Laughing Matters: Professor Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams on Funny Women Inciting Change

by

This excerpt is taken from “A Deep Dive With Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams.” Read the full story.

Professor Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams has expertly triangulated women’s studies, humor studies, and literary studies to examine how women challenged the status quo in the 19th and 20th centuries—and has shared that expertise with Empire State University’s MA in Liberal Studies program for the past 20 years. The New Jersey native has serious New York expertise; much of her research focuses on New York intellectuals and literature, including her published book, “New York Women of Wit in the Twentieth Century.” Ahead, Fuchs-Abrams shares some of her literary and women’s studies acumen in honor of Women’s History Month.

When the video call connects, the rectangle enclosing a black-and-white-clad Fuchs-Abrams floods with brightness. The room is stark white, made even more luminous by the large windows on either side of the professor.

Was there a particular book, writer, or teacher that sparked your love of literature?

Fuchs-Abrams: My parents were both English professors, which was part of it. In high school, I remember writing my senior thesis on the figure of the American girl in the works of Henry James. That was probably my first deep research experience—again, looking at female figures, even though it was a male writer.

I’ve always been interested in strong female figures—intellectual women in predominantly male-dominated areas. I think that oftentimes, women who stood out in predominantly male contexts often had to mask their intellect, because it was perceived as threatening. One of the ways to do that was through humor, and that shaped part of my interest in women’s humor later.

What drew you to a career in academia, and what brought you to Empire State University?

Fuchs-Abrams: As I mentioned, both my parents were academics, and it seemed like a great life. Every seven years, my father would go on sabbatical, and we would live in a different country. It seemed like a wonderful opportunity to learn and share your learning with others.

I did my graduate work at Columbia and taught an American Studies course for adult learners who were returning students. I found that to be incredibly rewarding. I found that the adult learners who had chosen to return there, not going on a conventional trajectory, were so highly motivated and accomplished. 

What does your research focus on?

Fuchs-Abrams: Currently, I work on women’s humor, which stands at the intersection of women’s studies, literary study, urban studies, and humor studies. I’m particularly interested in 20th century American women writers and women intellectuals and the way they used humor as an indirect form of social protest.

What first interested you about this topic?

Fuchs-Abrams: My first book, which was an elaboration of my dissertation, was on Mary McCarthy. She is one of the foremost female intellectuals among a predominantly male group of New York intellectuals in the 1930s and 40s. She was part of the “Partisan Review” crowd of that period, and she was a satirist. From my interest in her, I became interested in women’s humor more generally.

Perfect segue—what can you share about your most recent publication, “New York Women of Wit of the 20th Century”?

Fuchs-Abrams: I’m interested in looking at how women writers use humor as a masked form of social critique. Some of the early humorists like Marietta Holly, or Sara Willis Parton, also known as Fanny Fern, and Frances Miriam Whitcher, dealt with domestic subjects, but they were able to say things that would have been prohibited without the mask of humor.

Moving into the 20th century with the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, and with prohibition and the rise of the new woman, I’m particularly interested in this interwar period where women were able to voice their critique a little more overtly.

How did humor and satire allow them to challenge traditional spaces? Can you share an example?

Fuchs-Abrams: There’s a short story by Dorothy Parker called “The Waltz.” There’s a female figure who is highly intellectual—really, a stand-in for Parker herself—but she has to wait to be asked to dance because that’s the social protocol. And there’s this buffoon, awkward male figure who’s stepping on her toes when dancing. The story is told in a double voice, so you hear what she says to him, being obsequious the way appropriate feminine behavior would be. And then, you hear the underlying monologue that she has. With satire, it’s using exaggeration and ridicule to expose the absurdities of certain social customs or prominent figures.

Satire is particularly suited to women and other marginalized populations in that it’s often directed by outsiders—those excluded by race, gender, ethnicity, religion—against those in positions of power in the hope of reforming society or at least exposing its moral weakness.

What is the most surprising thing that you encountered in your research?

Fuchs-Abrams: It’s surprising to me how the focus has really shifted to stand-up comedy, media studies and other forms of humor, and away from literary humor. You could say pioneering women of wit set the stage for later, more contemporary comedians, some of whom do talk about Dorothy Parker, or Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I know it’s Women’s History Month, and part of the feminist project is to revive lesser-known female authors and figures, which is part of what I do in my book. You do get figures like Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Ali Wong, Hannah Gadsby—a lot of these feminist comedians do hark back to this use of humor as a way of partly sublimating and partly indirectly voicing social critique.

How do you fuel your literary curiosity?

Fuchs-Abrams: Working with students is really inspiring. Many of the classes I teach are based on my research, so I teach courses on women and humor, literature of New York… So working with graduate and undergraduate students, when you use the word curiosity, their questions and interests are not always directly aligned with some of the questions I would have thought to ask. It pushes me in other directions and interdisciplinary ways of thinking.

Being at SUNY Empire, there’s no doubt that I’ve become more interdisciplinary in my research and interests because of the nature of the teaching that we do. Here, particularly in the MALS program, learning is more expansive, and that has really fueled my curiosity.

A Deep Dive with Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams, Professor of English and Author

by

Professor Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams has expertly triangulated women’s studies, humor studies, and literary studies to examine how women challenged the status quo in the 19th and 20th centuries—and has shared that expertise with Empire State University’s MA in Liberal Studies program for the past 20 years. The New Jersey native has serious New York expertise; much of her research focuses on New York intellectuals and literature, including her published book, “New York Women of Wit in the Twentieth Century.” Ahead, Fuchs-Abrams shares some of her literary and women’s studies acumen in honor of Women’s History Month.

When the video call connects, the rectangle enclosing a black-and-white-clad Fuchs-Abrams floods with brightness. The room is stark white, made even more luminous by the large windows on either side of the professor. A couple pieces of furniture are visible: two white sofas and a wooden dining table.

Was there a particular book, writer, or teacher that sparked your love of literature?

Fuchs-Abrams: My parents were both English professors, which was part of it. In high school, I remember writing my senior thesis on the figure of the American girl in the works of Henry James. That was probably my first deep research experience—again, looking at female figures, even though it was a male writer.

I’ve always been interested in strong female figures—intellectual women in predominantly male-dominated areas. I think that oftentimes, women who stood out in predominantly male contexts often had to mask their intellect, because it was perceived as threatening. One of the ways to do that was through humor, and that shaped part of my interest in women’s humor later.

In college, I worked with Sacvan Bercovitch, who was one of the founders of New Historicism. I was very interested in the American tradition, starting with Puritanism, and then looking at 19th century figures who were all a presence at that time, like Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville… I would say that experience steeped me in the American tradition.

I became interested in American studies, in the history and literature of America, and when I went on do to graduate work at Columbia, I moved more towards New York writers and tradition.

What drew you to a career in academia, and what brought you to Empire State University?

Fuchs-Abrams: As I mentioned, both my parents were academics, and it seemed like a great life. Every seven years, my father would go on sabbatical, and we would live in a different country. We lived in Paris, Vienna, Berlin… It seemed like a wonderful opportunity to learn and share your learning with others. That was part of it, as well as having an ability to write and being interested in teaching.

I did my graduate work at Columbia, and part of the teaching I did there was in the School for General Studies. I taught an American Studies course for adult learners, who were returning students, and I found that to be incredibly rewarding. I found that the adult learners who had chosen to return there, not going on a conventional trajectory, were so highly motivated and accomplished.

In many ways, since it was New York City, you would get dancers who had 20-year careers, musicians, artists, all sorts of people returning. Maybe that opened my mind to SUNY Empire, with its mission of working with nontraditional learners.

How do you approach teaching literature and writing at the master’s level, and what do you find most gratifying about that?

Fuchs-Abrams: The MA in Liberal Studies program is somewhat unique and an amazing opportunity, both as a professor and for students, for creative individuals to go in-depth in an area of interest. I would also say the interdisciplinarity of SUNY Empire is very appealing to me, and of course the liberal studies program.

What does your research focus on?

Fuchs-Abrams: Currently, I work on women’s humor, which stands at the intersection of women’s studies, literary study, urban studies, and humor studies. I’m particularly interested in 20th century American women writers and women intellectuals and the way they used humor as an indirect form of social protest.

What first interested you about this topic?

Fuchs-Abrams: My first book, which was an elaboration of my dissertation, was on Mary McCarthy. She is one of the foremost female intellectuals among a predominantly male group of New York intellectuals in the 1930s and 40s. She was part of the “Partisan Review” crowd of that period, and she was a satirist. From my interest in her, I became interested in women’s humor more generally. She’s one of the figures that I deal with in my most recent book.

Perfect segue—what can you share about your most recent publication, “New York Women of Wit of the 20th Century”?

Fuchs-Abrams: I’m interested in looking at how women writers use humor as a masked form of social critique, because oftentimes, women were constrained by historical conceptions of appropriate gender behavior, right? The Victorian ideal of the submissive, subordinate woman.

Some of the early humorists like Marietta Holly, or Sara Willis Parton, also known as Fanny Fern, and Frances Miriam Whitcher, dealt with domestic subjects, but they were able to say things that would have been prohibited without the mask of humor.

Moving into the 20th century with the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, and with prohibition and the rise of the new woman, I’m particularly interested in this interwar period where women were able to voice their critique a little more overtly. They were able to assume a more independent role. A lot of these figures were centered around New York, which was particularly interesting to me as well.

Like Jessie Redmon Fauset, who was part of the Harlem Renaissance. She had a salon along with her sister that helped foster some of the writers of the Harlem Renaissance, like Langston Hughes and Dawn Powell, who was part of the Lafayette Circle in Greenwich Village. This was a more urban and urbane, sophisticated form of humor. It moved away from the domestic satire of some of the earlier figures towards a more modern sensibility.

How did humor and satire allow them to challenge traditional spaces? Can you share an example?

Fuchs-Abrams: There’s a short story by Dorothy Parker called “The Waltz.” There’s a female figure who is highly intellectual—really, a stand-in for Parker herself—but she has to wait to be asked to dance because that’s the social protocol. And there’s this buffoon, awkward male figure who’s stepping on her toes when dancing. The story is told in a double voice, so you hear what she says to him, being obsequious the way appropriate feminine behavior would be. And then, you hear the underlying monologue that she has. All sorts of witticisms, making references to Shakespeare, literary figures, historical figures, and talking about how he’s sort of ridiculous. With satire, it’s using exaggeration and ridicule to expose the absurdities of certain social customs or prominent figures.

Satire is particularly suited to women and other marginalized populations in that it’s often directed by outsiders—those excluded by race, gender, ethnicity, religion—against those in positions of power in the hope of reforming society or at least exposing its moral weakness. While traditional humor might be seen as “punching down” in keeping with the superiority theory of humor—the ridiculing of marginalized populations by those in positions of power—women’s humor, and humor by other marginalized communities, is often “punching up” in the interest of social change.

Women’s humor also often engages in double-voiced irony, meaning to say one thing and mean another, and the incongruity theory of humor, which is based on the subversion of expectations. This verbal form of humor allows women and those in subordinate positions to mask their social critique through the indirection and socially acceptable form of irony and satire. 

What is the most surprising thing that you encountered in your research?

Fuchs-Abrams: It’s surprising to me how the focus has really shifted to stand-up comedy, media studies, and other forms of humor, and away from literary humor. Maybe surprise isn’t the right word, but it’s a little unexpected to me. You could say pioneering women of wit set the stage for later, more contemporary comedians, some of whom do talk about Dorothy Parker, or Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I know it’s Women’s History Month, and part of the feminist project is to revive lesser-known female authors and figures, which is part of what I do in my book. You do get figures like Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Ali Wong, Hannah Gadsby—a lot of these feminist comedians do hark back to this use of humor as a way of partly sublimating and partly indirectly voicing social critique.

What are some of your favorite women-made pieces of media?

Fuchs-Abrams: Allegra Goodman is a Jewish-American novelist and short story writer who is very interested in family dynamics and psychology. The book I want to mention of hers is “Isola,” a historical fiction book which is a sort of female Robinson Crusoe set in medieval French times. There is also a book by Kirsten Lange, which is “Pleasure, Play, and Politics: A History of Humor in U.S. Feminism.”

I recently watched a show that was recommended to me and is based on a book, “Lessons in Chemistry.” The common theme here—it’s about a female scientist, a chemist in the 1950s in a male-dominated field. Through cooking, she ends up using her skills as a chemist and making a name for herself.

I admire Cher as a pioneering female singer and strong feminist figure. She was also known for her wit: when told by her mother that she should settle down and marry a rich man, she famously replied, ‘Mom, I am a rich man!’”

How do you fuel your literary curiosity?

Fuchs-Abrams: Working with students is really inspiring. Many of the classes I teach are based on my research, so I teach courses on women and humor, literature of New York… So working with graduate and undergraduate students, when you use the word curiosity, their questions and interests are not always directly aligned with some of the questions I would have thought to ask. It pushes me in other directions and interdisciplinary ways of thinking.

Being at SUNY Empire, there’s no doubt that I’ve become more interdisciplinary in my research and interests because of the nature of the teaching that we do. Here, particularly in the MALS program, learning is more expansive, and that has really fueled my curiosity.

Cindy Bradley’s Chihuahua Inspired Research That Could Change Treatment for Epileptic Dogs

by

Moxie the chihuahua has suffered from canine idiopathic epilepsy for three years, and pharmacological treatment isn’t helping. Cindy Bradley—her owner and a student at Empire State University—conducted research on alternative treatment methods for dogs who don’t respond to medication. She presented her findings at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCRC) on January 25, 2026, with support from her mentor, Kevin Woo, professor and chair of the Department of Natural Sciences, and funding from the Student Activities Fund. The dog-loving undergraduate is earning her degree in science, technology, and mathematics with a concentration in biology.

What is canine idiopathic epilepsy?

Moxie’s illness is a form of epilepsy in dogs, but what does the term idiopathic mean? Bradley explains that it denotes an unknown cause or origin of a condition. Like in human epilepsy, canine epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder causing sudden, repeated seizures. While it’s considered manageable, there is no permanent cure for it.

The first line of treatment is to provide anti-seizure medications; however, many dogs don’t respond to them. According to Bradley, approximately 20-40% of dogs with idiopathic epilepsy become refractory to medications, meaning that medication becomes ineffective. This leaves them in need of “adjunct therapies” to pair with the primary treatment.

The road less traveled

Medication is not the only treatment option, but it is the most thoroughly researched. Bradley explains that because of the lack of data surrounding “adjunct therapies,” they are not often recommended for patients by canine healthcare providers.

She names a few alternative treatments: dietary changes, medium chain triglycerides (MCT) oil, cannabidiol (CBD) oil, acupuncture, and vagus nerve stimulation. These can be used alongside medication or on their own.

Many dogs could benefit from a treatment plan that combines alternative treatments with medication, but veterinarians hesitate to go this route. There is a gap in veterinary research that, if addressed, could change the lives of many dogs suffering from idiopathic epilepsy, and their human caretakers. Bradley got the ball rolling to create a framework veterinarians could use when traditional medication doesn’t yield results: “I gathered all the research I could find on those extra therapies, and put together a plan that veterinarians could look at when treating a dog that’s having epileptic seizures.”

She ran into challenges while researching, including the limited scope of existing research on non-pharmacological therapies for the disorder. The studies that had been conducted had small sample populations and short observation periods. Generally, she noticed a real need for longitudinal studies—research studies that span months, if not years, through which scientists are able to monitor emerging patterns and draw more reliable conclusions. Alternative therapies could be game-changing for dogs with epilepsy, if they are thoroughly evaluated, Bradley reasoned.

Meet the researcher

Bradley officially enrolled at SUNY Empire in spring 2024, though she had been taking classes since the fall 2022 semester. Hailing from North Tonawanda, NY, she had previously earned a bachelor’s degree in teaching and music and a master’s degree in educational leadership. An established public school music teacher, Bradley provides formative music education to elementary-aged students.

 “When I was in high school, I wanted to become a veterinarian, but I was also a musician. I decided to pursue music instead of anything in the sciences, but I’ve always had this tremendous interest in veterinary and medical sciences,” Bradley shares. She began working summers as a veterinary assistant in 2020 and taking science courses across multiple universities to work towards her veterinary technician license, which she has since earned.

Eventually, Bradley made the decision to enroll at SUNY Empire—it came down to the flexibility of online coursework, ability to transfer previously earned credits, and freedom to tailor a degree to her needs. “I’ve taken classes at a lot of different colleges and found SUNY Empire to be the right fit for me,” she says.

With assignments and research projects that enable students to explore the topics they are drawn to, Bradley was able to dive into veterinary-related science and make progress into her desired field.

Moxie’s story

Bradley’s four-year-old chihuahua, Moxie, was diagnosed with canine idiopathic epilepsy at age one, and has suffered from seizures most of her life. “It’s been a very difficult road, because she is one of those dogs where we haven’t found the perfect treatment to slow down her seizure activity,” she says. Managing Moxie’s condition has proven difficult, especially given the unpredictable nature of epileptic seizures.

The experience motivated Bradley to investigate possible healthcare solutions to help other animals. “Seeing how managing the disease affected my own life made me want to do research and someday contribute to helping,” says Bradley.

Support from the university

Guidance from her mentor, SUNY Empire’s animal behavior, ecology, and conservation expert Woo, “was paramount to being able to do the research,” Bradley highlights. Woo provided insight into research methodology, helping Bradley develop and subsequently present the project at the NCRC.

Bradley’s attendance at the NCRC was made possible by the SUNY Empire Student Activities Fund. “It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had as a student,” she says brightly.

The NCRC provided an opportunity to interact with undergraduate researchers across disciplines from all parts of the world— “It was an international conference, so there were students from parts of Asia, Europe, Canada, and from all over the U.S. who came together to present their research. It was so impressive—that was my main takeaway, that the future is in good hands.”

The road ahead

Once she finishes her studies at SUNY Empire, Bradley will continue to pursue biology and veterinary science studies. She loves teaching and learning, and intends to continue exploring animal health and neurological diseases. “I hope that in some way, my work will benefit animals—and people that love them,” she says.

Empire State University Educator Spotlights Multilingual Learners in New Children’s Book

by

Assistant Professor and TESOL/Bilingual Coordinator Gloria Kramer’s new book “It’s Raining Fish” is challenging perceptions about multilingual education by uniting storytelling, cultural responsiveness, and classroom strategies to aid educators. Kramer, who joined Empire State University in 2022, aimed not only to shed light on the impacts of cultural and linguistic misunderstandings on English language learners, but to provide actionable paths for educators to explore.

The Story

Manuel is a young boy from Honduras attending school in the United States, and he’s an English language learner (ELL). His class is learning about figurative speech—particularly idioms—which are often a challenging area for ELLs. In an attempt to engage with the lesson, Manuel shares a story about fish raining from the sky, which his teacher dismisses.

This narrative is, in part, a cautionary tale not to put all of one’s eggs in the machine translation basket. Manuel tries to decipher his homework assignment by using translation tools and receives an incorrect translation, causing him to misinterpret the assignment. Kramer is not attacking these tools, but rather, pointing out that they can’t always guarantee accurate translations, and figurative language is often translated directly.

The thing is, Manuel’s story about fish raining down is real. In Yoro, Honduras, waterspouts lift fish from their habitats and cause them to drop from the sky during severe storms. When Manuel’s teacher pauses to listen, she is able to understand what her student is trying to convey. Kramer’s story encourages readers—learners and teachers alike—to listen with an open mind, and to dig deeper in service of understanding one another.

Write What You Know

Kramer has amassed years of classroom experience as an English as a second language (ESL) teacher, dual language school principal, department chair, TESOL coordinator, and assistant professor. Her time in education has made her realize that many students are “experiencing exactly what I went through as a child,” she says.

Drawing on a career centered on the needs of multilingual learners, Kramer wrote “It’s Raining Fish,” to raise awareness that “we do have multilingual learners in our classrooms, and they do share such rich cultural knowledge and experiences,” she explains.

The fish-scattering phenomenon isn’t the only element of the story with a real-life counterpart. Kramer’s own upbringing inspired the events of “It’s Raining Fish.” Her own difficulties with figurative language mirror those of many ELL and multilingual students she has taught.

The author had a bilingual upbringing herself. Raised by an Ecuadorian father and Salvadoran mother, Kramer’s first language was Spanish. She later took on English at school. “Figurative language is very difficult for language learners—myself included. That’s why I wrote about this,” she says, explaining how her own story inspired Manuel’s. She adds humorously, “Idioms, to this day, mean absolutely nothing to me.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kramer sat down to write. “I always wanted to write a children’s book, but never had the time,” she says. 24 hours later, she had completed the first draft of her now-published book. Over the following five years, Kramer made edits to ensure the book would be the transformative resource she envisioned. “It was not an easy process, it was a learning experience,” she comments.

Storytelling Aside…

Much to the benefit of educators with ELL and multilingual students, “It’s Raining Fish” is not only a story, but a workbook full of classroom strategies and activities teachers can offer to students in the day to day. “I think this book belongs in everyone’s hands,” says Kramer.

The topics covered in the strategies and activities Kramer included extend beyond language learning and literature. Yes, English language arts are covered, but geography, science, history, and technology also form part of the repertoire.

Kramer explains that an activity might prompt teachers to dedicate class time to exploring idioms, mapping the geography and history of Honduras, studying weather phenomena, or discussing cultural experiences, among others. “It’s Raining Fish” targets pre-K to sixth grade, though Kramer notes that the content can be adapted to serve older students.

Looking beyond Manuel’s story, and activities to base lesson plans on, Kramer’s book aims to propagate the message that education can only be enriched by integrating more cultures and modes of learning. This is why she made her book “culturally responsive”—it reminds educators of the importance of weaving in the lived experiences, cultures, and languages of their students.

For the author, this book is not only the culmination of many years of work as an educator, but also a tribute to the multilingual students that have shaped her career. “It’s Raining Fish” is a reminder that their stories deserve to be heard.

Ginger Alvarez’s “Suitcase Full of Dreams”

by

Ginger Alvarez is a mother of four determined to finally fulfill her career dreams, which she began pursuing in Guayaquil, Ecuador before moving to the United States in 2011. When she arrived, the possibilities she had access to were more limited in scope than she had imagined—with a family to maintain, she had to chart a new course that took her far from her aspirations to work in the aviation industry, until now.

Alvarez’s eldest son, who works in higher education in Manhattan, heard about Empire State University’s Spanish Bachelor of Business Administration—an opportunity that would allow his mother to earn a degree in her native language and advance her career while she continued developing her English-language skills. Alvarez enrolled, seeing a gateway back into her desired field that played to her strengths.

She is one of many whose academic and career progress has been slowed by language barriers, which is why SUNY Empire launched its business administration degree intended for native Spanish speakers. Already, the university specializes in serving diverse student populations with competing responsibilities in their personal and professional lives. For busy parents like Alvarez, the flexibility of online learning is essential to academic success and accessing new career possibilities.

Today, she lives in Queens and works as a cashier at a money transfer business while doing e-commerce, but Alvarez’s story began with “humidity and heat” in Ecuador’s largest coastal city. In 2000, when she began college, Alvarez declared a business administration major while simultaneously pursuing pilot training with the support of her parents. “At that time, my mom got cancer. They couldn’t continue paying for the programs, so I had to leave. Instead, I started working at the airport for Avianca Airlines,” she recounts. Alvarez held her job for almost eight years until her paperwork to relocate to the U.S. was finalized by which time she had two children, ages five and seven.

“I arrived in this country with a suitcase full of dreams. I thought I would keep doing airport work, but the language is very different, and it holds you back,” she says. Despite her years of experience in a different industry, Alvarez began working at a money transfer company, and eventually at restaurants. “It was the first time I’d ever worked in one, but here, you have to do everything. I liked the dining industry, and I’ve kept working in it,” she adds. Alvarez was aware that language was impeding her from obtaining jobs she was otherwise trained to do, and set out to change that.

In 2018, Alvarez earned her GED, which she pursued as a pathway to improving her English-language skills. She enrolled in LaGuardia Community College to continue learning the language under the CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP), “so that from there, I could move on to the degree I wanted: a business administration degree,” she explains. “It felt endless,” the 43-year-old comments regarding her journey to English fluency.

It was at this point, discouraged and facing the financial pressure that came with enrolling in CLIP, that Alvarez’s son turned her attention towards the Spanish BBA at SUNY Empire. “I thought maybe I wouldn’t be able to handle it. At my age, you have so much in your head. But I took a chance,” she shares.

Online learning has been an adjustment for Alvarez, but it’s one she is navigating with the support of attentive faculty members. “I like how they run the courses, how they care. Professors will tell you, ‘If you can’t reach me through email, here is my phone number.’ They’re always present,” she says.

Besides the resources at the cohort’s disposal, Alvarez enjoys the way each subject connects with the next: “I like e-commerce, which is what Professor Claudia Lovegrove is teaching right now, and it connects with what Professor Luis Camacho teaches us, which is ethics.” The ability to think through course material in Spanish has been a great benefit—“It’s my language, so I can develop ideas faster,” she points out.

Now in her second semester of the program, Alvarez often feels motivated by her assignments, like creating a mockup of the footwear business she would run. Her professors’ what-if scenarios are engaging— “they really make you think,” she laughs, noting that she appreciates the challenge. With growing business acumen, Alvarez is starting to let herself imagine what possibilities the Spanish BBA degree might unlock. “I’m happy because I’m moving forward,” she says.

To Alvarez, the late nights poring over homework assignments after work are worth it—her dreams are becoming tangible, whether she makes her footwear business a reality, or applies her skills in the aviation industry. “This university understands who we are, our purpose to move forward. That’s why they give us flexibility,” she says, adding, “I’m confident that at some point I’m going to reach my goal.”

Five-Minute Feature: Cherrelle Hall, Assistant to the Vice President of Enrollment Management and Marketing

by

Get to know the Empire State University community through this rapid-fire interview series that bridges professional accomplishments and personal interests. What makes Empire State University exceptional? The unique people behind the work. Five minutes—starting now!

What led you to your career path?

My path into higher education wasn’t planned, but it turned out to be exactly where I was meant to be. I’ve been fortunate to gain broad, meaningful experience across the field, and I’m proud of the impact I’ve been able to make in every role I’ve held.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Empire?

What I appreciate most about this organization is that every day brings a new opportunity to learn and grow.

What’s one moment in your career you’re especially proud of?

I’m especially proud of completing my Ed.D. It represents a significant personal and professional milestone, and the program has had a meaningful impact on my career journey in higher education.

What’s a habit you’re currently trying to build (or break)?

Reading for pleasure. Now that my studies are complete, I’m excited to get back to reading simply for enjoyment.

If you could relive one ordinary day, which would you choose?

If I could relive one ordinary day, I’d choose a day from my trip to Europe last summer. I visited France, Germany, and Belgium, and it was wonderful to take in the sights, enjoy the atmosphere, and be fully present in the moment.

Behind the Scenes with the B.S. in Biology

by

The B.S. in Biology has experienced rapid growth in registration, enrollment, and faculty size since its launch in January 2025. The program includes at-home lab work for hands-on experience that is crucial to students looking to enter graduate schools and professions in the sciences, setting it apart from other online alternatives where students access labs virtually.

The faculty are active researchers who extend opportunities for students to get involved. Ahead, three of them share their experiences for a peek behind the curtain: Julie Parato, B.S. in Biology program director and assistant professor, Matt Schmidt, visiting assistant professor, and Kevin Woo, professor and chair of the Department of Natural Sciences. Parato joined Empire State University in 2020—at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schmidt has been with the university for 31 years, and Woo is nearing the 16-year mark.

What do you teach?

Parato: Mostly biology classes, with a focus on upper-level neuroscience courses because it’s my background.  

Schmidt: Most of us have a wide array of things we teach. For me, it’s genetics, evolution, and microbiology, among others.

Woo: I teach animal behavior, ecology, conservation, biology, evolution, and various courses in organismal and ecological-level biology. Occasionally, I’ll do things in environmental science like the Ecology and Earth Systems Field Research course.

What does a day in your life look like?

Parato: It’s a bit all over the place! When we teach, since we are an online university, the professors act as a facilitator. We give the students feedback while they are learning on their own time. I’m active in my field, so right now, a huge chunk of my time is spent trying to get some projects up and running that are supposed to start in March—which terrifyingly, is only next week.

Schmidt: Being one of the old-fashioned types, I spend about half of my teaching doing Teams meetings with students one-on-one or in small groups—just because that was the way it used to be before all the fancy technology.

Woo: I would say two thirds of what I do right now are dedicated to department chair work. The best part of it is thinking about investment in faculty. They come to me with questions about operations, scholarship, service, and it’s about finding ways to support faculty in various opportunities. I get a number of student queries, which we try to triage before they escalate. I act as a sort of go-between for student issues and assess whether they need the Dean’s attention. Then, there are a gazillion committees that the department chair needs to sit in on. When I get to teach, I primarily do independent studies and virtual study groups, and mentor as well.

How would you describe the program’s culture, and what makes it feel like a community?

Parato: The B.S. in Biology was the first structured program that Natural Sciences offered. When we were told we could begin to offer structured programs, biology seemed like a good choice because I was thinking about what our students would need to be successful in applying to graduate school and getting jobs. We made this program because we thought it would be more easily understood by the outside world.

In terms of making it feel like a community, it’s thanks to people like Matt and Kevin who run these independent studies and virtual study groups. Many of our courses have a discussion board component to them, and there’s a chunk of students who take those interactions very seriously. It’s nice to watch them start to make friends with each other. We build community that way.

Students also get to talk about labs with each other. They’re working with their hands, not only reading and studying—doing that laboratory component and talking about it also fosters a sense of community.

Schmidt: As far as community goes, I think all the different modalities go together. The faculty community is very strong, supportive, and friendly. I’ve had group meetings with students who are pursuing similar things, and I feel that they really appreciate it because while it’s great to be the master of your own destiny, it can potentially be isolating if you’re not interacting with anybody.

Woo: The B.S. in Biology has certainly been a long time coming, and it’s something we needed as a department and university. One of the main features is accessibility—SUNY Empire has a long history of distance learning in the online environment. The sciences used to be thought of as a service area for a long time. We had primarily only done general education courses. But we were hearing from students that they sincerely wanted careers in the sciences.

The biology program was the fastest-growing program during the 2025-2026 academic year. We’ve seen significant growth in the number of registrations—we had a growth of almost 12% across all our natural sciences courses. Our faculty has also grown 50% within the last two years, and I think that is a culmination of student interest and the desire to be professionals in the sciences. It’s encouraging locally and federally to see students seeking professional opportunities in STEM fields.  

Biology is often thought of as a very hands-on, lab-based discipline. How does the B.S. in Biology bring that dimension into online learning?

Parato: This is a real strength of the program. There are distance learning online biology programs that only offer virtual labs, but as an educator and researcher, it’s incredibly important that students learn how to actually do a laboratory experiment—how to set things up, how to troubleshoot.

Labs are heavily interspersed throughout the foundational classes, because that’s really where students have to learn what I call having a “lab-smart” sense—learning how to use their hands, figuring out written instructions and turning them into an actual experiment. This is important for students who go on to join a lab or a graduate program. The fact that we do this is a benefit to the students because it makes our degree transferable to graduate schools that aren’t looking for online-only laboratory experience.

There are biological supply companies, like Carolina, that we use for our lab kits. We work with Carolina to set up the supplies that students need into one kit, and then students can purchase it and have it sent to their home. Students complete the labs at their homes and document their work through pictures. Carolina has tutorial videos on how to set things up. We are also working on making some additional recordings to put into our courses. And, of course, we have excellent tutors who are always willing to work with students who have questions.

Woo: The ways we do the labs are evolving. We are trying to think outside the box about how else we can be helpful to students engaging with the laboratories so they can execute them from beginning to end.

What usually draws students to this program, and how is the department prepared to help them thrive?

Parato: We get a mix of students. Historically, our student population was thought to be students who were returning to school or adult learners. But in our biology program, we get students who have just left high school. Part of that may be that people got used to online learning during COVID, and they realize they can do an undergraduate degree online now. These are more traditional students who want to pursue a biology degree to go to graduate school.

We have people who have earned associate degrees at other schools and work in a more clinical field, but they are not able to progress in their career without a bachelor’s degree. SUNY Empire is good about taking transfer credit, but we also intentionally built the biology program to accommodate these students who have taken lower-level coursework at other institutions, and it feeds nicely into our program.

Sometimes we get students who want a change in their career—I have a student right now who has a master’s degree in a non-science field and is also a lover of paleontology. He’s a researcher at heart, but he needs to get a more foundational college degree in biology before he can move forward. We get a variety of students, and it’s excellent that we’re able to help such a diverse group of learners coming to our university.

Schmidt: I love that we’re seeing younger students enroll. Certainly, the pandemic was not a good thing, but I think in a strange way it gave some validity to online learning that people had not embraced before then.

Woo: Many of our faculty are engaged in active research, so students who are seeking graduate placement might want that kind of research experience, like conference presentations or publications. We are carving out these opportunities where students can work with faculty of the Department of Natural Sciences on research projects.

We are lucky to have been recently awarded a grant that supports student presentations at conferences, and that’s coordinated in conjunction with the Dean of Students, Melissa Aponte.

What is a resource you recommend to students or rely on as a faculty member?

Parato: PubMed is an excellent resource. It’s a search engine for biomedical articles—both review articles and experimental articles. It’s a resource that students can use even after they graduate if they are interested in reading more about a topic in biology, medicine, health science, and more.

Schmidt: While not strictly related to Biology, I like to have students browse Scientific American. There are many fascinating articles there.

Woo: We have been employing more open educational resources (OERs) to both significantly reduce the cost and increase accessibility of these tools within our courses. For Animal Behavior, we might use Behayve or ZooMonitor to conduct and record behavioral observations and automate data organization. For data, students and I would use Jamovi when conducting analyses relevant to experimental and observation projects.

What is your favorite part about being involved with the program?

Parato: Seeing students graduate. What makes me the happiest are those emails where they say: “Just checking in, but I’m on my way out. Thanks for everything.”

Also, echoing what we’ve already said, we talk a lot about our programs at department meetings and with each other. There’s such a synergy among the faculty—I think everyone is motivated to make sure this program is successful, and that our students can leave here with the opportunities that they want. In part, I think it’s because we are a great group.

Schmidt: Not unpredictably to those who know me, the best part for me is when I’m meeting one-on-one with a student. It’s not like, “here’s the professor, and here’s the student.” It’s more of a collaborative learning experience where two or three minds are exploring together.

That’s the reason I went into biology in the first place. Many times, a question they ask or an observation they make might lead me a bit deeper into my own thoughts, things that I might have left out, or things that I forgot about for a while. So, that moment of “wow, this really is important to understanding the world around me and my own life” that reverberates back and forth is very fulfilling to me.

Woo: I look forward to commencement. I think SUNY Empire has the best graduations of any institution I’ve ever been at. You get a sense of sincere appreciation and accomplishments from students who have worked so hard—students who have families taking care of children, taking care of elderly relatives, working two to three additional jobs. They’re doing all the work they need to do, and meeting expectations among all their personal commitments as well. When they arrive at the end, there is a grander sense of achievement.

Once they cross the stage, and they’re seeking professions in STEM, they’re the representatives and stewards of the university. They’re going out there with the SUNY Empire name, and we have to ensure that they are not only fulfilled by their time here, but that they can say to others that the university has a great B.S. in Biology program. I think that circular approach creates a sort of positive feedback loop. It’s not only great for the program itself, but also for the future of the sciences.

The Public Affairs Playlist: Meet Professor Nadine Wedderburn

by

This excerpt is taken from “A Deep Dive With Nadine Wedderburn.” Read the full story.

Professor of Public Affairs and Policy Nadine Wedderburn joined Empire State University in 2010, witnessing the university’s transitions in the last sixteen years and delivering course material throughout it all. Wedderburn teaches in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences while simultaneously conducting research focused on the Caribbean, sociology, and criminal justice, among other topics. 

Wedderburn’s vibrant background populates the screen; a large map of the Caribbean displayed behind her head. Her braids drape neatly over her shoulder as she smiles.

Can you tell me about your hometown and upbringing?

Wedderburn: I was born in the parish of St. Ann in Jamaica of the West Indies in the Caribbean. My hometown is Salem, a small district. We refer to what the United States would call towns or villages as districts in Jamaica. It is a small fishing village. I live right by the sea, and that has also made a lifelong impression on who I am today.

I look forward to going home because it’s sort of a ritual for me. My mother is still there, so we go to the beach every morning to begin the day. Being from Jamaica, the country is known for tourism, and people go to the beach as part of their vacations. For me, it’s a little different. I like to commune with the fisher people on the beach, find out how things are going with them.

It’s also a remembrance of how my ancestors got to the island in the first place—knowing that people of African ancestry came to the island by way of the transatlantic slave trade, on ships. I always have thoughts of what that must have been like and how that has changed the landscape over time.

What were some of your early interests and passions?

Wedderburn: I’ve always loved to learn. I learned to play the piano at a very young age, so I developed a deep love for music early on. For me, music is more than the genre, it’s a language. I like to think that it’s also helped develop my critical and analytical mind.

I also developed a love for math early on. And perhaps, just interesting people. Growing up in Salem, I was constantly around people of all walks of life. From early on, I was always seeing people from other parts of the world coming to my little town. I’ve always been curious about what other people’s lives are like. I also love to read. I developed a rabid appetite for reading early on.

Let’s talk about your professional trajectory. What drew you to Empire State University, and what are some of the courses you teach?

I started a degree in mathematics at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. At the time, my father thought that getting a degree in math wasn’t promising professionally, so he encouraged me to look into engineering.

It took me to Rochester Institute of Technology, and I completed a degree there in civil engineering technology. For a number of years, I worked in construction management and then went back to school and did a master’s in engineering management at Florida Institute of Technology. I worked following that degree as well. Then, around the September 11 attacks, I was in Florida working in construction management, and we were laid off because the company was based in New York.

I started looking at a doctorate in urban planning because that’s what I really wanted to do to begin with. I had hopes of going back to Jamaica to get involved in land planning and urban development. At the time I entered Florida International University and started looking at the urban planning program, it wasn’t quite turning out to be what I wanted, so I moved into the public administration program, and I graduated with a Ph.D. in public affairs.

The common advice when you have a Ph.D. is to go into teaching. I took the advice about teaching quite seriously and started pursuing jobs in higher education.

I went to Latham—at the time—for my interview with SUNY Empire, got hired, and haven’t looked back since. I teach in the public affairs program. Some of my courses are Public Policy, Public Administration, and Social Welfare Policy.

I’ve also taught courses like Cultural Diversity Competence, Diversity in the Workplace, and more recently, I’ve been teaching Race, Crime, and Justice. And, of course, with my love of the Caribbean, if the need arises, I may also teach a course in Caribbean Studies. In higher education, the assumption is that you specialize in one area, but my life has been quite interdisciplinary, and I believe in bringing that to my teaching.

What topics does your research center on?

Wedderburn: My teaching informs my research, and I believe in keeping my teaching as current as possible. I find myself researching sociology, criminal justice, and politics a lot.

On a more direct level, I spend a lot of time looking at slavery archives in Jamaica, because my current research wants to get at the origins of education policy in Jamaica.

In a few days, you’re presenting “A Soundtrack for Liberation.” What can you share about this project?

Wedderburn: Thanks to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I received a grant to prepare this multimedia presentation. I had read Ruha Benjamin’s “Imagination: A Manifesto,” and it’s a powerful book to me. What it says is that imagination is liberating, yet many people’s ability to imagine, or their being granted permission to even imagine, has been restricted.

There is a sense that we think of imagination as this sort of illusory, magical thing, right? That, if all we’re going to do is sit and imagine all day long, we’re not going to get very far. But she points to the fact that everything begins with that—imagination—good and bad. Imagination is power.

And then, of course, I shared my love of music earlier. As a Jamaican, logically, I always fall back on Bob Marley. I thought, what if I put together a soundtrack for Ruha Benjamin’s book to make the presentation more engaging?

How do you encourage your students to think about their roles as future public administrators in creating change?

Wedderburn: I would like to think that my teaching inspires students to be changemakers. What I try to do is find real-life situations that match the curriculum and talk about that—whether in a reflection, paper, or discussion post—so they get to share and learn from each other in that way.

Beyond Bob Marley, what is on your personal soundtrack? What music inspires your work?

Wedderburn: My playlist is a mixture of classic reggae, up to the 1980s, then dancehall. I also love African music, what’s known as Afrobeats, which is sort of a misleading term. To me, all the music of the diaspora is Afrobeats, because how are you going to listen to salsa and not hear the drums in that? Where do you think that came from?

And finally, what is one thing you feel is important to share this Black History Month?

Wedderburn: Though we set aside a month to recognize the achievements and history, Black history is celebrated every month in many households across the country. Black people celebrate achievements every day; Black people’s history is ever-present with them. It’s important for others to recognize that fact, because this country’s successes and failures have a lot to do with how Black history is celebrated.

A Deep Dive with Nadine Wedderburn, Professor of Public Affairs and Policy

by

Professor of Public Affairs and Policy Nadine Wedderburn joined Empire State University in 2010, witnessing the university’s transitions in the last sixteen years, and delivering course material throughout it all. Wedderburn teaches in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences while simultaneously conducting research focused on the Caribbean, sociology, and criminal justice, among other topics.  

Her vibrant background populates the screen; a large map of the Caribbean displayed behind her head. To the left, a dense collection of books—keywords like “caste” and “metaracism” are discernible from the computer camera’s vantage point—and in the right-hand corner, a colorful purple and green tapestry with a pattern. Her braids drape neatly over her shoulder as she smiles.

Can you tell me about your hometown and upbringing?

Wedderburn: I was born in the parish of St. Ann in Jamaica of the West Indies in the Caribbean. The parish of St. Ann is one of 14 parishes in the country—the island is divided into parishes based on colonial history. St. Ann, on the northern side of the island, is the third-largest parish. My hometown is Salem, a small district. We refer to what the United States would call towns or villages as districts in Jamaica.

Salem is where I grew up, where my parents raised me. My parents are from other parts of the island, but they made their home in Salem, off Runaway Bay in St. Ann—that has shaped my life. It is a small fishing village. I live right by the sea, and that has also made a lifelong impression on who I am today.

I look forward to going home because it’s sort of a ritual for me. My mother is still there, so we go to the beach every morning to begin the day. Then, I walk on the beach, do a few laps up and down getting some morning exercise. Being from Jamaica, the country is known for tourism, and people go to the beach as part of their vacations. For me, it’s a little different. I like to commune with the fisher people on the beach, find out how things are going with them.

It’s also a remembrance of how my ancestors got to the island in the first place—knowing that people of African ancestry came to the island by way of the transatlantic slave trade, on ships. I always have thoughts of what that must have been like and how that has changed the landscape over time.

What were some of your early interests and passions?

Wedderburn: I’ve always loved to learn. I learned to play the piano at a very young age, so I developed a deep love for music early on. For me, music is more than the genre, it’s a language. I like to think that it’s also helped develop my critical and analytical mind. There’s so much about music that’s mathematical.

I also developed a love for math early on. And perhaps, just interesting people. Growing up in Salem, I was constantly around people of all walks of life. From early on, I was always seeing people from other parts of the world coming to my little town. I’ve always been curious about what other people’s lives are like. I also love to read. I developed a rabid appetite for reading early on.

Do you have a favorite book? If so, what is it?

Wedderburn: I’ve had favorite books at different stages in my life. Right now, my favorite book is called “Homegoing.” It’s written by a Ghanaian-American woman, Yaa Gyasi. It’s my favorite right now because of the style of writing or structuring the book. It follows generations of Africans through two sisters’ lives and their family life cycles in alternating chapters. It’s fictional, but it’s based on historical facts.

When I was growing up, my favorite books were the “Nancy Drew Mystery Stories” by Carolyn Keene. It was a challenge, because it wasn’t easy to get those books in Jamaica at the time. I’d go to the library and find them, and then there were some missing ones … every now and again, if I had a relative that was coming from the U.S., they might bring me two books. We would also do exchanges with friends at school.  

[Wedderburn enthusiastically shares more titles, particularly the “Sweet Dreams” novel series. Her face lights up as she lists the books of her teenage years.]

Going back to your perspective as a native Jamaican—and this is a loaded question—is “ethical tourism” possible in Jamaica?

Wedderburn: In my mind, any activity that extracts resources from a place or people without any deliberate return or reciprocity—and by deliberate, I mean meaningful—cannot be ethical.

I would say the same for exploitation, if you’re going to take advantage of people without considering what their needs are in a fair and just manner. People say, “well, people are getting jobs, right?” Yes, but at what rate of pay? People are getting jobs, but there is no thought about how their families and children are being cared for.

I still see things like these happening in Jamaica, and they continue to happen at remarkable rates. I remember when hotels in Jamaica were probably no more than 100 rooms. Sprawling landscapes are what hotels are all about now—they take up all the beachside properties, with very little access for Jamaican people who live there. It remains to be seen what sorts of remedies we can put in place to address those issues.

Let’s talk about your professional trajectory. What drew you to Empire State University, and what are some of the courses you teach?

After finishing high school, I started university. Speaking to my love of math, I started a degree in mathematics at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. At the time, my father thought that getting a degree in math wasn’t promising professionally, so he encouraged me to look into engineering. He thought that had a promise of a more lucrative career upon graduating, so I did it.

It took me to Rochester Institute of Technology, and I completed a degree there in civil engineering technology. For a number of years, I worked in construction management and then went back to school and did a master’s in engineering management at Florida Institute of Technology. Around the September 11 attacks, I was in Florida working in construction management, and we were laid off because the company was based in New York. Everything in New York shut down for quite a while.

I thought, “I don’t know what I’m going to do—let me go back to school.” I started looking at a doctorate in urban planning because that’s what I really wanted to do to begin with. I had hopes of going back to Jamaica to get involved in land planning and urban development. At the time I entered Florida International University and started looking at the urban planning program, it wasn’t quite turning out to be what I wanted, so I moved into the public administration program, and I graduated with a Ph.D. in public affairs.

I went to Latham—at the time—for my interview with SUNY Empire, got hired, and haven’t looked back since. I teach in the public affairs program. Some of my courses are Public Policy, Public Administration, and Social Welfare Policy.

I’ve also taught courses like Cultural Diversity Competence, Diversity in the Workplace, and more recently, I’ve been teaching Race, Crime, and Justice. I teach the Public Administration Capstone. With my love of the Caribbean, if the need arises, I may also teach a course in Caribbean Studies. I’ve taught courses for Black women writers at a women’s and gender studies residency. Even courses like Diversity in the Workplace have been informed by my training in public administration. In higher education, the assumption is that you specialize in one area, but my life has been quite interdisciplinary, and I believe in bringing that to my teaching.

I enjoy teaching educational planning because I like seeing how students bring their own experiences to their learning to help them complete their degrees. Credit for Prior Learning has been an important part of my teaching journey.

What topics does your research center on?
Wedderburn: My teaching informs my research, and I believe in keeping my teaching as current as possible. I do a lot of research in order to teach. I find myself researching sociology, criminal justice, and politics a lot. I don’t claim to be a political researcher, but I read widely to stay current.

On a more direct level, I spend a lot of time looking at slavery archives in Jamaica, because my current research wants to get at the origins of education policy in Jamaica. In order to do so, I have to go back to pre-emancipation times, because what we call public education really started with how enslaved people were informed and made aware of their situation at the time, and their rights. A lot of that was controlled, as you can imagine. I’m interested in finding out how much enslaved people educated themselves in community, so that’s where my research engines are spent these days. The time before last that I was home, I went to the archives at the National Library of Jamaica to get some information.

How do you encourage your students to think about their roles as future public administrators in creating change?
Wedderburn: I would like to think that my teaching inspires students to be changemakers. In higher education, we constantly dance between the curriculum to be taught and what students want. Students come to us with their own ideas and questions about what the course can offer them.

What I try to do is find real-life situations that match the curriculum and talk about that—whether in a reflection, paper, or discussion post—so they get to share and learn from each other in that way. I challenge them with difficult questions, because it gets them to go a bit deeper than the surface.

In a few days, you’re presenting “A Soundtrack for Liberation.” What can you share about this project?

Wedderburn: Thanks to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, I received a grant to prepare this multimedia presentation. I read Ruha Benjamin’s “Imagination: A Manifesto,” and it’s a powerful book to me. What it says is that imagination is liberating, yet many people’s ability to imagine, or their being granted permission to even imagine, has been restricted.

There is a sense that we think of imagination as this sort of illusory, magical thing, right? That, if all we’re going to do is sit and imagine all day long, we’re not going to get very far. But she points to the fact that everything begins with that—imagination—good and bad. Imagination is power.

I thought of making a presentation on that. I’m sure she’s not the first or only one to have brought this up, but Benjamin brings it into the current moment. She asks, how much do we encourage each other to imagine? So, teachers, how do you encourage students’ imagination and creativity while teaching? Even looking at the government—because as a public policy person, policies are not created in a vacuum. We can be more creative with our public policy if we’re going to truly serve all the people we intend to serve. What does that say for policy makers, elected officials, to be able to imagine newer and better things?

And then, of course, I shared my love of music earlier. As a Jamaican, logically, I always fall back on Bob Marley. I thought, what if I put together a soundtrack for Ruha Benjamin’s book to make the presentation more engaging?

It comes down to five songs interspersed with quotes from Benjamin’s book to encourage our community to imagine a new world, a better world, or at least begin to think of the power of imagination to make a better life for all of us. I’m looking forward to presenting it and hearing what people have to say.

Beyond Bob Marley, what is on your personal soundtrack? What music inspires your work?

Wedderburn: My playlist is a mixture of classic reggae, up to the 1980s, then dancehall. I like Tanya Stephens, Shaggy, Beres Hammond and Beenie Man. My dancehall taste probably falls off around the year 2000. I like R&B—love Mary J. Blige. I also love African music, what’s known as Afrobeats, which is sort of a misleading term. To me, all the music of the diaspora is Afrobeats, because how are you going to listen to salsa and not hear the drums in that? Where do you think that came from?

I like happy music, but music that is soulful—a lot of what we call “oldies,” artists like Otis Redding, Sam Cooke. I love jazz because of my love for piano music.

What’s one song you think everyone should listen to?
[Wedderburn laughs, bewildered at the prospect of choosing just one song. She decides to take some time to think and later sends an email with her selection: “Just Do You” by India.Arie.]

And finally, what is one thing you feel is important to share this Black History Month?
Wedderburn: Though we set aside a month to recognize the achievements and history, Black history is celebrated every month in many households across the country. Black people celebrate achievements every day; Black people’s history is ever-present with them. It’s important for others to recognize that fact, because this country’s successes and failures have a lot to do with how Black history is celebrated.

Dentist Goes Back to School to Learn the Business Side: Angélica Farfan on Finding the Spanish BBA

by

Following her move from Mexico to the United States, Mexico City-trained dentist Angélica Farfan began to rebuild her career without a local dental credential. Fortunately, she discovered a door intended for her to walk through—a Spanish-language Bachelor of Business Administration degree at Empire State University.

Farfan experienced a harsh reality that many foreign professionals face when she relocated to the United States—credentialing barriers to employment and education. For many, studies completed outside the U.S. are not recognized upon entry to the country—often, they find themselves back at square one where their academic and professional careers are concerned.

Credential verifications pose barriers—they are not free of cost, incur translation expenses for those whose documents are not in English, and often involve long waits. For those with medical credentials, verifications are even more complex. However, not having them done has been known to land many highly skilled professionals who migrate to the U.S. in positions of underemployment. Without verification, years of specialized training can mean little in a new country, but not everyone can afford to undergo the verification process while going without a paycheck.

Farfan—who was top of her class in dentistry school and subsequently headed two private practices in Mexico City—ran into this roadblock. She had to figure out how to reframe her career.

Born and raised in Iztapalapa, a borough of Mexico City, Farfan felt called to the medical field at an early age. “I truly love my profession,” she says, noting that she decided to become a dentist at the young age of 13. “There were many obstacles in my way, but never anything that could stop me from pursuing my path,” she adds. Ever driven, she believes in making the most of the opportunities one has access to.

Her desire to contribute to the well-being of patients motivated her to pursue a degree in dentistry at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). By the time she finished the program, she had earned the Gabino Barreda Medal for the best GPA of her graduating class. At UNAM, she also studied orthodontics, though she was unable to formally specialize in it at the time due to financial barriers.

Eventually, Farfan and her family made the decision to move abroad to the U.S. “The first year, I dedicated myself to studying English so I could work,” she explains. It wasn’t until her second year in the country that she was employed as part of a team hired by dental clinics to provide orthodontic services. Still, Farfan couldn’t help but feel held back— “Since I don’t have a dentistry or orthodontics degree that counts here, I don’t earn what a credentialed orthodontist earns,” she points out.

In her journey to learn English, a language school advised Farfan to pursue her GED. The thought of it felt like backpedaling—she already had college credentials, so she was hesitant. “They said it would help with my English, so I enrolled in the classes … I wasn’t interested in the GED itself; my goal was something else,” she explains.

An avid reader, Farfan typically visited the library to borrow books twice a week. It was on one of these outings that she came across an advertisement in La Voz, which announced the launch of SUNY Empire’s Spanish BBA.

“I feel really proud of my language. I’d love to speak English at the same level I speak Spanish, but I haven’t managed to yet. When I saw the announcement for a bachelor’s degree entirely in Spanish, I said, “That’s me!” What did they ask for? The GED. I had it, so I started,” she says. Propelled by the encouragement of her husband and daughter, Farfan wasted no time in applying.

Embarking on this academic journey posed a pivot in Farfan’s career—one that she was glad to make. She approached this change with enthusiasm: “A lot of people have asked me why I’m studying business administration when I’m a dentist,” Farfan laughs, “Because I already know dentistry—I need to learn administration! I’m very excited about the opportunity to go back to school.”

The Spanish BBA was designed for learners like Farfan, who are in search of a door to empowerment and economic mobility that honors the preference to learn how they do best: in their native language. To the dentist, language matters. “I could have done it in English,” she asserts. “I’ve done many things in English. It’s never been a matter of language stopping me. What [this program] gives you is comfort—knowing that you understand word for word, and being able to clearly express what you think.”

Farfan has experienced the program thus far as a growth opportunity, learning to navigate online learning, finding motivation in challenging courses, and realizing that the concepts taught by her professors are as applicable to daily life as they are in the world of business. “It’s changing my perspective a lot,” she comments. Looking beyond, she recognizes how significant a program like this is on a larger scale: “Thank you for thinking of Latinos, so we can continue growing professionally,” she says.