The National Youth Poet Laureate Comes to Queensborough
National Community College Month (NCCM) is a time when colleges around the country take the time to illustrate that public institutions are not just a viable, but an advantageous step towards a student's future.
Queensborough is no different.
And what better way to prove our case by inviting Borough of Manhattan Community College student and National Youth Poet Laureate Stephanie Pacheco to our campus?
That said, last Tuesday’s visit wasn’t just for NCCM. It was also an opportunity for English faculty members, event organizers, and The Great Questions Foundation fellows, Beth Counihan, Ilse Schrynemakers and Susan Lago to put their time with the foundation to work by incorporating more discussion-based learning into their curriculum.
The result? An afternoon of poetry and discussion.
And with such an inspiring student in our presence, it was only natural that CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez — who wanted to congratulate Pacheco on behalf of the university — decided to come to the event, joining the many excited attendees that filled the Student Union.
Included in the audience were faculty, staff and plenty of students, such as first semester student and military reservist Willis Zheng whose interest in poetry (and all forms of artistic expression) stems from his time at the LaGuardia School of Performing Arts, and upcoming graduate Jasselyn Martinez who cites her own creative writing practice as the impetus for attending.
“I’m always eager to learn from others — of their own life experiences.”
The Chancellor was no different in this regard, highlighting his excitement for the upcoming month while also congratulating Pacheco during a short speech following an introduction from President Christine Mangino.
“There is no better way to have begun National Poetry Month than with this beautiful work of poetry that perfectly illustrates the great impact that CUNY has across New York. We are incredibly proud of our very own Stephanie Pacheco, whose talent has elevated her to be the nation’s leading youth poet, and look forward to a month that will undoubtedly bring to light the many poetic voices that are connected to our University community.”
Afterwards, he unveiled the purpose of his visit: to debut “Dear CUNY,” a video produced by the CUNY Communications and Marketing team which features an excerpt from a poem of the same name written by Pacheco.
“Dear CUNY, I don’t know of any other school that runs its city like you, that paints its town with its face like you...,” part of her poem reads. “This poem is for everything that keeps a boat floating, for the makers and shakers, for the thinkers, the dreamers, for those of us who dare.”
As Pacheco would later say after taking the podium, the whole poem is a testament to the unique experiences and lessons that only a place like CUNY could provide.
“CUNY taught me there was room enough for all of us. I sat down with classmates that were twice my age, parents who had kids that were my age, people who took breaks from school and decided to come back. Every single one of us is special and that is some of what I wanted to uplift.”
And that ethos isn’t present in just “Dear CUNY.”
Much of her poetry is rooted in her personal experiences. Whether it was about rituals or what positions in government people from her neighborhood should hold, her poetry elevates “the mundane to the poetic,” reinforcing her repeated claims that she’s “literally just a girl” despite her prestigious title.
And keeping up with that insistence, the afternoon soon turned into a casual Q&A with the audience.
She answered questions about her writing process:
“Part of my process is letting the poem come out when it arrives. And sometimes that means writing it down on random post it notes, writing on tissue paper, just writing...I really mean it when I say that the best poems I’ve written write themselves.”
And shared what she does when she has writer’s block:
“Personally, when I'm struggling to write a story or when that story is struggling to find its way out, I tend to return to the things that I know give me inspiration. So, like I said earlier, I get a lot of inspiration just being around people, being in rooms like this, being in my community, listening to the type of music I grew up listening to, and going down those YouTube rabbit holes that got me into poetry to begin with. I return to the things that ignited my entire journey.”
This portion went on for a few minutes before the audience was presented with a question: “What is justice?”
Pacheco’s visit wasn’t just an opportunity to share poetry or for students to see what heights a student like themselves could reach, but also a chance for attending students to engage in a discussion about a subject that’s personal to her: social justice. And after everyone wrote what the word meant to them, they shared their thoughts — with some giving rather thoughtful responses.
Afterwards, the event concluded, though she did keep herself available for further questions.
Overall, it was an uplifting experience for all those in attendance. One where the community got to share in the success of one of CUNY’s own, knowing that her story is just one of the many that can unfold if you take advantage of what Queensborough (and CUNY in general) has to offer.
And thanks to Pacheco’s poem, now all of New York knows it.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Nichols
Read more about Pacheco in The New York Times
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