The CUNY Baccalaureate Blog

Tennessee Jones: The Religious Dimensions of Social Justice in Literature, B.A., January 2008, Magna cum Laude; Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship; Jacob Javits Fellowship; Dean’s List

“I grew up in the Appalachian mountains of East Tennessee. Our water came from a creek spring, and my backyard was uncut wilderness. Three generations of my family lived on top of each other in a little holler, and my parents grew a tobacco crop to supplement their incomes as a sheet metal mechanic and seamstress. It was a place steeped in tradition, and though we lived on the top of the oldest mountains in the world, the horizon of opportunity was very limited.” So wrote Tennessee Jones in his application to the Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship, CUNY BA’s major fellowship program.

After he finished high school, Jones hitchhiked around the country and produced self-published magazines for four years; after exploring “every major city,” he knew New York was where he wanted to make his mark. By the time he came to Hunter and CUNY BA, he had considerable accomplishments to his name: publication of a book of short stories, Deliver Me From Nowhere (2005), praised in The New York Times Book Review and elsewhere, and a full-time job as an editor at Soft Skull Press. Soft Skull’s publisher credits Jones with helping take the company from “a scrappy, hit-or-miss operation to one of the more culturally significant independent publishers in the U.S,” adding that he was delighted to learn of Jones’ plan to apply to the CUNY BA because he “would be a perfect individual for a self-directed plan of study.”

Jones’ concentration uses the lens of literature and the practice of creative writing to examine the dynamics of oppressed communities. Under the direction of Prof. Barbara Sproul, Religion, Hunter, Jones’ area was made up of courses in Africana Studies, Religion and English. He included an independent study in Religion and an individual tutorial with Prof Harriet Luria, English, Hunter; both were for work on his current novel in progress, an exploration of the lives of three working class girls growing up in eastern Kentucky. Jones has been accepted to the MFA program at Hunter College.

Bonnie Duen considered a number of different career tracks before hitting upon her true passion for public service.  First, she attended Adelphi University to study Biology to become a dentist.  Then, she went to Queens College to study Accounting.  The following semester she switched to Food and Nutrition.  An office job in an architecture firm led her to change her interests to a career in Architectural Design, which led her to Queensborough Community College.  There she served in the Student Government, first as Executive Secretary, then Evening Vice President, then as President - the first Asian-American female President of her class.  

Suddenly, Duen was bitten by the public service bug.  She entered the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies, making John Jay her home college.  Under the guidance of John Jay faculty mentor Professor Jeanne-Marie Col, Public Management, she designed her own major, “Leadership Studies in Public Policy,” using courses from John Jay and Baruch Colleges.

Duen became a New York City Urban Fellow upon her graduation in 2006.  The Urban Fellows Program provides an unparalleled opportunity for young professionals to gain meaningful work experience in public policy, urban planning and government operations as they consider careers in public service.  Duen was assigned to the Economic Development Corporation - Real Estate Development. 

Today, Duen is participating in the National Urban Fellowship Inc, a nonprofit organization in collaboration with Baruch College CUNY, which involves an accelerated 14-month Master degree in Public Policy and nine months of hands-on work experience mentorship, which prepares leaders with with a strong commitment to equity and social justice issues for service in public and private organizations.

During her nine month mentorship, Duen has been with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest foundation dedicated to awarding grants for the improvement of health and healthcare, working at AARP’s National Office in Washington, D.C.  This exceptional opportunity has provided Duen with dual experience in philanthropy and advocacy.

Born in Portland and raised in New York City, Duen feels she has the best of both worlds with her Hong Kong heritage and exposure to American culture as an “ABC” (American-born Chinese).  After her interest in public service was sparked in the Queensborough Community College’s Student Government, she went on to work with Council member of District 20 John C. Liu, working on improving constituent services. In April 2005, she was chosen to participate in the prestigious Salzburg Seminar in Austria, where she studied global citizenship and World War II.  Believing that the prevention of wars lies in civic duty, she founded “CUNY Unity” at John Jay College to encourage students to be proactive in making a difference.

Duen is always refining her mission as to how she can have an impact in this global society.  Her future plans are to travel around the world to share best practices and encourage lifelong learning.  Currently, she is searching for a dual JD/Ph.D. program in Global Leadership Development.  She would like to work on projects that address the intersections between economic development, education policy and social services in all sectors and levels of government.  She is interested in running for political office with a goal of establishing a scholarship/leadership program involving all levels of government that encourages young adults in public service.  Her own experiences have taught her the importance of civic engagement and the difference that one person can make in giving back to society.

April Mojica has just begun her graduate studies at George Mason University in the M.A. in English Literature.  She lives in in Fairfax County, Virginia, with her teenage daughter, Zuri.  She also plans to take classes at George Washington University, where she works in the Division of Human Resources. Mojica graduated from the CUNY Baccalaureate in 2005, cum Laude and as a member of Chi Alpha Epsilon Academic Honor Society.  In the CUNY Baccalaureate, she designed areas of concentration in World Literature and Writing under the direction of Professor Steven Nardi, English, Medgar Evers College.  She is the recipient of a number of awards including: Competitive Fellowship, Federated Fellow of APARC, Boston University; Medgar Evers College (MEC) Student of the Year Outstanding Achievement Award, 2005; College/Departmental Service Award, English Dept. MEC; Provost’s Distinguished List Award, MEC; and the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship.  While she was an undergraduate, she was a presenter at the Uncovering Connections Conference in 2004; a performer for the Women’s Creative Expressions/Center for Women’s Development in 2005; a participant at the ATHGO International Symposium, U.N., 2005; and she organized “On the Soap Box” for the Democracy Project in 2005.

Mojica recently wrote to the CUNY Baccalaureate Program, saying:  “I enjoyed a transformational, wonderful, rich and varied undergraduate career at CUNY (second to none!).  I miss it and long to come back one day soon as a professor.  It was not been a straight shot for me, first obtaining my GED, then my A.A. and finally my BA, but my B.A. was my crowning achievement.   I was the first in my family, on both sides (and I have eight siblings) to get so far academically.  I had exceptional experiences awarded me through Medgar Evers College, CUNY, and the CUNY Baccalaureate Program — a scholarship, a fellowship to Africa, an invitation by Medgar Evers College to be the keynote speaker at their annual gala, a research internship, a job as Editor of Medgar Evers’ student newspaper, even my face on the buses and trains of NYC (Editor’s Note:  Mojica’s image and story were part of a comprehensive CUNY Public Relations campaign).  These were unimaginable honors for me – almost too much to process all at once.  But, process them I did.  Now that all the fanfare is over, and the golden dust has settled and blown away, I am still here with my dreams and drive.

I never miss an opportunity to learn or be inspired, if I can help it. I was just in NYC this weekend for both the 9th Annual National Black Writers Conference (held at Medgar Evers College) and the 21st Anniversary of the International Cross Cultural Black Women’s Studies Institute where I wildly harvested all of the inspirational energy of those varieties to sustain me until next year.  For now I am here in the Midatlantic and have rooted enough to know that Georgetown does National Poetry month up well and will feature some old favorites.

I’ve attached a link to an article written about me by the alternative high school I attended. When the Director of Y.A.L.A (Young Adult Learning Academy, Manhattan Valley) looked up on the train and saw my face on the CUNY poster, he knew that not only had I succeeded in obtaining my GED but was even on the verge of graduating with my B.A. so he wanted an article from me for his current students to read.”

http://www.youthcomm.org/NYC%20Features/April2006/NYC-2006-04-14b.htm

Prior to applying to the CUNY Baccalaureate, William McCaig was a largely self-taught, moderately successful Information Technology specialist, who had “an aversion to formal educational systems and shunned them whenever possible.”  But in finally deciding to go to college, he said “The scientific arts have always intrigued me for their pursuit of knowledge and truth, as well as the many mysteries that are waiting to be solved.  It is my intention to combine my affinity for technology and my fascination with science into an academic course of study, and eventually a career.  To this end, I am interested in taking courses in computer programming, systems design, biology and chemistry.”  

McCaig was able to accomplish his goals through the individualized CUNY Baccalaureate; he entered in Fall 2003 and designed concentrations in Computer Science and Molecular Biology, taking courses at City, Hunter and John Jay Colleges, under the guidance of faculty mentors Prof. Virginia Teller, Computer Science, Hunter and Prof. Weigang Qui, Biology, Hunter.  During his senior year, his hard work was rewarded with a National Science Foundation Scholarship.  McCaig graduated Magna Cum Laude in June 2007; he is currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in Genetics at Stony Brook University.  A paper that he wrote with Prof. Weigang Qui was recently accepted for publication in the CDC journal “Emerging Infectious Diseases.”

B.A., September 1995, Psychology

• Thomas W. Smith Academic Fellowship
• Diego Hidalgo Fellowship
• Angelo Proto Award

Kenneth Foster grew up in a Brooklyn housing project, one of seven children and the only one at this point to complete college. But one degree was not enough for him: he has an A.A.S., B.A., M.A., and a Ph.D., all from CUNY. Along the way, he persevered through obstacles, accidents, success, failure…everything life can throw at one, using each hurdle as a challenge rather than a barrier. He began college in 1976 at what was then called New York Community College, taking courses in engineering that helped him into work in construction and drafting. He returned to school in 1986 at Borough of Manhattan Community College, where he received his A.A.S. in 1990. By then more focused on his goals, he enrolled in the CUNY Baccalaureate Program to study Psychology, taking his courses at Brooklyn and John Jay Colleges.

By 1994, he was attending school while working and supporting six children, two of whom were in college themselves. He received some help in the form of one of the first Thomas W. Smith Fellowships in 1994 and then a Hidalgo Scholarship in 1995. He submitted a life experience portfolio and received 11 credits for some of his previous work, including his work with Physicians for Social Responsibility. His job, related to his studies, involved researching victims of homelessness, mental illness, and drug addiction. He enjoyed being treated as a colleague, and presented findings at professional conferences and published papers. Still, he was beginning to realize that there was a difference between being a colleague and a peer.

As if things weren’t challenging enough, his life and studies were severely interrupted in 1994 by a driver who ignored a red light and ran into his car. The resulting cognitive and physical injuries severely interrupted his career and studies. After eight months of recuperation, just as he was about to return to work and school, he learned that he had been terminated from his job. Rather than giving in to adversity, he took it as a challenge. Realizing that in order to have the security and impact he desired in his career, he made up his mind to not only finish his B.A. but go on to get a Ph.D. He also fought to get his job back, and won.

In 1995, he both graduated from the CUNY BA/BS Program and entered the CUNY Graduate Center Ph.D. Program in Psychology (Social-Personality concentration). In 1998, along the way to his doctorate, he received an M.A. from Hunter College, where he became a Graduate Teaching Fellow. By 2001 he was a Minority Teaching Fellow at BMCC, then a full-time instructor at BMCC in 2003, and was appointed an Assistant Professor in 2004. He earned his Ph.D. in 2004, then and headed to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to teach at Texas Woman’s University. He keeps ties with NY as a member of the Institutional Review Board, Phoenix Foundation (NYC), developing research programs (substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, social identity)…and as a proud CUNY BA/Graduate Center alum.