Student Voices

Maya Castronovo, CC’23, joined University Life as a freshman looking for a work-study job. Now, four years later, Maya is graduating and leaving her role at University Life. We recently sat down with Maya and asked her to reflect on her experiences at Columbia.

Shatize Pope is studying human rights at the School of General Studies. She works as Community Outreach Coordinator at Community Impact, and is a University Life Ambassador and a member of the University Life Events Council.

James Jennings, Jr. is a second-year Master’s student in the African and African American Diaspora Studies Department. He is a Double Discovery Teaching Fellow, educating high school students in popular African American protest music and literature and the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. In this post, James reflects on his academic journey, family history, work as a teacher, and the importance of Black Studies as a discipline.

Tanya, a recipient of Columbia’s Scholarship for Displaced Students, founded a mentorship program for Ukrainian students who want to continue their education during the war. Her goal is to prepare a new generation of Ukrainians to play an integral part in their country’s post-war reconstruction.

Julian Melo is an immigrant, first generation American, United States Army veteran and a senior at the School of General Studies, where he is pursuing a degree in Political Science. He is a Social Impact Fellow with Columbia World Projects and an alumnus of the Harvard Humanities Warrior Scholars Project.

Dylan Baca (CC‘25) and Tristan Espinoza (CC‘25) are both board members of the Indigenous Peoples’ Initiative (IPI), a national, non-partisan, youth-led organization creating opportunities for Indigenous people. Dylan, who founded the organization in 2019, is active in advocating for the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day at the local, state and national levels. After meeting Dylan at Columbia, Tristan joined these efforts.

Johanna Martinez (CC ‘24) is studying sustainable development and was selected as one of the inaugural Social Impact Fellows at Columbia World Projects. On campus, she is the finance manager for Alianza, a Latine student group, and the academic editor for Consilience, a sustainability journal. 

Abel Al-Iqbal Radian (CC '23) is co-president of the Columbia Indonesian Society, an active member the CU Society of Hip Hop, and working on an independent research project about the varying definitions of what qualifies as ‘Halal’ food. He spent his summer as a mentor to high school students in the Freedom and Citizenship college seminar.

Earlier this month, Trina Nurse graduated from the School of Social Work as part of the Class of 2022. She is now working as a Blue Ridge Fellow at the Robinhood Foundation and, in the fall, will begin as a fellow at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

William Yuen Yee said it was one email he sent to a professor that would change his future and help lead him to begin his career in foreign relations.

Chinmayi Balusu (she/her) graduated this Spring from Columbia College. Her time at Columbia has deepened her passion for neuroscience's intersections with other academic disciplines like public health and her desire to focus on patient-centered clinical research.

Tigidankay (TK) Saccoh (she/her) is a 22-year-old anti-colorism advocate, public speaker, content creator, and fourth-year student studying Psychology and Public Health at Columbia College. When she was 20 years old, TK created the Darkest Hue. She regularly curates original, thought-provoking content and publishes heartfelt testimonials from young Black women and girls about their unique experiences with colorism. TK's work has been featured in the Malala Fund, Ebony Magazine, Forbes, and NBC's The Today Show.