2016 Zitrin Endowment Recipients

Student Support Services, City College of New York

Graduating Senior, Zitrin Scholar, Outstanding Academic Achievement

Babatunde Alade is a graduating student earning a B.A./M.A. degree in Financial Economics and a
minor in Applied Mathematics. After graduation, he plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Applied Economics. Over
the course of his undergraduate career, Babatunde has not only devoted time to his academics, but he has
also focused on contributing to his campus and community in any way he could. He currently functions as
a peer mentor for the Student Support Services Program (SSSP) and the City College Academy for
Professional Preparation (CCAPP) program. Along with this, he has tutored for the SSSP Program in
mathematics and economics for the last two years. In the past, Babatunde served as a treasurer for the
African Student Union (ASU). He also visited the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics
(MSCM) twice a week to provide classroom support to 9th grade math teachers and tutor young students
in their math courses. In addition, he has been conducting research since his sophomore year on topics
ranging from conservation biology of endangered species to his current research on using past data to
predict future returns in financial markets. Outside of school, Babatunde enjoys playing soccer, going for
a run, and honing his cooking skills.

Zitrin Scholar, Outstanding Academic Achievement

Zunxu Tian is a senior CCNY student who is majoring in biology. He is planning to apply for medical
school after graduation. During his undergraduate years, he has been an ARC tutor for biology, chemistry,
organic chemistry, philosophy and more. He is also a peer mentor for the Division of Science program,
guiding and helping new transfer students. Moreover, he is a certified first-aid responder and participates
in the CCNY Volunteer Emergency Service Organization to be ready to give aid in the event of a medical
emergency on campus. Zunxu is currently working in professor Levitts lab studying the ultrastructure

2016 Zitrin Endowment Recipients

Student Support Services, City College of New York

correlates of axons and synapses in different circuits in mammalian primary visual cortex. He presented
his lab work in CCAPP annual lab presentation in 2015, as well as at SSSPs 2016 Scholars Showcase.
On weekends, he volunteers at New York Hospital in Queens, greeting visitors and running errands for
patients. He belongs to Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and has made the deans list in 2013
and 2014. In spring of 2015, he was one of three students who won the Bernard Levine scholarship.
During the fall, he also won the Zitrin Scholarship from SSSP. In the 2016 spring semester, he applied
and got accepted into the Division of Science Academic Scholarship donated by the family of Irving J.
Brenner. In his free time, he reads books, goes to the gym and plays basketball. He has tremendous
passion for science and is willing to devote the next four years to medical school.

Zitrin Scholar, Outstanding Academic Achievement

Jasmin Torres is a chemical engineering junior student. On campus, Jasmin holds leadership positions
as a fundraising chair for AIChE CCNY Chapter, and as an ARC Zitrin tutor in chemistry &
thermodynamics. She also does research at the Janus and Patchy Particle Laboratory, where she started
through the LSAMP program. She made the deans list in 2012, 2014 and 2015. She belongs to Omega
Chi Epsilon and Sigma Alpha Pi National Honor Society. Jasmin volunteers at both the Choir and Drama
Club of Saint Barbaras Church, and the Sea Perch Navy Challenge, a program designed to encourage
middle-schoolers to pursue STEM majors. Her long-term goal is to work on renewable energy sources
such as solar energy. In her leisure time Jasmin enjoys running, listening to music, drawing and watching
anime. She is truly passionate about her major and seeks to make a positive impact on the energy
industry.

2016 Zitrin Endowment Recipients

Student Support Services, City College of New York

Zitrin Scholar, Outstanding Academic Achievement

Zhiying Zhu is a junior majoring in biomedical engineering at CCNY. She has acquired more than 3
years of experience in biomedical and health disparity research. She has been a research intern at
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center since freshman year. In the summer of her sophomore year, she
was selected to be a REU research scholar at the University of Texas at Austin and presented her project
on mechanical properties of metastatic breast cancer cells at the 2015 Biomedical Engineering Society
(BMES) conference. Upon the completion of her summer REU experience, she returned to New York and
finished her research project on hydrogel drug delivery at CCNY. She won the best oral presentation
award at the 2015 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS)
conference. Currently a junior, she was offered a summer internship at the National Cancer Institution at
the research division of occupational and environmental epidemiology.
On campus, she is a tutor and mentor at the Student Support Services Program, where she helps and
encourages immigrant and financially-disadvantaged students to excel in academia and pursue their career
goals. In addition, she is an admission ambassador at CCNY. She leads on-campus tours and participates
in off-campus recruitment. Recently, she received her certification as a medical interpreter in Mandarin
and English. She looks forward to using her bilingual skills to help more underrepresented immigrants in
the medical field.
Being in the top 1% of her class, she received the Biomedical Engineering Award for Undergraduate
Academic Excellence and was honored to be on the Grove School of Engineering Deans List of 2015.
She was also awarded the Zemansky Introductory Physics Prize. With her communication and leadership
skills, she was accepted into the S. Jay Levy Fellowship for Future Leaders program. Ms. Zhu is a proud
recipient of the City College Admission Ambassador Scholarship as well as the Charlotte and Arthur
Zitrin Scholarship, SSSPs highest honor.
Ultimately, her career objective is to pursue a Doctor of Medicine degree with the eventuality of
becoming a surgeon who practices medicine and performs research simultaneously.

2016 Zitrin Endowment Recipients

Student Support Services, City College of New York

High Academic Achievement, Zitrin Mentor-Tutor

Mojgan Asadi is a chemistry student with a minor in biochemistry. After graduating she plans to apply
for medical school. In 2015 Mojgan won the Iranian-American Scholarship (IAAP) in Washington, D.C.
She also received the Zitrin Mentor-Tutor Award from SSSP. For the past three years she has been
working at Columbia University as a research assistant in crystallography, and she is the only
undergraduate to work in that lab. Mojgan is also a tutor in math and physics at SSSPs Academic
Resource Center. She has also volunteered at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital as a doctors assistant.
She is the only member of her family living in the United States. Her long-term goal is to become a
surgeon and devote herself to helping underprivileged patients in her home country of Iran, as well as in
other countries where medical resources are low.

Zitrin Mentor-Tutor, High Academic Achievement

Hawa Camara is a fourth-year Biomedical Engineering student with interest in Biomechanics and
Tissue Engineering. She is currently doing research in the Biomechanics Department and taking
Biomechanics and Biomaterial Interactions. Aside from engineering, Hawa enjoys sight-seeing and
walking through the High Line. She especially loves the High Line because there are always a wide
variety of people to meet and beautiful sights to enjoy and take comfort in. Hawa has also contributed her
valuable time to helping others as a tutor in psychology, chemistry, biology and other topics at SSSPs
Academic Resource Center.

2016 Zitrin Endowment Recipients

Student Support Services, City College of New York

Graduating Senior, Outstanding Academic Achievement, Zitrin Mentor-Tutor

Matt Gahler is a graduating student majoring in English. After graduation, he plans to enroll in an MFA
program to study creative writing. He holds an Associates Degree in English from Borough of Manhattan
Community College (BMCC), where he graduated with Honors. At BMCC, Matt was awarded first place
in the 2015 English Department Writing Awards. At CCNY, Matt works as a peer mentor and an ARC
writing tutor. He also volunteers for the literary magazine, Fiction. In his spare time, he enjoys reading,
writing, and napping with his cat.

Graduating Senior, Zitrin Mentor-Tutor, High Academic Achievement

Jannatul Ferdaous is a graduating chemical engineering student. After graduation, she plans on
pursuing her PhD at Columbia University in Chemical Engineering. On campus, Jannatul holds
leadership positions as a Vice President of Women in Islam (WII) and the Materials Science chapter at
CCNY, a peer mentor and an ARC tutor in mathematics. She made the deans list in 2011. She belongs to
Omega Chi Epsilon National Honor Society and Golden Key Honor Society. During her sophomore year,
she started working in the Nanoparticle Modification & Assembly Laboratory with the Kretzschmar
Group in the Chemical Engineering Department of CCNY, and has done laboratory research for a year. In
the past two summers, she completed two summer REU programs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and
University of Chicago where she worked with faculty members to conduct research in phosphor-based
LED fabrication and simulating the photo-thermal effect of mesostructured silicon on COMSOL
Multiphysics, respectively. Her long-term goal is to establish a personal care industry of her own.

2016 Zitrin Endowment Recipients

Student Support Services, City College of New York

High Academic Achievement, Zitrin Mentor-Tutor

Fathima Nashra Naushad is a junior at The City College of New York. She is majoring in Earth and
Atmospheric Sciences and minoring in Biology. She is in the Pre-Med program and wants to pursue a
career in medicine. Ms. Naushad is a Sri-Lankan Moor with a mixed background that has made her adept
in multiple languages. She is constantly involved in various activities inside and outside campus. She is a
mentor for CCAPP and a CCAPP scholar. She is also a tutor and mentor in the Student Support Services
Program and recently received the Zitrin Mentor-Tutor Award. She has had numerous volunteer
experiences and leadership skills throughout her high school years and also received the Albert Shanker
Scholarship Fund in her senior year. She has been granted the Flam Book Award from the scholarship
office of admission. Currently, she is a research associate in the Emergency Department at the Brooklyn
Hospital Center and a Community Health Ambassador in Mentoring in Medicine.

Zitrin Mentor, Special Service Award

Carme Azor is a junior at CUNY the City College of New York who is about to enter her third year of
the five-year architecture program at CCNYs Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture with a
minor in Romance Languages (French). Carme is a member of the Student Support Services Program
(SSSP) and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) chapter at CCNY. She is a Federal
Work Study student at SSSP, where she holds a Student Aide position. Carme also serves as the Secretary
of SSSPs Leadership and Engagement Initiative / Fusion Club. Last semester, she mentored four (4)

2016 Zitrin Endowment Recipients

Student Support Services, City College of New York

SSSP students and held a workshop in which she educated SSSP students on the software DegreeWorks.
Carme hopes to graduate from CCNY in May 2019, after which she plans on attending graduate school
while gaining professional experience in the Architectural field.

High Academic Achievement, Zitrin Mentor

Mayra Gonzalez is a junior majoring in bilingual childhood education with a concentration in biology. She
plans to pursue a career as an educator and make a difference in public education. Upon graduation, she plans to
teach at an elementary school while furthering her studies with a masters program in school administration. On
campus, Mayra serves as an Admission Ambassador, Secretary of The Teachers of Tomorrow, CCAPP Peer
Mentor, SSSP Peer Mentor, and CUNY Service Corps Member. Since her freshman year, Mayra has
worked in the Sophie Davis Learning Resource Center as a College Assistant. This semester, she was
awarded the Chi Upsilon Sigma, National Latin Sorority External Leadership Scholarship and the CCNY
Study Abroad Presidential Scholarship to study abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico. SSSP has been extremely helpful
for Mayra and, to give back, she mentors incoming students in the SSSP program.

Zitrin Mentor

Nidhi Rani is a junior in Electrical Engineering at The Grove School of Engineering. After graduation,
she is planning to enroll in a masters program in Electrical Engineering. As an engineering major, whose
basic foundation is physics, Nidhi has received the Zemansky Physics Prize from the physics
department at the City College of New York. As high school student, Nidhi has also graduated as

2016 Zitrin Endowment Recipients

Student Support Services, City College of New York

Salutatorian and has been part of the National Junior Honor Society. On campus, Nidhi holds leadership
positions such as peer mentor at the Student Support Services Program. She also has a work-study
position with the City College Office of Undergrad Affairs for the Office of Engineering. This past
semester, Nidhi has completed an internship with Soterix Medical, where she received experience in
manufacturing of medical devices and there electrical components. Moreover, she has also performed
research on prismatic louvers. Nidhi has also been a marketing committee member for a club known
as SASE (Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers). As a marketing committee member, she has
organized and participated in club activities and fundraising events. Nidhi is looking forward to new
ventures after graduation.

Zitrin Mentor, Outstanding Academic Achievement

Christine Rozario is a graduating Biology student with a minor in Psychology. She is a member of the
Golden Key National Honor Society. On campus, Christine has worked as an SSSP peer mentor as well
as a receptionist in the Seek office. She is also an active member of VES. Currently, she volunteers and
shadows the Physician Assistants in the Emergency Department at New York Presbyterian - Allen
Hospital. After graduation, she plans on enrolling in a graduate level Physician Assistant program. Her
long term goal is to work as a Dermatology PA in New York City.

2016 Zitrin Endowment Recipients

Student Support Services, City College of New York

Zitrin Mentor, Special Service Award

Assata M. Sangary, whose roots are Guinean and Liberianis, is a native Sierra Leonean. Ms. Sangary
is an administrative assistant at the new franchise Tea-Out-Stress, a Co-founder/Chairperson of nonprofit organization ETC (Expanding the Circle) Inc., a Program Coordinator at NGO New York
Peace Coalition Inc., a former scholar of the non-profit organization Publicolor Inc., an office
assistant at the City College Student Support Services Program, a former team leader at SSSP Mentoring
program City College of New York, Co-creator of the Leadership Engagement Initiative (LEI),
among other things. She graduated from Borough of Manhattan Community College in 2014 and is
currently studying for her double Bachelors of Arts at City College in International Relations and General
Psychology. See www.expandingthecircle.org

Graduating Senior, Zitrin Mentor, High Academic Achievement

Nino Tinikashvili is a graduating sociology student with a minor in public policy and affairs. After
graduation, she plans on working in the public health field before enrolling in a Masters program for
Health Policy. On campus, Nino holds leadership positions as Vice President of the Sociolights club,
and as a peer mentor for SSSP. She made the deans list in 2014 and 2015. Nino volunteers at high
schools throughout New York City, teaching health education and decision making skills through Peer
Health Exchange. During her senior year, Nino has been serving as a Partners for Change Health
Justice Fellow at the Colin Powell School, where she has completed research for a policy brief on the
relationship between income and health, as well as an internship at the New York Immigration Coalition
working on health issues that affect the immigrant community in New York State. This past semester she
has been interning at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in the
Intergovernmental Affairs Office, advocating for the citys public health agenda with local, state,
and federal officials. Her favorite college experience has been studying abroad in Argentina. Ninos
long-term goal is to become an elected official in New York City and create policies that help vulnerable
New Yorkers. In her free time, Nino loves to travel and visit new destinations. She is excited to
experience new challenges post-graduation!