All around and everywhere at once, right there with you
Custodial Assistant
Buildings and Grounds
On any given day, Magdelin Abraeu can be seen around campus keeping classrooms and buildings neat, clean, and safe. She is dedicated, hardworking, and always goes above and beyond the call of duty.
And she always has a warm smile for everyone.
She truly personifies Queensborough's culture of care.
“I want to be here at Queensborough. My nature is to help people. I don’t like to say no. If I can’t do it today, I will find a way to do it tomorrow,” said Magdelin, who first arrived in the U.S. from the Dominican Republic in 2005. There she attended The Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, where she studied publicity and art.
Since 2018 when she started at Queensborough, Magdelin has demonstrated her steadfast commitment to the College, its people, and certainly, her job.
Throughout the pandemic, for example, Magdelin, as with all essential staff, showed up for work every day, wearing PPE to stay safe while making the rounds throughout campus, carefully cleaning and sanitizing every room in every building, installing social distancing shields and spacing desks.
Their enormous contribution to the College was complex and stressful. They, like other frontline workers, are heroes.
Perhaps one of the most important differences Magdelin has made is at the Lucille A. Bova Food Pantry. Magdelin has been a devoted volunteer at the Food Pantry ever since it re-opened in the Lobby of the Administration Building and was named in honor of former President Diane Bova Call’s late mother.
Ronni Weprin, Special Events Coordinator in the Division of Strategic Initiatives and Advancement, and Administrative Liaison to the Committee on Food Insecurity, said, “Anytime Magdelin sees unpacked boxes inside the Food Pantry, she volunteers to unpack them. Whenever she sees someone unpacking boxes inside the Food Pantry, she will stop what she is doing to help. When volunteers are packing bags for food distribution, she is right there with us.
When Magdelin noticed the Food Pantry was not as stocked as it usually was following the pandemic, she immediately called her cousin for help. Within an hour, a truck pulled up in front of the Administration building filled with non-perishable food items for donation to the Pantry.
Whether it’s the big picture or the smaller details, nothing escapes Magdelin’s care and attention.
“We love Magdelin,” said LaToya Huntley, College Office Assistant in the Office of Information Technology, QCC Device Loaner Program. “She collects recycled bottles and donates the proceeds to charity.”
Magdelin has also become known for her commitment to saving plants all over campus from certain doom, nursing them back to life and returning them to their rightful owners—with a tip or two on how to keep them strong and healthy.
Adam Volin, Director of Web and Application Services in the Division of Strategic Initiatives and Advancement said, “Magdelin noticed that my plant was less than flourishing, took it under her wing to nurture and care for it –and soon returned it, bright and healthy. She has a green thumb, a big heart.”Drawing upon his experience, wisdom, and good humor to go above and beyond for Queensborough students
CUNY Administrative Assistant
Student Affairs
“What I appreciate the most about Rey is his friendly approach to, and support for, each student he works with,” said Brian Mitra, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment. “He goes the extra mile to sit down with them, to explain details, and to offer the resources that will help them reach the next step in their academic career. Whether he spontaneously connects with students, has a scheduled appointment –or a call is routed through his office--Rey’s example is what we should all aspire to when supporting our students.”
Indeed, Rey creates a culture of care that students long for-- to be connected, heard—the welcoming environment needed to be successful.
Born and raised in Jamaica, Queens, Rey enrolled at Queensborough in the fall of 2005 as an Office Administration & Technology major. The following year, he began working as a work-study student in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs under the leadership of Ellen Hartigan. Immediately after graduating in the spring of 2008, he began his full-time position at Queensborough as a CUNY Office Assistant. In October 2013, he was promoted to CUNY Administrative Assistant.
“QCC is the only job I’ve ever had,” said Rey proudly, a life-long resident of Queens who identifies as West Indian/Caribbean. “QCC has a certain charm. I love working here. I have strong friendships with my co-workers. Family style relationships.”
Mitra pointed out that Rey knows how to encourage discouraged students to persevere. He engages them with compassion and gentle banter. This part of his job requires an innate ability to understand and appreciate different personalities.
And Rey excels in this area as he has served four Vice-Presidents with different leadership styles over the last 14 years starting with Ellen Hartigan (2006-2014), Michel Hodge (2014-2018), Brian Kerr (2018-2021) and then Ellen (2021) who returned in an interim role for a brief time until Brian Mitra (2021 - present) was hired.
“But no matter what the leadership is, I'm here to serve the students,” said Rey. “I’m called the QCC student whisperer,” he laughed.
Rey is especially enthusiastic about his role as Administrative Liaison to Queensborough's Lambda Sigma Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) International Honor Society since 2009. Rey works closely with Dr. Regina Sullivan, Associate Professor, Biology and Dr. Emily Sohmer Tai, Associate Professor, History and long-time advisor of the Lambda Sigma Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Chapter.
He advises students regarding their eligibility for PTK and encourages them to apply for "Golden Key" scholarships that help defray the cost of membership for students who can't manage the expense of the $65.00 lifetime membership fee.
Rey makes all the arrangements for the annual PTK induction ceremonies, making sure the refreshments are inclusive of vegetarian and Halal options. He monitors the RSVPs from students and their family members. On graduation day, it's Rey who orders the stoles and tassels – and he is always one of the first to cheer them on as they prepare to walk across the commencement stage!
“Over nearly two decades, I've never seen Rey skip a beat, drop a ball, or lose his composure,” said Mitra.
Rey says he often reflects on QCC’s students’ remarkable ability to keep going, to challenge themselves, and to ultimately succeed in their studies and in their personal lives.
“I openly identify myself as queer so that other young black men can take pride in who they are and pay it forward.”
Rey closed by saying, “The pandemic has caused permanent ripple effects. We will not ever go back to normal, but maybe that’s a good thing. I’d like to see us create a new normal. New space for change. New perspectives to try something new. A voice for the voiceless.”
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