Student, Faculty, and Alumni Stories

  Colin Powell School faculty member Iris López, Director of CCNY Latin American and Latin@ Studies program, quoted in the Refinery29 article ‘In Puerto Rico, A History of Colonization Led to an Atrocious Lack of Reproductive Freedom   When birth control pills hit the U.S. market in 1960, it heralded a new age of sexual autonomy for women. “Freedom in a tablet,” as it’s been called, liberated women from becoming pregnant when they didn't want to and gave them more control over their reproductive choices. But in Puerto Rico, where women were used as subjects for birth… Read More »


Economics Professor Prabal De has just published, “Beyond race: Impacts of non-racial perceived discrimination on health access and outcomes in New York City.” Using a representative dataset from one of the most populous and diverse cities in the US, this research investigates whether individuals report experiencing discrimination while seeking health care not only due to their race/ethnicity, but also because of their other attributes such as age, gender, type of insurance, and immigration status, the latter group being termed collectively as non-racial discrimination. His… Read More »


  Colin Powell School graduate and former Colin Powell Fellow Dr. Jay-Sheree Allen ‘11 was recently awarded the Townsend Harris Medal by the Board of Directors of the Alumni Association of the City College of New York. The award recognizes those who have demonstrated outstanding postgraduate achievement in their chosen field. Although she is young, Dr. Jay-Sheree has already made a mark in the medical field, pursuing her goal to focus on underserved communities.  Dr. Allen, a family medicine physician currently residing in Central Minnesota, has made it a goal to… Read More »


  U.S. Army Captain Don Gomez is a 2010 graduate of the Colin Powell School and currently a professor of Arabic at West Point. A soldier since 2001, Don left the Army for a period in 2006 to attend college. While at City College he was a Colin Powell Fellow and won a Truman Scholarship. Since earning a BA in International Studies from City College in 2010 and an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London) in 2011, he has gone on to do extraordinary service as an Army officer.  Where are you from and… Read More »


After exploring editorial and culinary careers, Ariana Smith found her passion for international humanitarian law and human rights and enrolled in the joint program in law and international affairs offered by the Colin Powell School and CUNY Law. A course on nuclear policy taught by Dr. Jean Krasno, the program director, led Ariana to complete an internship in nuclear policy advocacy. Smith graduated in 2020 and recently became executive director of the Lawyer’s Committee on Nuclear Policy, which strives for a world free of nuclear weapons.   Where are you from and what is… Read More »


Clinical psychology student Melodie Perez is making the most of her academic endeavors. Serving as both a statistics peer coach and a student advisor, Melodie is taking advantage of opportunities that have introduced her to the world of counseling. “It allows me to connect with individuals to not just listen, but also help them relieve their distress and dissatisfaction,” says Melodie. Melodie hopes to build on these opportunities to achieve her goal of becoming a psychologist.   Where are you from and what is your background?    I was born and raised in… Read More »


            Colin Powell School graduate and former Community Engagement Fellow Charity Reeves recently participated as a panelist for our alumni chat on Child and Youth Development careers. Charity has dedicated her time to reconstructing tools and methods for teacher-parent relationships while also focusing on youth education. While a Community Engagement Fellow, she created her own youth development program, "Harlem Reading Project", now "Mighty Readers", which facilitates harmonious relationships between teachers and parents while… Read More »


Colin Powell School graduate Jose Lopez-Hernandez recently celebrated his two-year anniversary working with the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights. A beneficiary of DACA, Jose knows first-hand about the struggles immigrants face on their paths towards lawful residency. As a CCNY student, Jose spent a semester in DC interning for Congressman Adriano Espaillat and proved himself to be a strong advocate for immigrants. Through his time working in the Congressman’s office and with the Democratic Governors Association, Jose developed a network of contacts that helped… Read More »


Business and Economics Alumni of CCNY Remembers Lecturer Len Trugman Len Trugman was a family first guy; you knew about that from the moment you walked into his classroom. He loved to show photos of his grandchildren discuss the accomplishments of his children. To some he was Professor, to others Sir, to me he was Truggy.   When I signed up for Principles of Management with Truggy, it was just another class. Over the semester back in 2010, he was kind enough to let me get to know him.  He was full of truths about life.… Read More »


Congratulations to our Class of 2020 Valedictorian and Salutatorians   The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global leadership is pleased to announce the 2020 Valedictorian and Salutatorians for the Class of 2020.   Valedictorian: Randall Conway                     Randall Conway is a Political Science major whose research interests focus on realism in international politics. After growing up in Connecticut, Randall enlisted in the Air Force at age 17. He spent six years (2007-2013) in Bioenvironmental… Read More »


Last Updated: 01/15/2020 15:46