Alumni Stories

  Reflective Paper of General Powell impact on my life  My name is Serigne Cheikh Modou Kara CISSE and I am currently a Graduate Student in Economics at Colin Powell School - City College. I graduated with my Master’s Degree in International Affairs at City College of New York on June 03, 2019, the last day when I had a final handshake and last selfie with General Colin Powell. I also spent my undergraduate life at City College majoring in International Studies (with concentration in International Relations) and Economics (with concentration in Financial Economics).… Read More »


  Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help: Alumna Melissa Olivar on Her Path as a Burgeoning Expert on Environmental Justice    After witnessing first-hand the mistreatment experienced by her mother and other Mexican immigrants who work hard doing essential work for little pay, Melissa Olivar was determined to earn a Bachelor’s Degree and make a better life for herself and her family. Having a natural inclination toward science, she started as a chemistry major but later switched to sociology and international studies. At the Colin Powell School she became a Koch Fellow… Read More »


  With Faith in Yourself, You Can Make the Impossible Possible: Keyla Pereira on Her College Journey Amidst the Pandemic Keyla Pereira is a senior majoring in Economics with a minor in Business Administration. In this interview, Pereira discusses her experience with daunting transitions: assimilating as an immigrant from Ecuador in a new high school in New York City, deciding to stay in the city for college, changing to a different major at a different CUNY campus, making the best of remote learning after the pandemic thwarted her study abroad plans, and finally exploring… Read More »


  Make Connections and Research Opportunities: Amanur Rahman on how Study Abroad and the JP Morgan Mentorship Program Changed His Life Born in Bangladesh, Amanur Rahman migrated to the United States in 2010 and became the first in his family to graduate from college when he earned a degree in Economics at City College. With assistance from the SEEK program and the CUNY Chancellor Scholarship, Rahman had a transformative study abroad experience in Europe that helped him gain clarity on his career path. He then became a fellow of Project BASTA, a program for first-… Read More »


  Aneesah Saeed: Listening to Her Calling as an International Social Justice Leader  Aneesah Saeed started college as a pre-med major, but she soon discovered that medicine was not her calling. Driven by recurring memories of child poverty and exploitation that she had witnessed as a girl in Pakistan, she joined the International Studies program at the Colin Powell School. She developed a keen interest in User Experience/User Interface design and became passionate about finding ways to use technology to better address global issues. In this interview, she tells of… Read More »


  Marrying Film and Activism: Savannah Washington on Her Path as a Film Director and the Making of “Playing Frisbee in North Korea”  After growing up in Detroit, Savannah Washington came to New York to combine her love of film, creative writing, and theater with her love of social activism. She became a Colin Powell Graduate Fellow in 2010 and learned about the conflict and human rights conditions on the Korean Peninsula. With close mentorship and financial support from the Colin Powell Center, Washington traveled to Korea and produced a cinema verite documentary film… Read More »


    Psychology MA Graduate Adam Qureshi: It’s OK to Not Know What You Want to Do Adam Qureshi, an alumnus of the Psychology MA program, is now a data analyst at Rockefeller University. In this interview, he tells about how he discovered his love for statistics, and how faculty at the Colin Powell School helped him make the career-altering realization that he wanted to be a researcher, not a clinician. Tell me a little about your background.  I was born and raised on Long Island, NY, and I am half Pakistani and half Greek. Before I came to CCNY, I finished up… Read More »


    “Find a Mentor”: Elaine Johnson, Valedictorian and Founder of TheStylishNomads.com, on Her Colin Powell School Journey   After graduating as the valedictorian of the Colin Powell School in 2017, Elaine Johnson went on to found TheStylishNomads.com and is currently pursuing a doctorate in psychology. In this interview, Elaine discusses her youth in Harlem, her participation in CCNY’s SEEK program, and the mentorship she received from professors in the Department of Psychology.  Where are you from and what is your background? Please share your story.… Read More »


  Valuing Non-Traditional Paths: Kelsie O’Leary Brings a Passion for Education from the Classroom to Political Campaigns   Kelsie O’Leary is currently the mobilization director at Brad Hoylman for Borough President, one of several campaign jobs she has dedicated herself to while taking a gap year before finishing her degree in Political Science at the Colin Powell School. With a passion for education, Kelsie is interested in working to elect people who she can trust to prioritize education and work to address inequity in our public schools. This mission has driven… Read More »


    Decolonizing Museums: Student Catie Hernandez Combines Art and Activism   Anthropology and Art History major Catie Hernandez is a Macaulay Honors student and Co-President of the Macaulay Feminist Society. In this interview, Catie discusses how CCNY has created the perfect setting for her to combine her love of art and activism, and for her to be able to one day preserve the cultural heritages of traditionally disenfranchised peoples.      Please tell me a little about your background.   I am from a small Long Island town called… Read More »


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Last Updated: 08/26/2020 16:36