TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | JAN. 8-JAN. 14, 2021
BY BILL PARRY
For most of his adult life,
Woodside resident Mark Gilson
bounced from job to job.
“I did graphic design work
at a boutique studio but it’s a
tough market,” said Gilson, 49.
“I managed in retail art for a
while and worked for the Department
of Education. Then I
went to work in customer service
but I felt I was doing nothing
with any real weight to it.”
But as Gilson neared age 50,
the married owner of a crested
gecko, tortoise, a snake and
three cats thought it was time
to seek out a full-time career.
He found a home a few subway
stops away in Long Island City.
Gilson enrolled at LaGuardia
Community College to study
as a veterinary technician
whose graduates are hired by
veterinary practices, animal
shelters, zoos and research institutions.
“Even getting into that program
was a challenge,” Gilson
recalled. “Of the 150 that apply
each semester, maybe 20
percent make the cut, so there
was already a sense of accomplishment
and I felt I will have
a lot of pride in this particular
career. I’ll be a healthcare
professional as a veterinary
nurse.”
Gilson is also disabled. His
left leg below his knee was amputated
in his early 20s, following
a childhood illness. When
doctors discovered a tumor on
his spine when he was 10, Gilson
was told he would never
walk again after it was surgically
removed. Gilson proved
his doctors wrong and figured
out how to get around with
crutches and leg braces, but he
continued to have trouble with
the leg, which ultimately led to
the amputation. Now he wears
a prosthetic limb.
“From the moment I
stepped on campus, I felt
comfortable that I fit in,” Gilson
said. “The students there
seemed like they came from
central casting in that they
came from all walks of life.
I may feel like I’m twice as
old as my fellow students but
everyone takes it seriously
and there are no slackers. La-
Guardia Community College
is a very supportive community
and the faculty and the
administration have a vested
interest in seeing each of their
students succeed.”
Not everything was easy
for Gilson, though.
“My biggest hurdle was
passing chemistry. It was my
nemesis in high school,” he
said. “The next hurdle was
getting through the COVID-
19 lockdown last spring. La-
Guardia did a great job during
the shutdown and I was able
to keep up my grades. Being
back this year has been great
in that there is a lot of handson
learning in this program.
I really hope COVID doesn’t
knock me off my trajectory
again because I feel really
goal-oriented now.”
As a veterinary tech, Gilson
will be able to do blood
draws, take vital signs, administer
anesthesia, give Xrays
and more.
“I won’t get rich, but I’ll
be able to help a lot of people
through the care of their pets
and I’m really attracted to that
aspect,” Gilson said. “Plus, I’ll
have a career-related job with
plenty of weight to it.”
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
South Ozone Park community leaders are
calling for swift justice for Rita Persaud, a beloved
Indo-Caribbean vocalist and devotee of the
Shaanti Bhavan Mandir in Jamaica, who was
killed by a hit-and-run driver on Dec. 24.
At least 150 people, including the Shaanti
Bhavan congregation and Persaud’s family
and friends, gathered on Dec. 27 at the scene of
the incident by the Church of The Nativity of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, at 101-41 91st St., for a
vigil in remembrance of Persaud, who was also
known as “Aunty Reets.”
“Aunty Rita left an indelible impact on so
many of us, encouraging us to use our voices
to chant God’s glories the entire duration of her
life. Today we use our voices to demand justice
and call on our South Queens community to
help locate and ultimately convict the spineless
person responsible for taking Aunty Reets’
life,” said Aminta Kilawan-Narine, founder of
South Queens Women’s March and co-founder of
Sadhana.
A makeshift memorial of candles and posters
with prayers was created and bhajans (Hindu
hymns) were sung by attendees. Each night
since Persaud’s passing, at least 800 individuals
have joined virtual wakes in her honor.
Persaud’s funeral service will be held on
Thursday, Dec. 31, at Bergen Funeral Home at
102-17 101st Ave. in Ozone Park. She is survived
by her 25-year-old niece Darshanie, her brothers
Glen, Jaio and Deochand, and her nephew
Danesh.
Persaud’s relatives extended sincere and
profound gratitude to the public for their generous
outpouring of grief and support over the
tragedy.
“The overwhelming grief in the community
is testimony of the life of selfless service
that Rita lived in the last 54 years. She
touched the lives of thousands and created a
unique and distinct sense of belonging with
each person she met in her short lifespan,”
Persaud’s relatives said in a statement. “She
was a beautiful spirit that lived to serve others.
She found great joy in spreading happiness
to others through service initiatives in
the Hindu West Indian Community in New
York and further abroad.”
Persaud, who was 54 years old, was just a few
blocks from her Ozone Park home on Dec. 24 and
was sitting in the back of an Uber, a black Toyota
Camry, when the driver of the vehicle made a left
turn on Rockaway Boulevard and 103rd Avenue
and was hit by Lamborghini Urus SUV, according
to the NYPD.
The Uber driver was taken to Jamaica Hospital
Medical Center with injuries, and was subsequently
listed in stable condition. The passenger
in the Lamborghini was also taken to Jamaica
Hospital in stable condition. According to authorities,
the driver of the Lamborghini fled the
scene on foot.
“The perpetrators of this senseless death of
Rita must be apprehended and brought to justice
as soon as possible,” Persaud’s relatives said in
a statement. “We are imploring the district attorney
and all law enforcement to utilize their
power and ensure justice is served. We are also
calling on anyone with information about the
identity of the missing driver to share with law
enforcement.”
Born in Guyana, Persaud migrated to New
York in 1999 and immediately found broad-based
acceptance in the West Indian Hindu community.
While she spent her days as an accountant, all
of her evenings and weekends were spent in the
Hindu community in service projects (seva).
Persaud mentored and schooled both adults
and children in the community and was always
the first to offer a hand to help those in need, according
to Persaud’s relatives.
Pandit Manoj Jadubans, priest and spiritual
leader of Shaanti Bhavan Mandir, said Persaud’s
death has impacted many in the community, but
the Mandir has suffered a “devastating loss.”
“It is important that together we do not rest
until the driver is found,” Jadubans said. “The
great lord knows and what is in the dark will
eventually come to light as Rita was the light to
many.”
Several local elected officials also denounced
the crime and expressed the urgency of apprehending
the individual responsible for taking
Persaud’s life.
“The tragic death of Rita Persaud has caused
immeasurable pain to so many,” Councilwoman
Adrienne Adams said. “The harm created by
this despicable, cowardly act must not go unpunished.
We seek swift justice in Rita’s name and
legacy.”
Assemblywoman-elect Jennifer Rajkumar,
who has spoken with Captain Fidacaro of the
102nd Precinct, said she is “confident that the
NYPD will use its full resources to ensure the
perpetrator is apprehended and brought to
justice.”
Anyone with information on the driver of
the Lamborghini is encouraged to call Crime
Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (8477) or visit nypdcrimestoppers.
com.
Animal-loving Woodsider Mark Gilson finds his career path at
LaGuardia Community College.
Courtesy of LaGuardia Community College
Woodside amputee
fi nds career path at
LaGuardia CC
South Ozone Park community
mourns loss of ‘beautiful spirit’
killed by hit-and-run driver
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