Category: Our Community (Page 4 of 4)

My name is Cynthia Balan my pronouns are she/her. I was born on October 7th at Methodist hospital. I grew up in Brooklyn and have been living on the same block since I was born. My interests are radiology and art. Art, dance, or anything creative has always been my thing. Growing up in a home where creativity was never an issue let me be free in many ways.  I have been dancing since I can walk and I picked my first paintbrush when I learned how to hold a pencil. School has never been an issue but when it comes to certain subjects I tend to shy away from them due to me feeling like I can’t handle it but that’s definitely something I am working on. Being outspoken and letting you know if iI need help or not has been an issue cause “closed mouths don’t get fed” which is something my aunts always told me.  I am ready to start this new journey of college meeting new people and, learning new things is something that im excited about.

In the first photograph, you’re going to see my best friend. When covid hit my aunt got pregnant and she had my beautiful baby cousin that definitely makes my day a lot better. I never knew that someone can have such an impact on my life a little person at that  Her name is Aaliyah Richards and she is one year old she is the definition of my best friend she gives me headaches every few seconds but its all worth it. The second image is the art that i drew or painted. I always loved drawing but once covid hit I felt so unproductive and I picked up the pencil and felt alive again

Hello!

1.             My name is Mahin Rafi and my pronouns are he/him. I was born in the United States to Bengali parents immigrated from Bangladesh. I grew up in Brooklyn but moved to Queens in 2017. My interests are Designing and technology since cars are my thing and the way cars look over time matters since people have their opinions on the car if it looks good or bad. In terms of technology I am interested in it since technology is advancing overtime and I get creative in my head on what can be added to technology in cars or other everyday devices such as cellphones, tablets, laptops or computers. I am more of an outdoor person because I like to explore more around the city and out of state or city. I love driving around because driving in general relaxes my mind, my body and takes me away from problems or any negative thoughts in my head. College in person isn’t really my thing since I was having anxiety because I didn’t know what to expect other than the fact I have to know this isn’t high school anymore.I love cars since I like speed, smoothness, performance and creativity too. The first picture you see here is my car I use almost daily, even though it is TLC (Taxi and Limousine Commission) vehicle. The car hit 200,000 miles as of June 2021 and is still working. There is a couple cars I want to get and transform how it looks too. As you can see on the images below, one is the Toyota Camry 2016 and the other being Infiniti Q50S 400 red sport. In terms of how the car’s performance is, how the car’s appearance is and more, I am willing to get creative too. Since my car is a TLC vehicle, I know I have restrictions on what to do to the vehicle and what to not do. In terms of TLC car, I want people to know what personality I have by adding claw mark stickers along with customs stickers I want to add.
   (1st picture is my Toyota Highlander 2015 (TLC car))
2. (2nd picture is Toyota Camry 2016)
3. (3rd picture is Infiniti Q50s red sport 2019) (black is my favorite color in cars because it gives me personality and professional too)

Hi Everyone!

I’m your professor and colleague, Caroline Chamberlin Hellman, and my preferred pronouns are she/her.  I’m really looking forward to meeting you all. A little bit about me:  born in New York City, grew up in the Hudson Valley, went to Wellesley College (near Boston), then moved back to New York for graduate school.  I have a PhD in American literature from the CUNY Graduate Center, and I’m very proud to share the CUNY connection with you.  I’ve written two books on American literature, and now I’m shifting my scholarly focus to public education policy.  Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my new nephew, Sidney, who is currently 8 months old. You may get to meet him virtually! I like historic houses, fruit trees, and old musicals.

I’d like to share a simple space that has been important to me these past months. This is the window adjacent to the chair where I write and work, and it is my window onto the world (Red Hook, Brooklyn). Gazing out, you see people’s homes on the block and the church steeple in the distance.

The first photograph is the sunrise on March 10, 2020 one day before the college closed, and shortly before the pandemic fully bombarded the city. It reminds me of the reach of the cosmos and the natural world– as well as the beauty of New York–before the onslaught of sirens and loss. The second photo is the window this past winter. During this challenging time, I’ve tried to add some peace and calm to my space: paperwhites and amaryllis bulbs, a topiary from the grocery store.  Right now I have a rosemary plant, which smells terrific! Each day I watch these plants grow, and their  determination offers hope. I also like the idea that we’re all in this together; the apartments across the street hold folks who are probably looking for some hope and determination, too.