Namita Jain ’21 is a Finance major and Data Analytics and Interdisciplinary Studies of New York City double minor. Currently, she works at MUFG as a Supply Chain Finance Analyst. This past year she was the captain of Macaulay Deewane, Macaulay’s premier Bollywood fusion dance team and led the team during a completely virtual year where the team won 1st place at the Tufaan competition. In Winter 2020, she studied abroad in Argentina where she took a class on the Revolutionary Women of Latin America and learned about the Argentine culture. Additionally, Namita has been an active member of Women in Business at Baruch College since 2018. During her Junior year, she was the VP of Member Development where she led a team of 5 and hosted 6 interactive workshops focused on developing members’ soft skills and personal growth. In the future, Namita plan on pursing her MBA and working in the Financial Services industry

Michael Sutherland ’21 is a Political Science major, and previously worked as a Research & Policy Associate at Housing Rights Initiative. Working alongside Professor Duran Fiack, Michael researched state and local level environmental policy, and is a co-author of a published peer-reviewed journal article on equity in local sustainability plans. Throughout his time at Macaulay, Michael interned on a local-level campaign with a focus on community-driven politics, and went on to coordinate the digital communications and strategy of numerous progressive political campaigns.

In Fall ’21, Michael will begin an MPA program at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College with a specialization in policy analysis and interpretation. In this and future endeavors, Michael will fight and advocate for progressive policy that promotes compassion, equity, and justice.

Marissa Ogé-Graville ’21 is a Queer Black woman. She is majoring in Media Studies, and she’s minoring in the Business & Liberal Arts (BALA) honors program. After graduation, she’ll be attending the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema to earn an MFA in Cinema Arts with a specialization in Cinematography. After graduate school, she hopes to earn her Ph.D. in Film Studies and be an active professional in the media & entertainment industry.

Marissa has dedicated time to create a stronger and more diverse community for Macaulay students at Queens College. She has been an active member of the Queens College Planning Committee, a student-run event planning club where MHC students at QC work together to plan events for each other. She continuously volunteers at open houses, information sessions, and diversity initiatives to support incoming and current students. Marissa has participated in diversity recruitment initiatives that recruit high-achieving high school students to Macaulay Honors College at Queens College. She has also worked with MHC on issues related to DEI and LGBTQ.

Leslie Epps ’21 is an accomplished Architecture major at the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture. Awarded NOMA Student Member of the Year 2019, Leslie Epps founded the CCNY NOMAS Chapter in 2018 and served as President until early 2020. Epps also received the title of NOMA Student Representative and serves on the NOMA Board of Directors for the role. She has also been a Macaulay Student Ambassador since 2017, and has been Co-President since 2019. Epps has also been the recipient of numerous scholarships and awards including the AIA Diversity Advancement Scholarship, Academic Excellence in Core Award, and Dean’s List.

Leslie Epps has been passionate about architecture for half of her life and is eager to learn more and enact change moving forward in her career. She envisions her role in architecture as one of service and aims to work towards her hopes for the profession by working with untapped communities. In the future she aspires to combine architecture with urban planning in an effort to address social issues and ultimately better society.

Lauren M. Silverman ’21 is a Cinema Studies major and Design & Digital Media minor at Macaulay CSI. She recently completed an internship at the Museum of Jewish Heritage through CUNY Cultural Corps, where she worked with the Collections and Exhibitions department to preserve Holocaust survivor testimonies. She will be returning for a second internship in June.

In Spring 2019, Lauren was elected Music Director of WSIA, the College of Staten Island’s radio station. She also worked as the Layout Editor for the campus newspaper, The Banner.

She has been involved with film events at both her home campus and Macaulay–she was a student producer of the 2019 CUNY Film Festival and an intern for the 2020 CSI Tournées Film Festival. After serving as a production assistant recording promotional shorts for Macaulay, Lauren was appointed Co-President of the Macaulay Honors Student Ambassadors in Fall 2019.

This fall, Lauren will be attending the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at Brooklyn College for her Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting.

Karishma Malhotra ’21 is a Financial Mathematics major, and currently engaged in sustainable finance research at the University of Oxford. Her time at Macaulay has been defined by being a campus leader, avid academic and recipient of the selective Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship.

On campus, Karishma served as the Chief Executive Officer of Baruch Investment Management Group, a real-money student-managed fund of $900,000 and the Captain of Macaulay Deewane, Macaulay’s award-winning Bollywood Fusion dance team. Last January, Karishma studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina to explore Human Rights and explore her love for Spanish. In her professional career, Karishma has interned at the Institute of International Education, Morgan Stanley, the City of Cape Town Government in South Africa, and the Bank of Montreal where she will be returning as an Investment Banking Mergers & Acquisition Analyst. Karishma graduates from Macaulay with fond memories of rehearsing in the Lecture Hall, performing at Macaulay Galas, and missing the 1 train every time.

Jason Nagourney ’21 is a double major in History and Biology at Hunter College. Throughout his undergraduate career, he was involved in multiple student organizations including the Macaulay Marauders Quidditch team where he is now a captain, Macaulay FIT where he has led the club as president for three years, and Hunter Hillel. He has also conducted biological research at Hunter College, studying genetic modification of T-cells to better target specific cancers. Outside the classroom, Jason has been a volunteer EMT, working throughout the pandemic.

During his senior year, Jason has conducted original historical research with the Mellon Public Humanities Scholars Program, about Eastern European Jewish immigration to New York City. Jason plans on continuing his research and work in the community with the Fulbright program as an ETA in Lithuania. After completing his Fulbright award, he will attend the University of Rochester Medical School.

Isaac Paredes is a Cellular and Molecular biology major at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He launched the Macaulay Research Club in 2019 in an effort to make research more available to students throughout CUNY. His research focused on the bioinformatics and evolution of Vitamin B12 absorption at his home campus. A recipient of the Undergraduate Researcher 2021 Award; Isaac was accepted to a Dual Ph.D. program at Michigan State University studying integrated biology and Ecology and Evolution. He plans on one day founding his own university and applying his life experiences to the betterment of lives across the globe.

Ingrid Gendler ’21 is a Communication Studies and Political Science double major at Baruch College. During her time at Macaulay and Baruch she served as an Ambassador for the Honors Program, a Peer Mentor for Honors First Year Seminar, and as director of the Speakers and Programming team at TEDxCUNY, CUNY’s student organized TEDx conference. She has interned with non-profit organizations and plans to continue her education in law school in the near future.

Gilda McCrann ’21 is a Television and Radio major at Brooklyn College with a minor in marketing. During her time as an undergraduate, she had completed internships at the NYC-based production companies Ghost Robot and 4th Row Films, as well as PBS’ WNET where she covered the 2019 NYC Climate Strike with Greta Thunberg and LGBTQ+ poverty and homelessness with choreographer and consultant of FX’s hit show “Pose,” Twiggy Pucci Garçon. Her original work on these topics is now published on the PBS website. At Brooklyn College, she was one of the writers, crew members, and editors of an original television pilot, “All in Favor,” which won various awards including ‘Best Series Pilot’ at the New York International Film Awards and ‘Television Pilot Program Award of Merit’ at the IndieFEST Film Awards.

Gilda was also accepted as a fellow for the 2021 International Radio & Television Society Foundation (IRTS) Summer Fellowship Program, a highly competitive 9-week program aimed at giving students insight into the media industry and fostering connections with media executives and professionals.