“For years I searched for a way to gather my interests into a single, coherent degree that would allow me to achieve my personal, academic and professional goals. It was not until a friend referred me to CUNY BA that I began to see a way to do this.”

Diane Kolack is using CUNY BA to study the social, economic, cultural and psychological factors that have influenced food consumption practices and patterns, as well as the environmental, ethical and economic factors in food production and distribution.

Noah Ginsburg is one of over 40 students who have studied sustainability in CUNY BA. Sustainable energy has been a key issue in his professional and academic life. Upon graduating, he was offered the job as NYC Solar Ombudsman at CUNY. Now he is Performance Guarantee Specialist at Sungevity, a home solar system company based in San Francisco.

Gareth Rhodes’ dual areas included honors courses, independent studies, study abroad in China and Argentina, and internships with Congressman Charles B. Rangel, the White House, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the Roosevelt Institute. Rhodes became a Truman Scholar in 2011.

Azriel Relph was born in a trailer with no electricity, and raised on government cheese and hand-me-downs. This award-winning student has traveled around the world, and, after graduating from CUNY BA, he completed his Master’s at the CUNY School of Journalism. Now he is an investigative researcher for NBC News.

Michael Hattem is now a Ph.D. student at Yale University. He says, “Life doesn’t get much better than this.”

Kayhan Irani considers herself an “artivist,” fusing theater with activism and social change to activate audiences and transform society. Her co-edited volume, Telling Stories to Change the World: Global Voices on the Power of Stories to Build Community and make Social Justice Claims, was released by Routledge in 2008.

Raja Althaibani has dedicated her academic and political life to social justice and human rights. During the Spring 2011 semester, she went to her parents’ homeland, Yemen, where she reported on the uprisings as a stringer for CNN and MSNBC. She has been a frequent guest on NPR’s “The Takeaway.”

This former professional dancer – who came to NYC to train at Alvin Ailey – used CUNY BA to consolidate her interests and experiences in Managerial and Political Leadership.

Liza Case’s interest in China came about while working in Shanghai for a month in 2004, producing a show with Jacques D’Amboise and the National Dance Institute. After CUNY BA, she attended the Tisch School of the Arts for an MFA in Dramatic Writing.

When he heard about CUNY Baccalaureate, James Griffin said he was “re-inspired to follow my dream of obtaining a degree in something I truly love to do.” Under the mentorship of Prof. Georgeen Comerford, Art, Brooklyn College, Griffin took his courses at Brooklyn, City and Queens Colleges.

Marine Corps Veteran David Morgante’s specialized concentrations in Terrorism Studies and International Crime have put him on the path to his dream career with the U.S. Department of State.

“Through CUNY BA, I have been able to create my own path and understand and express my individuality. Thank you for helping to nurture me and allowing me to grow into the unique individual I want to be.”

Charles Greene was incarcerated for 15 years under New York’s Rockefeller laws. After earning his Bachelor’s, he completed his MSW at Hunter College. Today he is the Director of the Young Fathers Program at Claremont Neighborhood Centers, Inc.

Diane Gibson started—and stopped—college in 1965; she returned in 1991. Taking one course every semester, she graduated in June 2009. Her goal: to work as a case worker with young felons, ex-offenders incarcerated in the mental health system and/or the developmentally disabled.

Michael Glenn Smith entered CUNY in 2007 to finish the degree he started more than 40 years ago. During his hiatus, he had two careers, in stage/film acting and financial software consulting. BMCC Prof. Carlos Hernandez, who recommended Smith to CUNY BA, said “I can honestly say I have never met a more motivated student in my life. Never.”

Career-changer K. Daya Bill created her Area of Concentration working with Hunter College Professor Hongmian Gong, Geography. She went onto to Rutgers University for a Master’s in City and Regional Planning and a job with the New Jersey Sustainability Institute.

Winston Scarlett is a CUNY Baccalaureate student with areas of concentration in Twentieth Century Literature of the African Diaspora Studies and Publishing. He is a Mellon Mays Fellow, a Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellow, and a recipient of the CUNY BA Memorial Scholarship whose home college is CCNY.

Andrea Liskova’s CUNY BA curriculum was designed with the goal of strengthening her skills relevant to writing and human communication behavior. She is now in Columbia University’s Master’s in Strategic Communications.

Keisha Toms’ degree in Cross Cultural Studies paved the way for a year of research in Yemen as a Fulbright Fellow. Since her return, she has been pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

“When other schools created obstacles to my learning, CUNY BA created opportunities. Through CUNY BA I have traveled to other countries, learned a second language, obtained valuable work experience nationally and internationally, and studied under renowned professors. As a result, I will graduate with a degree that has set me apart from others in my field.”

Jackie Mariano is a Filipino-American woman born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens; she lives in the most diverse borough of New York City and goes to one of the most diverse colleges in the U.S. Matters of race and identity are deeply important to her.

When Miki Masuda arrived in America just a few years ago, she spoke no English, knew no one, and had no computer experience. Today, she has graduated with a degree in Web Design with Motion Graphics and 3D Animation and has a job as a Graphic Designer with a securities company.

Mellon Mays/Thomas W. Smith Fellow Lisa Jahn participated in the Global Health Study Abroad Program in India; she presented her original research at the 70th annual conference of The Society for Applied Anthropology. Now she is a research scientist for NYC’s HRA Office of Evaluation and Research.

Early attempts at a college degree found Patrick Scullin pursuing Physical Therapy, then Forensic Psychology. But the interdisciplinary nature of CUNY BA allowed him to pursue his truest calling: International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution.

Rachel Klapper, a student in both CUNY Baccalaureate and Macaulay Honors College, says she has been “deeply affected by CUNY BA’s interdisciplinary academic mission.” Now she is a student in the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) at Herzliya in Israel studying Government and Counter-Terrorism.

“It is important that I not only study the relationship between crime and the aspects of culture that perpetuate it but also the reformative, restorative and harm-reducing actions being taken to counterbalance these injustices.” As a Fulbright Fellow, Julia Szendro will study juveniles and crime in Hungary.

Artist Sam Freeman infuses electric technology into his artwork to portray the human relationship to energy. After graduation, he traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico to participate in a national forum on sustainable technology. He is now a Ph.D. student in Computer Science at the CUNY Graduate Center, with a $24,000+ Science Fellowship.

Kathryn Urbina used CUNY Baccalaureate to consolidate and capitalize on her prior education while preparing for enhanced opportunities in the healthcare field.

In ’95 Robin Roberts dropped out of college, sure she was leaving school for good. Now, Prof. Charles Liu, Astrophysics, Coll. of Staten Island, describes her as “making a serious run for a degree in space science and a research career in astronomy and astrophysics. She’ll make scholarly contributions to the field.”

Following graduation, Reut Gelblum was accepted to the Ph.D. program in Neuroscience at Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

“It is important to have a powerful academic structure to serve as a platform for success.”

“CUNY Baccalaureate has been invaluable to me; it gave me a CUNY-wide lens with which to view the world and transform it.”

Growing up in a tri-lingual household led Ozlem Yuksel-Sokmen to wonder how children acquire and develop language. She is continuing her studies in the Ph.D. program in Developmental Psychology at the CUNY Graduate Center.

Tonisha Haywood is thinking about going on to law school, but she’s leaving her options open. One thing she’s certain about is that she’ll miss CUNY. “I’ve had a great experience here. In some ways I wish I could stay forever.”

“The clear benefits and independent nature of CUNY BA have helped me identify different career options…My interdisciplinary education and experiences outside the classroom definitely fuel my passion for advocating for women’s and children’s rights.”

Ayodele Oti: CUNY Macaulay Honors College student at City College, Harry S. Truman Scholar, Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar, Colin Powell Fellow, Charles Rangel Fellow, Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellow, Harriet Brows Scholar. Pictured here on her CUNY study abroad in Costa Rica.

After 14 years as a fundraiser for public health programs, Frank Jefferson wanted to be a public health leader. Saying he owes his success to CUNY Baccalaureate, his degree included research into the public health challenges in sexual minority communities. He is continuing his work at Columbia’s School of Public Health.

“Although initially hesitant and nervous about going back to school at the age of 44, it has turned out to be the best move I’ve made since my wedding.”

Bakchik Goo, the youngest child of a poor Korean family from rural Japan, climbed the ladder of success in part thanks to the CUNY Baccalaureate, by earning a degree in Accounting and Revival of the Secret Voice of Ancient Greek and Latin; he is now Vice President of a capital markets corporation.

Guiseppina Di Lena’s mother never learned to read or write and her father never finished the fourth grade, yet she became a voracious reader. After winning money on an Italian TV game show, she moved to NYC and after her 40th birthday enrolled in CUNY. With her B.A. complete, she hopes to become a children’s librarian.

Leta Davis wants to go into the non-profit field, to focus on social issues. She hopes to work with international NGOs and perhaps someday to start an organization of her own; she is particularly interested in economic and cultural development in impoverished areas of the world.

Diana Diaz is now a student in Teachers College/Columbia University’s Interdisciplinary Studies in Education Master’s program. “I couldn’t have done this without CUNY BA!” she says.

Clint Porter is the first CUNY undergraduate to earn a diploma in renewable energy. His area combined courses in physics, calculus, environmental policy and environmental chemistry from Baruch, City, and Hunter, as well as three independent studies and two internships.

Community work gave Maria Vides an empirical understanding of the state of women’s health; in CUNY Baccalaureate her goal was to add theoretical knowledge to her experience in order to be able to analyze and articulate the health situation of Latinas.

Rachel McCroy is now a student in the NYU Silver School of Social Work. She says, “Enrolling in CUNY BA was one of the best choices I made!”

Monica Agrest left Argentina in the hopes of a better baccalaureate education in New York. With individualized support and attention she created two ambitious Areas of Concentration and is now a Ph.D. candidate at CUNY.

Caroline Okoyo grew up in Kenya and has since had an abiding interest in the environment, particularly environmental protection and sustainability. Now in New York, Okoyo is a teaching volunteer at the American Museum of Natural History and a volunteer with Wild Metro, an organization working to protect biodiversity in the urban landscape.

Easter Wood designed her area with courses from Baruch, City and Hunter, working with Prof. Jo-Ann Hamilton, English, City College. Now she’s in Harvard’s Ph.D. program in African Studies and Religion, with scholarship support valued at $200,000. In 2011, she won a Fulbright-Hayes Grant for her dissertation research in Nigeria.