Lehman Freshmen Take Second Semester in Stride
By Alexandra Cardenas
Lehman campus in the spring. Photo courtesy of CUNY.
“College didn’t really end up being what I thought it would be. I guess I expected it to be like the movies,” said freshman Richard Castillo of his first semester at Lehman.
As he and other first-year students reflected on early lessons learned, they told The Meridian that their second semester seems harder than their first, but they have learned the lessons necessary to keep ascending the learning curve.
“I liked my last semester better because it was easier to get by, and the classes weren’t as challenging,” said 18-year-old freshman nursing student, Marianny Soto, who transferred from John Jay. Soto expressed pride in her 4.0 GPA but added that she did not feel prepared for a second semester at Lehman. Nonetheless, Soto stated that she is “looking forward to the next three years to see how I will grow as a person and get into my career.”
Castillo is also optimistic about his next three years in college. He concurred with Soto that during the first semester “everything was so simple. This semester feels like so much work has just been thrown on me.”
In contrast, freshman Khoudia Synian said, “I feel more prepared than ever. In all honesty, I felt like I learned so much from the mistakes I made my first semester.” Unsatisfied with her first semester performance in her pre-med courses, Synian is determined to achieve a 4.0 GPA this semester now that she knows what is expected of her. “Although the work gets harder, I love this semester way more because I’m more organized. Also, I know what is coming my way and I know how to handle it academically,” she explained.
“Everything seemed so chill, but I’m not sure how that vibe changed from chill to a frantic mindset.”
– Lehman freshman Tiana Bailey, 18
Freshman Tiana Bailey, 18, also suffered some initial turbulence. “My first semester was actually really stressful for me towards the end,” she said. “In the beginning, it was basically smooth sailing, and I always thought, why do people have breakdowns? Because everything seemed so chill, but I’m not sure how that vibe changed from chill to a frantic mindset.”
A fashion aficionado who hopes to transfer from Lehman to pursue her passion, Bailey is still coming to terms with the fact that she has not yet decided on a major. “I thought I knew what I wanted to do, but everything just blew up in my face. I know that it’s normal to not have everything figured out freshman year, but I didn’t and still haven’t accepted that.”
Synian seconded her determination. “I have a goal, so I’m definitely looking forward to the next three years in school without a doubt.”
Lehman Women are Innovating Tech
By Lysa Vanible
Computer Science Professor Eva Sofianos between classes. Photo by Lysa Vanible.
Lehman women are embarking on new technology projects and engaging in courses that challenge the status quo in the computer and data science fields.
“There’s not a lot of women in technology right now, but it is gradually increasing,” said Lehman sophomore Daniella Encarnacion, a 22-year-old computer science major and founding member of the Women in Computer Science club (WICS). “Women have become empowered through networking, hackathons, mentorship and extracurricular activities.”
Some Lehman experts think that the need to compete in a globalized job market translates to opportunity in student clubs like WICS. The student-led clubs are gaining momentum and creating technological innovations on campus.
“I had the opportunity to create a Google Developer group that currently boasts 2,534 members,” said Eva Sofianos, a computer science lecturer. “We want to add introduction to computer science courses to pathways that introduce programming in a gentler way, so more people will learn to love computer science as much as I do. As the only full-time female professor in the computer science department, the innovation I project is by being in the classroom. I believe seeing a female in the classroom helps other women see themselves.”
According to the Office of Institutional Research and Development, only six out of 18 professors in computer science are women, and one in five students in the major is female. However, a wide range of interdisciplinary courses combine traditional majors with technology, and the integrated courses at Lehman are right in step with the expansion in job opportunities created by global markets. That can create doors for women and minorities in a profession that is predominantly male and white.
“The revolution in big data has spawned a second look by students, as it integrates other majors that include courses that allow students to learn coding,” said Lehman Dean Elin Waring.
This incorporation of data science “can be seen in majors across the spectrum. Coding is being used to correlate mapping, graphs and plots, qualitative and quantitative data visualization, while also calculating statistical inference.”
“I believe seeing a female in the classroom helps other women see themselves.”
- Computer Science Lecturer Eva Sofianos
Waring cited chemistry, sociology, economics, biology, psychology and geography as courses that have “brought data to those professions,” along with the nursing program’s use of lab instruments “while gathering and documenting essential data.”
The tech revolution has gained momentum at all CUNY institutions. Upcoming workshops on campus include Open Data NYC on April 6, sponsored by the Leonard Lief Library and the Bronx-based non-profit The Knowledge House, which will present a forum on Data Privacy in an Open Data World on April 7. The tech and data expansion for women has a long road ahead, and Lehman students are gearing up for the long haul.