Cardozo hosts job fair for senior students
BY JENNA BAGCAL
More than 100 seniors at
Benjamin N. Cardozo High
School had the opportunity
to learn firsthand about
what a career in politics
entails.
The high school — located
at 57-00 223rd St. in Bayside
— welcomed Ed Braunstein
to its third annual career fair
to talk to students about his
job as a state assemblyman.
“What we do up in
Albany is we pass laws for
the state and we decide how
all the state tax money is
spent,” said Braunstein.
“I have a seat on the floor
in the assembly chamber.
I get together with my
colleagues, we vote on bills.
If it passes the assembly
and if it passes the Senate,
the governor signs it and it
becomes the law of the state
of New York.”
Students who sat in on the
assemblyman’s presentation
were seniors studying
government in class. The
teens were encouraged to
ask questions including
what type of education was
required to become a state
assembly member.
(From l. to r.) Peter Georgatos, Principal Meagan Colby, Beth Kierez and state Assemblyman Ed
Braunstein with students at the career fair. Photo by Jenna Bagcal
“A lot of people are
lawyers because at the end
of the day, we’re making
laws. But there’s people of so
many different backgrounds
in the state assembly,”
Braunstein said. “It depends
on who the constituents
want to send and sometimes
someone has an expertise in
a certain industry and can
bring that expertise to the
state assembly.”
Other guests included
nearly 40 professionals from
varied industries, according
to AP English teacher and
assistant principal Beth
Kierez, who organized the
fair. Her goal was to provide
students with several career
options, including some
that did not necessarily
require pursuing a college
education.
“We realized that they
don’t really know when
they’re applying for college
what they want to do. So
maybe if we gave them people
who are in the field to talk
to they could at least have
another idea,” said Kierez,
who added that 15 of the
participants were returning
Cardozo alumni.
Class of 1972 alum Cindy
Begel talked to students
about her “non-traditional”
career path as a television
and sitcom writer. The writer
shared how she originally
wanted to be a broadcast
journalist but a graduate
school scriptwriting class
put her on a different path.
“The kids a lot of times
they think they have to be
an accountant, a teacher, a
nurse, a doctor, a lawyer,
so I wanted to talk about
what it’s like when you pick
something that isn’t a clear
path,” Begel said.
Begel’s impressive writing
credits include classics such as
“Laverne and Shirley,” “Mork
and Mindy,” “Happy Days,”
and “Married with Children.”
Reach reporter Jenna
Bagcal by e-mail at jbagcal@
qns.com or by phone at (718)
224-5863 ext. 214.
Corona mugging suspect linked to Flushing robberies
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
Police continued its search for a
man who they say pistol-whipped and
robbed multiple people in Flushing
and is now also connected to violent
mugging in Corona.
According to police, at 2:20 a.m. on
Dec. 27, 2018, the suspect approached
a 41-year-old man in the vicinity 112th
Street and 39th Avenue and displayed
a firearm. The perpetrator proceeded
to pistol-whip and point the gun at the
victim, demanding in Spanish that the
victim hand over his property.
Authorities said the bandit then
took the victim’s backpack and
cellphone before fleeing the scene.
Officers from the 110th Precinct
responded to the incident.
Law enforcement sources said
the suspect has been linked to three
previous robberies in Flushing. At
3:21 a.m. on Dec. 27, 2018, just one hour
after the previous robbery, the crook
allegedly struck the victim in the head
multiple times with his gun while in the
vicinity of Summit Court and Sanford
Avenue and pushed him to the ground.
The thief then forcibly removed
$400 in cash and fled the scene.
The victim was treated for facial
lacerations and swelling.
Just two days later, on Dec. 29, 2018,
the suspect confronted a 28-year-old
man in the vicinity of Maple Avenue
and Kissena Boulevard at 5:30 a.m.
After displaying his handgun and
demanding cash, the crook struck
the man in the head with the gun and
removed the victim’s iPhone 5 before
fleeing the scene, police said.
The victim in this incident was
taken to a local hospital for treatment
for a facial laceration.
The fourth incident took place at
11:45 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2018. The suspect
approached a 47-year-old man in the
vicinity of Pople Avenue and College
Point Boulevard and struck him over
the head with an unknown object,
according to authorities. The suspect
pointed his gun at the victim, but fled
empty-handed, police said.
The Flushing robberies were
reported to the 109th Precinct.
Police described the suspect as a
man in his late 20s to early 30s with
a dark complexion, standing 5 feet,
10 inches tall, and weighing 185 to
190 pounds.
Police were looking for a suspect who is wanted in connection with multiple Flushing
robberies and a mugging in Corona. Courtesy of NYPD
TIMESLEDGER,48 JAN. 25-31, 2019 TIMESLEDGER.COM
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