By Katy Milberg
The Seahawk Spotlight is an occasional roundup covering campus happenings and student, faculty and staff accolades. Below are highlights for the beginning of 2024.
Wagner students amplify community voices
The First Year Program Learning Community class led by professors Margarita Sanchez and Steve Snow created a collaboration between students and young immigrant activists from the Port Richmond Community.
Student groups were paired with an activist to explore personal stories, community engagement efforts, advocacy for voting rights, and the significance of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
Through short videos, the project aimed to amplify the voices of immigrant activists in the community and to shed light on their experiences, challenges and contributions. Students captured the essence of each activist's journey, struggles and aspirations through in-depth interviews, research, and storytelling techniques.
By sharing these stories, the First Year Program LC project honored the resilience and determination of immigrant communities. It empowered students to engage actively with social and political issues affecting marginalized populations.Â
Junior Emma Lofstedt recognized as NEC 2023 Fall Scholar Athlete
Emma Lofstedt, a junior at Wagner College majoring in behavioral economics, was recognized as one of the eight Northeast Conference (NEC) 2023 Fall Scholar-Athletes on Feb. 7. The Durban, South Africa native excelled as a defender on the field hockey team, earning her first-team All-NEC accolade for exceptional performance on the Seahawk defense. Lofstedt's contributions included two defensive saves and significant offensive impact, tallying four goals and a team-high four assists, which also ranked seventh in the conference.Â
Beyond her athletic achievements, Lofstedt demonstrated academic excellence, maintaining a 4.0 cumulative GPA as she began the spring semester. The conference celebrated a select group NEC 2023 Fall Scholar Athletes who completed a minimum of 60 semester hours at their institution, maintained a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20, and demonstrated exceptional performance as varsity team members.Â
Celebrating 10 years, Holocaust Center honors two N.J. teens who fostered dialogue
In honor of its 10th anniversary, the Wagner College Holocaust Center commemorated Rawda Elbatrawish and Liora Pelavin as the first-ever recipients of the Upstander Award in a Jan. 25 ceremony.Â
The two teenagers sought to bridge divides in their community of Teaneck, New Jersey, amidst the Israel-Hamas War. Elbatrawish, who is Muslim, and Pelavin, who is Jewish, held conversations at their high school to engage fellow students in open dialogue. After the success of their initial meeting, Elbatrawish and Pelavin hosted a dialogue inviting their larger community. The success of these dialogues led to the pair guiding similar meetings to occur outside of their community. Their dedication to creating understanding within a divided community garnered national and international news coverage. Â
Bruschi, González lead work on educator standards
Lou Bruschi, adjunct faculty, has recently been appointed as an accreditation commissioner for the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Programs (AAQEP). Bruschi will serve in his new role until 2027. Bruschi brings an extensive history in education leadership roles, including principalships and adjunct faculty positions, to his role with AAQEP. He's earned accolades for community work, securing grants and aiding in Wagner College’s accreditation processes. He also has served in various leadership roles in local organizations, ensuring student access to resources and pursuing further education opportunities.Â
Education Department Chair Katia González serves alongside Bruschi as an accreditation commissioner for AAQEP. Â
“Co-chairing the renewal of standards is a multiyear effort utilizing data to support decision-making and reflective practices for education preparation programs,” González said. Additionally, as co-chair of the AAEQP’s renewal standards committee, González collaborates with leaders nationwide. Bruschi and González’s full AAEQP profiles can be found here.Â
Nicolais School Career Activators visit Nasdaq
The Nicolais School of Business’s Career Activator Program students recently took a trip to Manhattan to visit Nasdaq. Attendees toured the Nasdaq facilities, took photographs behind the scenes and viewed the Wagner College and Nicolais School names on the ​​Nasdaq MarketSite’s screen in Times Square.
“This is great visibility for our program and highlights the innovative things we are doing,” said Nicolais School of Business Dean Aarti Ivanic.Â
The opportunity was made possible by Sean Hurley ’97.Â
The Career Activator Program seeks to serve underrepresented students in the Nicolais School of Business by activating their career paths with access to professional development opportunities, mentorship and micro-internships. The program was funded by generous donations from the KPMG U.S. Foundation Reaching New Heights Grant Program and the National Grid’s Project C-Workforce Development grant to help all students reach new heights.Â
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