Dreams Do Come True

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B.A., EnglishandHistory Salutatorian 2016 City CollegeofNewYork/CUNY Almansouri Orubba TRUE COME DO DREAMS Studies, thenaPh.D. Master’s inNearEastern Winner, ColinPowellFellowship Winner, MellonMaysFellowship Yemeni girls outofschool. barriers thatkepttraditional women, toldhowshebroke White Housesummiton Obama toinvitehera speech thatmovedMichelle Almansouri, inagraduation GOAL AWARDS HERSTORY THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK CUNY SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-2006 GUTTMAN COMMUNITYCOLLEGE-2011 CUNYGRADUATE SCHOOLOF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY-2016 CUNY HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE -1970 MEDGAR EVERSCOLLEGE-1970 CUNYSCHOOL OFLAW-1983 MACAULAY HONORSCOLLEGE AT CUNY -2001 CUNYGRADUATE SCHOOLOF JOURNALISM-2006 KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1963JOHNJAY COLLEGEOFCRIMINALJUSTICE -1964 YORKCOLLEGE-1966 BARUCHCOLLEGE-1968LAGUARDIACOMMUNITY COLLEGE-1968LEHMAN -1968 COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND- 1956 BRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGE- CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK- 1957 QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE- 1847 HUNTER COLLEGE- 1870 BROOKLYN COLLEGE- 1959 CUNY GRADUATE CENTER- 1930 QUEENS COLLEGE- 1961 BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE- 1937 NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY- 1946 cuny.edu/welcome -2016 SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-2016 1963 1963

PHOTO BY ANDRÉ N. BECKLES / CUNY DREAMING OF CARNEGIE HALL Nisan Ak Queens College/CUNY Master of Music Performance in Orchestral Conducting, 2016

HER STORY Born in Turkey, Ak came to Queens College’s Aaron Copland School of Music for a conducting workshop in 2014 and stayed for a master’s degree.

GOAL To be a role model for women conductors in this male-dominated field.

CUNY’s high-quality, affordable academic opportunities make it “the American Dream Machine,” in the words of the late City College alumnus and Intel Corp. co-founder Andrew Grove. CUNY students dream big, work hard and accom- plish much, winning the most prestigious awards in the nation. In 2016, these included 10 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships and 13 Fulbright Fellowships for research and teaching abroad — among many examples of the transformative value of a CUNY education. — Chancellor James B. Milliken cuny.edu/welcome FOLLOW YOUR DREAM Javon Henry John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY, 2016

HIS STORY Mentored students in CUNY’s Urban Male Initiative, Interned with Criminal and State Supreme Court judges. AWARDS Scholarship to University of Pittsburgh Law School GOAL Working for social justice and serving as a housing policy advocate.

CUNY’s high-quality, affordable academic opportunities make it “the American Dream Machine,” in the words of the late City College alumnus and Intel Corp. co-founder Andrew Grove. CUNY students dream big, work hard and accom- plish much, winning the most prestigious awards in the nation. In 2016, these included 10 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships and 13 Fulbright Fellowships for research and teaching abroad — among many examples of the transformative value of a CUNY education. — Chancellor James B. Milliken cuny.edu/welcome FOLLOW YOUR DREAM Antonios Mourdoukoutas Macaulay Honors College at City College/CUNY, 2016 Valedictorian

HIS STORY Suffering from migraines? Relief may come from his research into triggering a major nerve in the brain. AWARDS

2015 Barry Goldwater Scholarship 2016 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship GOAL Electrically stimulating nerves to treat illnesses, from depression to epilepsy

Dennis Melendez Hunter College/CUNY, 2017

HIS STORY Behavioral science researcher, champion wrestler, Melendez tackles both.

AWARDS National Institutes of Health RISE Program Scholar 2016 National Wrestling Association Scholar All-American

GOAL Ph.D., behavioral science

CUNY’s high-quality, affordable academic opportunities make it “the American Dream Machine,” in the words of the late City College alumnus and Intel Corp. co-founder Andrew Grove. CUNY students dream big, work hard and accom- plish much, winning the most prestigious awards in the nation. In 2016, these included 10 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships and 13 Fulbright Fellowships for research and teaching abroad — among many examples of the transformative value of a CUNY education. — Chancellor James B. Milliken cuny.edu/welcome DREAM MAKER Hao Tang Assistant Professor, Computer Science Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY

HIS STORY Immigrated from China to become a software developer, but Tang’s City College mentor urged him to think bigger. Earned a CUNY Ph.D. in computer vision. Now, helps students realize their own dreams. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Homeland Security Department grants support his research on natural and manmade threats to safety and security. GOAL “To connect the classroom to the real world,” cuny.edu/welcome

THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK-1847 HUNTER COLLEGE-1870 BROOKLYN COLLEGE-1930 QUEENS COLLEGE-1937 NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY-1946 COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND-1956 BRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1957 QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1959 CUNY GRADUATE CENTER-1961 BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1963 KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1963 JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE-1964 YORK COLLEGE-1966 BARUCH COLLEGE-1968 LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1968 LEHMAN COLLEGE-1968 HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1970 MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE-1970 CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW-1983 MACAULAY HONORS COLLEGE AT CUNY-2001 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM-2006 CUNY SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-2006 GUTTMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-2011 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY-2016 CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-2016 DREAM MAKER Charlotte Walker-Said Assistant Professor, Human Rights and International Law John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY

HER STORY Has mentored students who studied the mistreatment of indigenous people in Ecuador. ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2016 AAUP Fellowship for book on law and Christianity in Cameroon. GOAL As co-chair of John Jay’s effort to launch a human rights master’s degree, she wants to “open new career paths in social justice.” cuny.edu/welcome

THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK-1847 HUNTER COLLEGE-1870 BROOKLYN COLLEGE-1930 QUEENS COLLEGE-1937 NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY-1946 COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND-1956 BRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1957 QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1959 CUNY GRADUATE CENTER-1961 BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1963 KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1963 JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE-1964 YORK COLLEGE-1966 BARUCH COLLEGE-1968 LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1968 LEHMAN COLLEGE-1968 HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1970 MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE-1970 CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW-1983 MACAULAY HONORS COLLEGE AT CUNY-2001 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM-2006 CUNY SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-2006 GUTTMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-2011 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY-2016 CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-2016 DREAM MAKER Yoel Rodríguez Associate Professor, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science Hostos Community College/CUNY

HIS STORY Prepares minority and other students for careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2016 Fulbright Fellowship to the Institute of Experimental Pharma- cology and Toxicology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava, seeking new heart medications.

GOAL To help students build a solid academic and personal foundation for their lives. cuny.edu/welcome

THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK-1847 HUNTER COLLEGE-1870 BROOKLYN COLLEGE-1930 QUEENS COLLEGE-1937 NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY-1946 COLLEGE OF STATEN ISLAND-1956 BRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1957 QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1959 CUNY GRADUATE CENTER-1961 BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1963 KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1963 JOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE-1964 YORK COLLEGE-1966 BARUCH COLLEGE-1968 LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1968 LEHMAN COLLEGE-1968 HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE-1970 MEDGAR EVERS COLLEGE-1970 CUNY SCHOOL OF LAW-1983 MACAULAY HONORS COLLEGE AT CUNY-2001 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM-2006 CUNY SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL STUDIES-2006 GUTTMAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE-2011 CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH POLICY-2016 CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE-2016 DREAM MAKER Alia Tyner-Mullings Assistant Professor, Statistics, Sociology Stella and Charles Guttman Community College/CUNY

HER STORY Creates digital tools to help students apply what they learn. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

2014-16 Spencer Foundation grant with two colleagues to study 10 high schools measuring student accomplishment with portfolios, not high-stakes Regents exams. GOAL “I want my students to see the world in terms of larger sociological concepts.” cuny.edu/welcome