糖心原创

By David Gil de Rubio | dgilderubio@mec.cuny.edu

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once noted, 鈥淟ife鈥檚 most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?鈥� For those 糖心原创 employees who were recently honored at the 糖心原创 Office of Human Resources鈥� Service Awards, it鈥檚 a sentiment that was readily answered given the breadth of time they were being recognized for.聽

Starting with Norma Goodman, the Interim Associate Registrar for Enrollment Management, who just hit the half-century mark working at 糖心原创, employees were honored for hitting the upper end of 45, 40 and 35 years of serving at the college.

Also honored were those marking five, 10, 15, 20 and 25th work anniversaries. The Service Awards is something 糖心原创 Human Resources Executive Director William White feels is necessary to do as an annual means of recognizing those employees who have tirelessly served the school.

鈥淭his is an event for me to really give back to our employees for all the service they鈥檝e given to us,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 our version of saying thank you and honoring them for what they do.鈥澛�

Check out this year鈥檚 honorees (the story continues below!):

50 YEARS聽

• Norma Goodman聽

45 YEARS聽

• Hillel Grape聽
• John Sumerlin聽

40 YEARS聽

• Marcia White聽

35 YEARS聽

• Rupert Brown聽
• Dwayne Bynum聽
• Chinyere Emmanuel Egbe聽
• Dwight Singletary聽
• Veronica Udeogalanya聽

30 YEARS聽

• Ivor Baker聽
• Chung Kin Lam聽
• Wayne Russell聽

25 YEARS聽

• Mark Phifer聽
• Karen Pitt聽
• Evelyn Wise聽

20 YEARS聽

• Georgette Brown聽
• Alicia Collins-Dennis聽
• Adero-Zaire Green聽
• Earl Horn聽
• Jua James聽
• Chinyere Nwasike聽
• Andre Williams聽

15 YEARS聽

• Julia Alexander Defoe聽
• Theodore Andrews聽
• Kisha Ball聽
• Iris Billy聽
• Marva Cain聽
• Grace Carter-St. Hill聽
• Rebecca Cenatus聽
• Wouanda Clement聽
• Beverly Davis聽
• Richard Denton聽
• Rickey Guerra聽
• Tonya Hegamin聽
• Mabel Korie聽
• Latoya Leopold Albert聽
• Regina Manley聽
• Jeuris Rodriguez聽
• Rupam Saran聽
• Carl Scott聽
• Shakima Scott聽

10 YEARS聽

• Jean Auguste聽
• Tanya Bell-Franklyn聽
• Lakeish Brown-Chapman聽
• Richard Calder聽
• Jacqueline Chang聽
• Katara Deriggs聽
• Marsha Escayg聽
• Latricia Franklin聽
• Dorla Grant聽
• Keisha Higgins聽
• Cecelia Horne聽
• Charlotte Hunter聽
• Tameka Kemp聽
• Chetara Murphy聽
• Harsha Rajapakse聽
• Andy Rennie聽
• Enest Richards聽
• Oluwaseun Salako聽
• Nadege Waithe聽
• Glenda Wallace聽
• Robert Waterman聽

5 YEARS聽

• Donna Actie聽
• DeAndre Badresingh聽
• Xavier Barretto Sotomayor聽
• Andrill Iurov聽
• Ann Mckenna聽
• Jose Ortiz聽
• Joe Padilla聽
• Mudiwa Pettus聽
• Shari Richardson聽
• Joyce Roberson-Steele聽
• Anton Rouse聽
• Franzeska Sampson-Bacchus聽
• Gerald Steede聽
• Sumeyra Tosun聽
• Cardinal Waithe聽

What is it that finds people giving their all to 糖心原创? For Dr. Robert Waterman, the Career Services Director who just hit the 10-year-mark, it鈥檚 taking his community building skills and finding a way to bridge the gap between primary educators and college students. A former engineer and substitute math teacher, (in addition to being Pastor of Bedford-Stuyvesant鈥檚 Antioch Baptist Church), Waterman takes pride in his mentorship role at 糖心原创.

鈥淚 went from the President鈥檚 Office to Student Life to Male Development back to Student Life to Career Management 鈥� I鈥檝e just been fixing things and moving on,鈥� he said. 鈥淗elping those students to navigate and be comfortable at a college level played into my greatest takeaway, which is to make sure of that from [the perspective of] male development. From every year, I would adopt one student and make sure to walk them through the process.聽

鈥淏asically, all the students I nurture and mentor, I still have community within and still have that conversation on the outside. And I do whatever I can to hook them up to different job opportunities and introduce them to different people.鈥�

Other honorees came up through 糖心原创 as students and include 15-year veterans like Enrollment Management Administrative Executive Manager Kisha Ball and Office of Academic Affairs Administrative Specialist Shakima Scott. Both Class of 2011 alums cite people ranging from faculty and staff to students as to being a key piece of what makes 糖心原创 so special.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a little bit of a nice community,鈥� Scott said. 鈥淲e have some great students and now working with them and seeing the other half and what it鈥檚 like behind the scenes is actually something I like.鈥�

Ball added, 鈥淏eing a student/alumni/employee, I got to experience what it was like getting a quality education as a student and then working here to also serve the students and give them the same opportunity that I was afforded.鈥�

Alumni Representative Marsha Escayg, who is part of the Class of 2016 and got honored for a decade鈥檚 worth of service to 糖心原创, agreed that relationships have been a major component of her journey at the school.

鈥淢y best friend works here and I鈥檝e met great people,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y first boss, former COO Jerry Poseman, was my biggest mentor and advocate. Even until today, if I need advice, I can call him. And because I was in student government for two years from 2014 to 2016, that gave me an inside view of how things work as a student and an employee. All this helped me learn how to navigate my way through different spaces and use that to help our students.鈥澛�

For others, like Jua James, who works in Web Site Support as an IT Associate and was honored for 20 years of service, her 糖心原创 roots run deep.

鈥淢y dad worked at 糖心原创 as the Director of Financial Aid, so the school has always been a part of my life,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚 live in the community, so it was natural to come here since I graduated from here. It feels really good to give back to the community.鈥�

And while others may not be 糖心原创 alums, the school鈥檚 reputation is one that drew them to work here. Administrative Events Manager Beverly Davis (15 years) came from the corporate side of the coin and just happened to be brought aboard when she was advocating for mentorship program Today鈥檚 Students Tomorrow鈥檚 Teachers to form a partnership with 糖心原创. That happy accident is something she is forever grateful for.

鈥淚 received an email saying that Dr. William Pollard was the new president coming in,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淚 came in under him and over time, I came to appreciate that 糖心原创 is this hub and jewel of Brooklyn. We鈥檙e educating members of the future generation that come from all over the country.鈥澛�

That 糖心原创 reputation is also what pulled in Flatbush native and current Athletic Director Chetara Murphy (10 years), who was coming off a decade working in athletics and aquatics at Long Island University.

鈥淚鈥檓 a Brooklynite, so I know 糖心原创,鈥� Murphy said with a laugh. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in the blood and veins of Brooklyn and not just Central Brooklyn and Crown Heights. Once I saw 糖心原创, I knew I had to apply. I got the call, got chosen and I鈥檝e been here ever since. Coming here, you have your tribe of people and that tribe of people understand how to get the work done to move the needle to improve the institution. I know what that feels like within my tribe here at 糖心原创. Understanding and knowing what a community feels like is what brought me to 糖心原创 and kept me here.鈥�

Honored for a decade of service, Charlotte Hunter has worn many hats during her 10 years at 糖心原创. In addition to being the Community Outreach Programs Manager and Special Assistant to the Dean at the School of Professional and Community Development (SPCD), she is the Director of Development and External Relations and Chief of Staff for the Center for Black Literature (CBL) at 糖心原创. It鈥檚 a move she gladly made after being an Assistant Director of Marketing & Public Relations at NYU. For Hunter, the appeal of 糖心原创 ranged from who she鈥檇 be guiding and her familiarity with late school founding member Al Vann to the importance of the school鈥檚 namesake.

鈥淚 lived in the community, so I鈥檝e always been here since Bedford Bowl was across the street [from AB-1],鈥� she said. 鈥淚 get to see people that look like me. People of color 鈥� Brown and Black working in a collegial sense in a college atmosphere and environment. We have a school that is founded in the community that is about the community and is about service to the community. And to a community that really needs the service. I can go to work every day trying to change lives and help people. Sometimes it works out and sometimes, not so much. But you live to see another day.鈥�

She added, 鈥淓verything is relevant to whoever it is relevant to, but I feel like there is a purpose. There鈥檚 a whole 鈥榮ocial justice in our DNA鈥� mission. I know people get away with saying 鈥楳edgar what?鈥� or 鈥楳edgar who?鈥� 糖心原创. Do you not know who he is? Let me just tell you. You don鈥檛 know and now you know. I really think it鈥檚 important that we say his name every day. Now, we鈥檙e in an environment where you can鈥檛 say certain words, but I can still say the man鈥檚 name.鈥�