia was Vice President of Macaulay SCRIBE, named a Meyer Scholar, and studied abroad in Ecuador for three weeks. Following graduation, Mia looks forward to continuing her role as Outreach & Partnership Assistant at CENTRO, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. She is also excited to travel and further her education in the near future.

Adam Tarsia '24 (City) is a Popular Music Major, cross country athlete, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation, Adam will be working in Pulse Music Group's A&R Department in Los Angeles.

Congratulations to scholar athlete and women's basketball star Jenalyse Alarcon '25 (CSI), who was named to the ECC All-Conference Second Team for the second year in a row! Jenalyse led the Dolphins in scoring, rebounding, and is closing in on 1000 points for her career. Jenalyse is also an Information Systems and Informatics major. (📸 CSI)

Yori Xhumari ’24 (City College) is graduating in the top 10% of CCNY’s 2024 graduating class as a Phi Beta Kappa inductee. Yori will graduate from the Honors Program in Legal Studies as a Milbank Scholar. Yori will also be completing her final summer as a Jeanette K. Watson fellow in Turkey following graduation!

Royta Iftakher ’24 (Brooklyn) is graduating with a degree in Computer Science. Post-graduation, Royta will be joining CVS Health’s latest cohort for the IT Leadership Development Pipeline program. She hopes to take the opportunity to do more traveling while figuring out her grad school plans.

Annabella Li ’24 (Hunter) is graduating with a minor in Linguistics and double majors in Psychology and Chinese Language & Literature. Annabella aspires to become a speech-language pathologist and will continue pursuing this post graduation. She will be completing a Masters in Science – Dual Certification program in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Check out this year's CUNY Pride Month events! 🌈 Thanks to CCNY student (Instagram) for this incredible graphic.

Flashback Friday to last week's commencement ceremony 🌟

Read our 2024 Commencement recap and view the entire photo album: https://ow.ly/ftv550S4CNI 🎓📸

📚 The NYCHA-CUNY scholarship offers New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) residents attending a CUNY college the opportunity to receive a $1,000 scholarship.

➡️ Apply: https://ow.ly/w1vV50RO6HU

More snapshots from our 2024 Commencement! 🥳🎓

Recapping the semester: A peek into the final session of Dr. Brundage and Dr. Saed’s Springboard class! Best wishes to these outstanding seniors in their future endeavors. 🌟

Alex Dasent ’24 (Hunter) is graduating with a 3.6 GPA, a B.A. in Political Science, and a minor in Sociology. After working for the New York City Law Department for nearly two years, Alex will continue his post-grad journey working as a Trial Preparation Assistant at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. He will pursue a law degree in the coming years.

🌟 Apply to be an Orientation Leader / Peer Mentor and help welcome the Class of 2028 to Macaulay! Peer Mentors mentor a group of students through their freshman year by leading team-building activities at orientation, organizing meet-ups, and more. 📝

⏰ Apply by May 29th: https://ow.ly/s6yr50RUefC

Snapshots from Macaulay's recent Cap Decorating Party! 🎓 We loved seeing them all at commencement yesterday. Congratulations again to the Class of 2024!

We love seeing the creativity on your graduation caps! Congratulations!! 🎓👏🎉

Celebrating our graduates! Congratulations to all! 🎉🎓

Shania Persaud, Macaulay Scholars Council President and representative for Baruch's Class of '25, gave a powerful speech at this year's Macaulay Gala about her experiences on the annual Scholars Council Retreat and studying abroad in London. Shania highlighted Macaulay's Opportunities Fund as the driving force behind these experiences. We are thankful to Shania for her indispensable leadership as part of the Macaulay community and for sharing her story with us at the gala. 🌟💐

Deborah Omolola ‘25 (John Jay) is a Law and Society major with a minor in Dispute Resolution, poised to leverage her academic background and practical experiences to become a compassionate and effective advocate within the legal system.

Demonstrating her proactive approach to gaining practical experience in her field, Deborah was awarded prestigious fellowships worth the New York Giants Touchdown Fellowship and the Ron Moelis Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship, showcasing her passion for community engagement and social impact.

In addition to her fellowships, Deborah landed a judicial internship with the Queens Civil Supreme Court under Justice Frederick Sampson, thanks to the Pre-Law Institute at John Jay. She also serves as an Alternate to Detention Intern at the Queens Community Justice Center, where she works to provide youth with alternatives to detention, aiming to promote rehabilitation and community involvement.

She also volunteers at non profit dedicated to serving immigrants, embodying her commitment to giving back to her community as a Nigerian American immigrant herself. As a sophomore, Deborah played a pivotal role in revitalizing the African Student Association at John Jay College, serving as its president and currently holding the secretary position. The association successfully organized a fashion show at the Gerald W. Lynch Theatre on March 21st, showcasing the rich diversity of African culture.

Macaulay Honors College served as the lead organizer of this year's NYC Nature Challenge, generously supported by the New York City Council and the office of Council Member Gale Brewer. Students and staff working together to host public events and help New Yorkers better understand local plants and wildlife. 🌿

This year in NYC, by the numbers:
🌱 25,314 observations (+10K from the 2023 CNC!)
🐞 2,193 species
📝 987 observers
🥇 #1 in observations and observers (for similar geographic areas)!
🏫 7.8% of NYC observations from the Macaulay community
🔍 10 species in NYC only observed by the Macaulay community

Special thanks to Kelly O’Donnell and her group of phenomenal student volunteers for their leadership for this event.