Queensborough and the AIA Celebrate a Second of Year of Friendship with Holi and Check Presentation
There were smiles and dust-covered faces as far as the eye could see on Wednesday (March 25) as Queensborough and the Association of Indians in America (AIA) joined hands to welcome spring with Holi/Phagwa.
This year’s celebration marks the second we’ve held in collaboration with the AIA following their visit to the campus in January 2025. At the time, impressed by our Engineering & Technology, and Nursing programs, they pledged to support education at the college by establishing a scholarship fund — starting with an initial $10,000 donation — and collaborating with cultural events.
Since then, the AIA has more than held true to its word, such as during Deepavali in October when they awarded scholarships worth $1,000 each to ten students.
And Wednesday’s festivities were another showing of that commitment, starting with the preceding check presentation.
President Christine Mangino along with various members from the Department of Strategic Initiatives and Advancement were joined by members of the NY Chapter of the AIA in the QCC Art Gallery where Queensborough was gifted a $10,000 check.
“At Queensborough, we take pride in fostering a community where diversity is celebrated, every voice is valued, and where cultural traditions are a bridge of opportunity for learning and connection,” President Mangino said in her opening remarks.
Afterwards, AIA-NY President Beena Kothari talked about how much she enjoys AIA’s ongoing partnership with Queensborough, followed by a few of her colleagues, such as Dr. Arya Urmilesh and Dr. Jagdish Gupta, who echoed her sentiments.
Once the ceremony concluded, AIA President Kothari directed everyone to the day’s main event: the Holi Festival.
Compared to the almost formal atmosphere of the award ceremony, Holi/Phagwa was far more casual, and if all the socializing, food, and dancing weren’t an indication of that, then the copious amounts of gulal certainly were.
Gulal is a dust traditionally used in various Hindu ceremonies, with each color representing something unique, such as pink for joy or yellow for optimism. And as far as Queensborough is concerned, there’s no greater joy during Holi than smearing gulal on friends and even colleagues. Most simply got cute designs on their face, but others — especially students — looked like the canvas for an abstract painting.
A sight to behold for most, but for them, that was all part of the fun.
“My favorite thing about Holi is the color,” said one gulal-laden Business Major as he took a break from playing with his friends.
“I like the community here — the people always come together to celebrate something,” another equally colorful student chimed in.
Indeed, as President Mangino said during the award ceremony, occasions like this were prime opportunities to connect with one another, and everyone in attendance made the most of it.
And speaking of award ceremonies, the Holi Festival was host to another one. Several people, including President Mangino, VP Stephen Di Dio, and Chief Development Officer Sajedeh Sheerazi, received certificates from Jacob Gross, Chief of Staff for NYS Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar.
After that brief intermission, everyone went back to eating and socializing until the festivities came to an end.
Photo Gallery: Association of Indians in America (AIA-NY) Check Presentation (March 25, 2026)
Photo Gallery: Holi Festival (March 25, 2026)
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