MARIA RUIZ, COHORT 3
Maria Ruiz is a student at the City College of New York majoring in Sociology and with plans to minor in Psychology. She began her college career interested in education and teaching. While taking coursework in sociology, she fell in love with concepts and ideas that allowed her to think about intersectionality and capitalistic systems more critically. It was then that Maria shifted majors, with the goal of becoming a social worker or counselor. The importance of education is still embedded in her ideals and she would like to use her own college journey as a platform to advocate for others and unpack how oppression holds many from the proper educational opportunities. From fieldwork hours in an elementary school to tutoring college students, Maria has equipped herself with strong communication skills and developed an ethic of integration, and acceptance which she believes are key to improving equitability in educational environments.
MARIE MEDJINE ANTOINE, COHORT 3
Marie Medjine Antoine is an undergraduate junior at The City College of New York studying sociology with a minor in arts and Black studies. She is driven to curatorial work and art direction because she is passionate about developing art education in underserved communities and creating spaces for Black artists to extend their artistry beyond the ideological and material limitation imposed by systems of oppression. To this end, Medjine has curated multiple arts exhibitions and events geared towards the uplift of Black artists. As a lifelong artist herself, Medjine also regularly exhibits her own work. Medjine makes deliberate efforts to push her own artistry and create a pedagogy of expression. Her primary mediums include painting,writing and dance.