The Borough of Manhattan Community College highlights CCGAF Fellows—Linguistics and Literacy major Vanique Davis and Computer Network Technology major Eduardo Lebron.
Excerpts from the article:
Vanique Davis spent much of her childhood in the countryside of Ocho Ríos, Jamaica. When she was ten years old, Davis immigrated to the United States and New York City became home. She chose BMCC because the College offered a Linguistics major and unlike a number of other schools, the application process was streamlined.
“It was hard navigating the bureaucratic landscape of college as a first-generation college student,” said Davis. “BMCC didn’t have those barriers.”.
Davis plans to use part of her time during the fellowship to learn about careers in international affairs and diplomacy.
“I’ve always been interested in different languages, cultures and politics, so the relevance of this program to my own interests motivated me to apply,” said Davis. “There’s a lot of demand for linguistic research and applications in foreign affairs and national defense, so I jumped at the opportunity to put my linguistic knowledge to use.”
Eduardo Lebron said he applied for the fellowship because he hopes to engage in programs that are outside his academic field of study. He also said traveling to Washington D.C. will provide a chance to expand his world view.
“I am also looking forward to gaining an in-depth understanding of how government works, as this fellowship will give me the opportunity to learn directly from people who make changes in the system,” he said.
Lebron, who grew up in Harlem, chose BMCC because he believed it had the most to offer.
“BMCC has given me an environment that fosters personal growth and allowed me to develop myself as a person, as well as giving me the resources to build myself up as both a professional and an academic,” said Lebron, who landed an IT-related internship through the BMCC Office of Internships and Experiential Learning and is now planning to work his way up the career ladder.