How Lehman Students Remade Lost Summer Plans
(Photo via CUNY Herbert H. Lehman Lehman College)
By David Kolade
The outbreak of COVID-19 that began in March crept into summer and affected many students’ plans by halting vacations, internships, and jobs. As a result, students struggled to find other ways to occupy their time and adapt to the new normal.
“I was supposed to go to Massachusetts where I would complete a fully funded research program at Novartis Pharmaceuticals,” said Lamount Evanson, a Lehman biochemistry major. “However, due to COVID-19, the research program was canceled. I was offered a position in the next summer program, however since I am graduating in January, they said I cannot do it as I have to be enrolled in an undergraduate institution.” And while he was able to work for the Office of Prestigious Awards as a WAC Junior Fellow facilitating a summer program, he was unable to do any research there.
Other students also lost opportunities due to COVID policies. “My plans for the summer were to do an internship, shadow a doctor, and travel. As a result of the pandemic, I was not able to do these plans,” said Mariam Kamara, a health service administration major. “The hospital wasn’t accepting any interns because it was closed. I wasn't able to go to the country that I wanted to because they weren’t allowing people to come in and travel bans were placed. I ended up staying in the house while taking a summer class.”
Likewise, disruption forced Ezekiel Olumuyide, a chemistry major with a concentration in biochemistry, to sacrifice an important goal. “I had a project to complete at the National Institute of Health on studying the STAT3 pathway in immune cells, and the project would have led to the publication,” he said. “However, due to the pandemic, the program was canceled. [So] I decided to improve my bioinformatics skills by working with Dr. Manfred Philipp on elucidating the molecular basis of SARS-CoV as an application investigating SARS-CoV-2.”
“The hospital wasn’t accepting any interns because it was closed. I wasn’t able to go to the country that I wanted to because they weren’t allowing people to come into the country.”
Some students also highlighted the unexpected opportunities that they met while facing the losses of others. “In my case, I applied to a lot of internship opportunities but I got rejected for most of them,” said Edward Adjei, a major in business administration with a concentration in finance and a minor in media communication studies. “After I joined [the Association of Latino Professionals for America] and got my resume reviewed by some of the amazing board members, I was able to confidently apply to many opportunities for the summer. I was fortunate enough to land one internship opportunity through ‘Project Destined’ which was a 5-week real estate internship, and I got the chance to learn a lot about the fundamentals of real estate, ownership, and acquisitions,” Adjei added. “I am grateful for having that internship experience which I can put on my resume to showcase the skills I gained.”
PTS3 STEM Program Funding Cut Will Hurt STEM Students
(Photo Credit: Jamie Camino)
By David Kolade
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students will lose major opportunities to gain research experience on campus when the Pathways to Student STEM Success’ (PTS3) program funding comes to an end in Sept. 2021.
“As the PTS3 program comes to an end, our students who remain at the college post the program’s last day may lack in services,” said Rafael Gonzalez, PTS3 program campus director and mathematics adjunct lecturer at Lehman. “For instance, although Lehman has a career and advising center, our students benefited in having their own advisor with an intrusive model.”
“PTS3 students also benefited from access to electronic devices, tutoring for STEM courses and math interventions during summer and winter sessions, and received priority registration every semester while members of the program,” Gonzalez said.
Launched at Lehman five years ago, the PTS3 program is funded by a Title 3 grant from the United States Department of Education. Ms. Anne Rothstein, Lehman grant writer, proposed the grant to the U.S. Department of Education, which approved the program’s funding with a 5-year grant. Rothstein also included the Bronx Community College and Hostos Community College in the proposal.
The program serves as an undergraduate resource for those who fail to obtain internships within their desired field, working in collaboration with Bronx Community College and Hostos Community College to increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students, as advertised by the official website. It also helps undergraduates who fail to obtain an external research experience to obtain it.
Lehman students, faculty and staff expressed regret for the program’s upcoming end.
“It would affect Lehman’s STEM students,” said PTS3 program director, Christopher Milton. “The PTS3 program is an additional opportunity for students to receive internships and research opportunities without the college having to worry about funding for the student, even though it is optional for the college.”
Hayford Ansah presenting his research at summer 2018 REU presentations. (Photo Credit: Jamie Camino)
“The end of the funds will affect students and teacher assistants financially as they will no longer receive payments from the program, which was a huge benefit,” said Hayford Ansah, biochemistry junior and PTS3 program member. “Most students are able to obtain research experience through the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) which consists of various programs for students studying science, engineering or mathematics, which are organized.”
Halima Suleiman, psychology junior and PTS3 member, noted that the end of the program will limit school supplies’ budget. “I haven't spent money on pens and notebooks this year; thanks to the PTS3 funds, I can spend my money on other important items,” she said.
These funds of the program also helped settle the bills for low-income families and independent college students.
“Personally, besides the obvious it pays my bills. I have been able to provide students with opportunities that were not available to me as early as 2016 to 2017 when I was a senior at Lehman,” Gonzalez said.
Suleiman also told the Meridian that the stipends she was given encouraged her to participate in summer internships and research labs. “This program has provided me with a great network of opportunities, advisors and friendships that I would not have easily attained,” she said.