Hundreds Gathered for Queensborough’s 7th Annual Spring Student Symposium
A celebration of Queensborough students’ faculty-mentored research, coursework, and creative works took place on Friday, May 1, during the seventh annual Spring Student Symposium (SSS). Sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs, the SSS Committee and the QCC Research Committee, the event featured 92 faculty-mentored presentations delivered by 138 student presenters from 11 departments.
The standing-room only kick off included welcome remarks by Queensborough president, Dr. Christine Mangino, and, from the Office of Academic Affairs, Phyllis Curtis-Tweed, Ph.D., provost and vice president, and Dr. Linda Bastone, dean of faculty.
There were a couple of surprise guest speakers as well.
Queensborough alumna Christine Wilborne Nkemjik captured the mood. “One of the reasons I accepted this invitation is to express my gratitude to the faculty and staff at QCC on behalf of every single student who has ever stood at the gate of access and opportunity.” Currently an Academic and Career Counselor at Delaware Technical Community College’s Stanton campus, Wilborne Nkemjik added, “I want to thank you for always showing up in advocacy and saying, yes, you deserve to be here.” Her academic journey began at Queensborough where her love for research, history, and the social sciences first developed. Wilborne Nkemjik later attended Queens College where she majored in History with a focus on women in South Asia and minored in Sociology.
Queensborough alumna Camila Carrillo reflected on the long years she waited to enter a classroom. “I was alone,” she began, recalling her journey to the U.S. from her home country of Colombia. “I was 18 years-old, didn’tspeak any English and had little money, so I worked many jobs as a housekeeper, babysitter, waitress and bartender, all with the hope that one day I could afford college. Finally, I moved to New York in 2020 and [shortly thereafter] enrolled in Queensborough. My professors welcomed me, made me feel like I belonged. When you spend so much time in a place where you don’t speak the language, you tend to forget you have something to say. Family became my new language.” A Colombian documentary filmmaker, Carrillo transferred from Queensborough in 2022 to The City College of New York, where she recently completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree in Film, and her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Anthropology. Her work explores themes of migration, gender, beauty standards, and social justice through poetic, human-centered storytelling.
Second semester Computer Engineering student Andrea Ramirez gave poetry readings “that are about my personal story of growth, how I was raised and how I formed meaningful relationships with people throughout my life.” The poems, built on the idea of empowerment, are: Fervent Date, Fervent Root and Flowers of the Many.
Ramirez, now 22 years-old, shared that initially she didn’t want to attend college, but she came to realize that she wanted a career, not just a job. So, when her brother, a former QCC student, told her how much he liked QCC, she decided to give it a try. She smiled. “I really like the campus environment. There are so many ways to get involved and the people are lively.”
Julissamo Rales, a second semester student in the Engineering Technology program, hosted a live podcast with fellow students centered on Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice. Discussed were the novel’s themes that have evolved into numerous television series and movie adaptations.
Oranesch Meler, who came to Queensborough with a bachelor’s degree already under her belt, presented her research focused on managing Crohn’s Disease in pregnancy. At Queensborough, she is completing required credits in biology before moving to North Carolina where she plans to enter the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Elon University.
For more on the day’s events, please click on the Program Book link below:
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