16 MAY 28, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
SALUTE TO GRADUATES
Congratulations to
all our graduates!
Dear Members of the graduating
Class of 2020,
These are extraordinary
times — and each of you are extraordinary
in your own way. Congratulations
on reaching this landmark time
in your life!
This certainly isn’t what you
expected when you started the year
back in September, and had visions of
striding onto the stage in your cap and
gown to pick up the diploma or degree
you’ve worked so hard to achieve.
You are living through incredible
times, and they happen to converge
on a milestone in your life.
Let us challenge you a bit to put
these times aside. Live in the moment,
live in the present; never forget that
it is a present. You can do nothing
about the past, and nobody can read
the future. Enjoy the present with
your family, your friends and your
loved ones.
Those of you who just received your
college degree are about to head out
into the “real world,” and even with
the diffi culties that currently exist,
you can make an immediate impact
to help improve our city, state and
country.
Your attention, like other graduates,
is about fi nding that coveted fi rst job.
As you search, stay focused, positive
and, most importantly, persistent.
With persistence, you will fi nd a place,
whether it be graduate school or other
opportunities in the workplace.
If a job is not available, jump in and
consider being a volunteer. Take an
internship! Nothing is better than
experiencing the world, even in unpaid
positions, until you fi nd a paid
position. Your creativity, your skill
set and your desire will make the difference
when hiring begins.
It’s always benefi cial to learn lessons
in life at an early age so that you
are prepared for them as you get older.
If anything can be learned from this
pandemic, it is that life is precious.
You can’t take any day for granted.
You will face adversity in many ways
throughout life.
There are lessons to be learned
during this pandemic. Remember that
when we work together, our impact
upon society will be even greater
than working on our own.
Wearing a mask now makes a difference
in your life, and every other
life around you.
For those of you heading to college
next year, get ready for a unique time
in your life. Enjoy each day!
As you tackle the core classes, term
papers and other academic challenges
that college poses, follow your heart.
Find your passion. Nothing is better
in life than doing what you love. If it’s
something you’re emotionally and
intellectually invested in, pursue it.
As for middle school students heading
into high school, the next four
years will be fi lled with new friends,
harder courses and test aft er test
aft er test. Welcome to the next level
of your academic career; take one day
at a time.
Study hard and work hard. The
path to success is very simple: Work
hard. Throw yourself into school
activities.
High school is full of all sorts of
aft erschool activities beyond sports.
Take part in them. Begin fi nding your
passion, join a club (or two), make new
friends and learn more about the
world around you.
Remember always the people who
have loved you and who have cared
about you to bring you to this point in
your life. A thank you to the wonderful
families who have helped their
children succeed. We’re sure you’re
bursting with pride.
Be hopeful for their future. They
will make you proud!
Thank you, teachers and professors,
for helping not just to mold your students’
young minds, but also to inspire
them to be the best that they can be.
As an educator, it’s not merely about
passing on facts or assignments; it’s
about instilling enlightenment, passion
and dedication to your students.
You have helped them to change the
world for the better.
We congratulate you, graduates, on
your outstanding achievements. Great
challenges lie ahead.
Pursue them, be challenged
by them and live
the life you dreamed.
Go, and do great
things!
Sincerely,
Victoria Schneps
Joshua Schneps
Co-Publishers,
Schneps Media
HIGHER ED TODAY
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Kingsborough Community College student
Jaweria Bakar grew up in Pakistan
and moved to Brooklyn with her husband in
2010. Inspired to become a doctor after her
father’s recovery from a stroke, the mother
of two enrolled at Kingsborough in the fall
of 2018, ending a decade-long educational
gap. There, she emerged as a campus leader,
and an honors biology student.
This spring, Bakar was one of three
high-achieving CUNY community college
students to win a highly competitive
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate
Transfer Scholarship, joining an elite
group of 50 students selected from among
1,500 applicants from more than 300 community
colleges. The scholarship, worth
up to $40,000 per year, will help Bakar to
continue pursuing her bachelor’s degree at
Yale.
She is one of dozens of current CUNY
students and recent grads who have garnered
prestigious honors during this academic
awards season. In addition to the
Cooke winners, CUNY counted one Soros
winner, 16 Fulbright scholars, two Goldwater
scholars, one National Institutes of
Health’s Oxford-Cambridge Scholar, seven
National Science Foundation Graduate Research
Fellows, and the list goes on.
Even as our attention remains focused
on the medical, economic and emotional
hardships that have been wrought by the
coronavirus pandemic, our students continue
to shine. It is their resiliency, determination
and drive that make CUNY,
a transformative engine for thousands of
families with roots in every corner of the
world, a beacon of opportunity that will
be even more vital in the unsteady times
ahead.
It is important, then, that we take stock
of our students’ outstanding accomplishments,
and extend the congratulations and
recognition that they richly deserve.
This year’s cadre of standouts includes
Haiti-born poet Joel Francois, a recent
Brooklyn College grad whose family immigrated
to Brooklyn when he was 5, who was
honored with the renowned Soros Fellowship
for New Americans.
Lehman College senior Jasmine Euyoque,
the child of Mexican immigrants
and the first in her family to attend college,
won a Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship.
Euyoque excelled in the highly selective
Lehman Scholars Program, cultivating
an interest in computer science. She plans
to spend her Fulbright year teaching English
in Uruguay, where she seeks to expose
youngsters to opportunities in tech.
Her successes, along with those of
Francois, Bakar and the others, reinforce
the values of our University.
Feting our Grads
The conclusion of the semester also
means it’s time to honor our graduates. For
more than 30,000 (CHECKING) members of
CUNY’s Class of 2020, the last leg of the college
journey took an abrupt and unimaginable
turn. These grads had their final semester
altered in unprecedented fashion,
but they still made it to the finish.
Now, despite the requirement to physically
distance in response to the coronavirus,
it is crucial that we give them a fitting
sendoff.
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In lieu of in-person ceremonies, which
most of our colleges still plan to hold when
circumstances allow, CUNY schools have
already started holding virtual festivities
that feature speakers from the worlds
of government, philanthropy and the sciences.
They include New York State Attorney
General Letitia (Tish) James; Former
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder; marine
biologist and environmental advocate
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson; two-time CUNY
graduate and immigration advocate Antonio
Alarcon; and philanthropist Judith K.
Dimon.
I am participating in many of these
virtual celebrations and have already addressed
the graduates of several schools,
including the history-making first graduating
class of CUNY’s School of Medicine.
Those brave students concluded their studies
ahead of schedule so they could join the
frontline battle against the pandemic.
As I’ve told many of our students, the
Class of 2020 has demonstrated a resilience
and resolve that inspires me. They stayed
strong, adapted and pulled together, even
as their campus life ended abruptly.
I am incredibly proud of them, and
despite the uncertain times ahead I’m as
optimistic and excited as ever about their
futures.
Please join me in congratulating them.
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