Lehman Students Mourn the Death of Chadwick Boseman
(Photo via Victoria Will/Invision/AP)
By Esgardo Castelan
Actor Chadwick Boseman is perhaps best known as T’Challa, King of Wakanda in the MCU’s “Black Panther,” but his career was only just beginning when he passed away from stage 4 colon cancer on Aug. 28, at the age of 43. As one of the first black male actors to star as the title-lead in a superhero film, his death has hit the Lehman community especially hard.
“Considering how he acted in his biggest movies while undergoing extensive cancer treatment, his work ethic was amazing,” said Emeka Bouszer, 21, a Lehman senior studying computer science. “I related heavily with the characters that he played as a black male myself.”
Boseman made his breakthrough as a performer in 2013 when he was cast as Jackie Robinson in “42,” a biographical film about the baseball player. During the span of his career, he became a recognizable actor through his roles on other projects, including the 2014 film “Get On Up,” in which he starred as singer James Brown, “Marshall” (2017) where he played Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and even as recently as the 2019 film “21 Bridges.”
According to Boseman’s family members and others closest to him, he first received his cancer diagnosis in 2016 and underwent both surgeries and chemotherapy in the four years since then, all while continuing to act and star in well-loved films.
Boseman’s portrayals of strong, influential black men and characters has inspired and empowered black people around the globe. 27-year-old recent Lehman graduate Michael Cello stated, “He gave us something to be proud of because he represented a strong character in real life.” For black communities across the country, Boseman existed as a symbol of hope and success, showing them that they are all superheroes in their own right.
In light of current Black Lives Matter protests and discussions going on across the country in response to instances of police brutality - including the murder of Louisville, KY resident Breonna Taylor as she slept in her home this past March, as well as George Floyd’s murder while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May - Boseman’s death has dealt a significant blow to black communities.
In a PBS News article by Joshua Barajas, clinical psychologist and associate professor at University of Ottawa’s School of Psychology Monica Williams stated, “Every black person I know is exhausted just from life right now.”
The impact of Boseman’s death is acutely felt by Lehman students, many of whom looked up to Boseman and are in mourning. Multiple Lehman students have paid homage to Chadwick by posting his picture on their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter feeds, acknowledging his influence and expressing that he will be missed.
Lehman senior and exercise science major Ferdinand Essizewa, 22, said “it was tough. I’m African and I love to be in touch with my roots. But there was absolutely no piece of media here that allowed me to feel unique or special [other] than Black Panther.”
Student Playwriting Festival Captures Voices of a Budding Generation
Performers in the Student Playwriting Festival (Photo Credit: Lehman's Theater & Dance Department)
By Esgardo Castelan
This year’s Lehman’s Student Playwriting Festival, held annually at the Studio Theater, featured five unique family-oriented plays written and performed by Lehman students and alumni. The plays focused on life events such as workplace romances, explosive Thanksgiving dinners, and tragic degenerative memory loss; the one that ran from Feb. 26 to Feb. 29 culminated with a collaborative act.
The original short plays included “Remember Me” by Damarilee Alvarado, selected as one of ten plays to be featured at CUNY’s Theater Festival at City College in March, “Playing Around” by Raelene Holmes, “Pure White” by Myles McNeal, “Just Say Hi” by Francisco Morales, and “Thanksgiving” by Princess Thomas. They were all produced in four weeks in coordination with faculty Director Stephanie Stowe.
Morales’ “Just Say Hi” is about a romance that simply couldn’t flourish despite plenty of chances, due to characters’ self-doubt and overthinking. It stars two office coworkers who work on different floors battling with mutual romantic feelings. Morales cleverly uses asides to show close glimpses of the characters, who constantly run into each other on the elevator.
The story reaches its climax when both characters tell each other what they want, a twist that drives the plot into an unexpected direction, while maintaining the wish for a happily-ever-after. In essence, the fast-paced, funny and charming tale teaches a lesson of letting chances slip away. Anyone who ever had a crush can easily relate to the protagonists’ awkward and silly interactions as they attempt to maintain some semblance of work etiquette.
Thomas’ “Thanksgiving” brings high tension from the onset, as Monica, 18, and 30-something Anna and Deborah, hurl passive-aggressive insults at each other during their family's holiday dinner, discovering burdens and secrets neither of them can hide any longer.
Their exchange reveals that both Monica and Anna strove to secure a comfortable life for Monica who was born into poverty in which Anna, who is innocent of all family grudges, couldn’t really make ends meet. The characters who initially act hostile towards each other eventually reconcile their differences and work together to keep the family whole.
(Photo Credit: Lehman's Theater & Dance Department)
Thomas does an excellent job representing the many families who sadly fall victim to their grudge-holding habits, highlighting the importance of family unity during difficult times and the dangers of keeping secrets. It’s a heartwarming testament to the strength of family and women that reaffirms family values, honesty and communications while maintaining a light tone through sheer melodrama.
In Alvarado’s “Remember Me,” the character Harley wanders near a coffee shop during a snowstorm. She waits under the storm with a friend, Gabriel, who she eventually recognizes after realizing it is not the first time she’s entered the shop, as it is not clear at first that the barista already knows the protagonist. The audience learns the truth of her illness and memory loss along with her.
The interplay between the two suggests a romantic undertone, and spectators can’t help but wish they had known each other under different circumstances. The plot is a tragic love story without the love, that shows taking care of others is a chivalrous act and a virtue that can go a long way.
“Pure White Ash” is about a gang that has been taking hits and there is a price for their gang leader. The drama comes down to who the gang leader can trust because there is a mole in the gang.
“Play Around” focuses on 21st century dating with smart phones and dating apps. It shows how people can be who they really are in person but not online. When Trina Farina-a woman who wants to get some attention, meets Tom-a man up to no good in the woods, it doesn’t end well.
Together, the plays reveal how young adults are living and feeling in today’s world.
Lehman Women’s Tennis Team Won More This Season
Lehman College Women's Tennis team for the 2019-2020 Season. (Photo Credit: Lehman Lightning Photo Gallery)
By Esgardo Castelan
“I’ve seen the changes by looking at my stats; I won three games last year, but this year I won eight,” said Celine Figueroa, a Lehman junior majoring in exercise science. Figueroa is one of three Lehman women’s tennis team athletes who received recognition at the close of this season for their hardworking performances.
Students Cien Estuye, a senior also majoring in exercise science, and Figueroa won the City University of New York Athlete Conference All-Star honors. Diwa Rana, a sophomore nursing major, received the Sportsmanship Team player.
Lizaveta Markouskaya and Diwa Figeroua partnering up for a Double versus Double. (Photo Credit: Lehman Lightning Photo Gallery)
Led by their efforts, the team continues to improve. This year’s season started on Aug. 30 against Yeshiva College and ended with a game against Hunter College in the CUNY Championship semi-finals on Oct. 22. The team normally faces 19 colleges in a season, five of which are CUNY. While they lost to Baruch, John Jay and Hunter College, they won against Brooklyn and York College.
Overall, the Lehman team won more games this year compared to 2018-2019’s 4-7 record. They reached a 9-7 score in the semifinals, with Estuye scoring 11-3 playing singles, and 6-5 in doubles. Figueroa for her part scored 9-7 in singles, while Rana scored 9-6 in both singles and doubles. Estuye, Figueroa, and fellow player, Lizaveta Markouskaya, all said the team's current focus lies in improving players’ mental and psychological preparation. The coach’s responsibility is to ensure team members can count on strong self-esteem to see that games are well-played and victorious.
“Our team has a sisterhood type of bond that makes me want to improve even more,” said Estuye.
Senior athletes and team leaders, Lizaveta Markouskaya and Leslie Juanico, encourage the team by teaching newcomers the basics of the game.
Coach Michal Bareket-Bloom speaking with Lizaveta Markouskaya on game strategy. (Photo Credit: Lehman Lightning Photo Gallery)
“We have a new coach this year, Michal Bareket-Bloom, who will work on bringing in more people for the team,” said Markouskaya, a 21-year-old senior biology and chemistry major. “The returning players will be in the loop so there are no surprises, which means everyone will be comfortable to move forward.”
“Coach Michal is very encouraging with each member of the team, which in return makes the players perform better; with her, it’s really about your mindset,” said Figueroa.
Baraket-Bloom praised her team’s progress. “I absolutely believe the team has improved so much more; without sounding conceited, it was the same team as last year with better records this year,” she explained.
Since the team is losing three seniors at the end of this season, Bareket-Bloom’s main task as a coach is to recruit more players for the next one. As she decides on each player’s skill level for future games and observes who works better together, she couples certain players for doubles based on their compatibility and skill level. It’s to see if a novice can play with an intermediate player, even with the lack of experience and not knowing how to use the fundamentals.
“Once the pre-season starts it’s all about seeing who will play in what position on the team and what strategy is better for the team. Players take positions ranging from one through six to know who is playing in what level; the best player will be number one and so forth,” Markouskaya told the Meridian.
“Our team has a sisterhood type of bond that makes me want to improve even more.”
Estuye explained that during practices the team will be divided in two parts. One coach will take up to two players and focus on drills, while the other half of the team works as a group to develop a bond with one another, improving the team’s overall compatibility.
“It’s the little details that count,” Estuye said. “We will execute better during games to cover each other’s weaknesses while adding more to each other’s strengths.”
Lehman’s Small Business Association Helps the Bronx Grow
Clarence Stanley, Director of the Small Business Development Center’s Bronx Office at Lehman. (Photo Credit: Nyssbdc.org)
By Esgardo Castelan
“We have been operating since 2000 helping students from the ground up,” said Executive Clarence Stanley, a former veteran and Director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Bronx’s office at Lehman. Through its work, 18,025 businesses have received assistance; investment records sum $167,513,506, and at least 6,066 jobs have been created. “Not many people know about us, and we have been here for almost 20 years,” Stanley said.
The SBDC assists students at about 22 campus-based centers and outreach offices across New York state, including CUNY colleges Baruch, LaGuardia, York, Staten Island and Lehman, with the main goal of teaching the fundamentals of owning and maintaining a business.
Funded by the federal government, the SBDC has also branched out to private institutions including Pace University and Stony Brook University, whose students plan to start up a business and may not know where to start.
In partnership with The Small Business Administration (SBA) that allows them to have the funding to help students, about 30 percent of Stanley’s clients are Lehman students who are brought into the program through internships. They then can modify these into businesses or companies, starting with just an idea.
“One of the greatest things that you can do if you want to open a small business will be to get comfortable with tech. In a century where the internet is taking over with everything being connected, the best thing that you can do is make sure you know the fundamentals of a computer,” Stanley said.
The Small Business Development Center logo. (Photo Credit: Nyssbdc.org)
Other services programs offered by SBDC include a loan guarantee program, which grants an amount of loan and requires only paying the difference, and the immigrant entrepreneur program that helps immigrants obtain visas to enter the United States.
Stanley shared success stories from Lehman students and others who made their idea a reality with the help of SBDC. Their stories “can inspire and encourage others to find hope in receiving aid and knowing they aren’t alone, keeping in mind that this is happening in The Bronx, which is considered the poorest borough of New York,” Stanley said.
Rafael Alverez, now president and CEO of an accounting, tax and financial services business, was born in the Dominican Republic and has resided in New York for the last 25 years. After graduating from CUNY’s City College he promoted his business through the website www.atax.com, with the goal of helping clients achieve the American dream by owning businesses.
Sandrine Valentine is another SBDC client who owns a beauty line named Sandrine Beauty. “Sandrine worked in the fragrance industry and specialized in aromatherapy as she believed therapeutic virtues of scent can heal and uplift mind, body and spirit,” said Stanley. He pointed out that the borough “has changed for the better. The unemployment in the Bronx has changed from 14 percent to 6.7 percent.”
But while the SBDC can turn business dreams into realities with their services, not many Lehman students are aware of it.
“I didn’t know there was a program like that,” said Anton Kyrylenko, a Macaulay Honors Junior.
“Wow, there is a program that can help us with our businesses?” said Raymond Burier, a Lehman junior and business administration major. “This is really useful to know since I plan on opening a business in the future. Therefore, I do believe colleges should offer business consulting.”