Ambassadorial Grant – Honors Blog

Honors Ambassadorial Grant: American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring Conference in San Diego

Author: Sarah Rancic, senior

Thanks to the generous financial support of the Honors Ambassadorial Grant, I had the opportunity to represent the Honors Program at Fordham College Rose Hill at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring Conference 2025 in San Diego, California. At ACS, I attended an undergraduate poster session in the field of Chemical Education alongside students selected from all across North America. During the poster session, I presented my original research investigating the molecular determinants of clamp binding in Bacillus subtilis conducted during my time as a research assistant in the Fordham University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. My research provides insight into mechanisms related to a novel class of antibiotic drugs, known as DnaN inhibitors, which can be used to combat the rising prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. More information on my presentation can be found here.

In addition to presenting, I attended chemical industry events featuring keynote speakers who provided valuable insights into emerging chemical research developments and cutting-edge equipment. I also had the opportunity to network with professional chemists and representatives from major chemical companies to learn about the wide array of career paths in chemistry. Furthermore, I connected with fellow students who shared similar interests and discussed our academic and research backgrounds and how we might apply our experiences to our future
endeavors.

I am incredibly grateful to the Honors Program for making my experience at the ACS Conference possible. As a senior exploring career options, it was especially meaningful to gain perspectives on life after graduation as a chemist. Moreover, having the opportunity to present my own research to a large and diverse audience was tremendously thrilling and fulfilling. I strongly encourage other Honors students to utilize the resources offered by the Honors Program, like the Honors Ambassadorial Grant, to foster their intellectual growth and support their professional development.

Honors Ambassadorial Grant: NYPL Bronx Library Center’s Latinx and Puerto Rican Heritage Center

Author: Hannah Darnell, junior

With help from the Honors Ambassadorial Grant, I was able to finance and install an exhibition about a Puerto Rican lacemaking process called mundillo at the NYPL Bronx Library Center’s Latinx and Puerto Rican Heritage Center. This collection of photographs, interview excerpts, and lace products were sourced during an ethnographic research trip I completed last summer in the San Juan and Moca areas of Puerto Rico. I studied how mundillo can be considered a source for the cultivation of cultural and community resilience after Hurricane María in 2017. This exhibition, Little World, honors the work and perspectives of the lace artisans I interviewed while in Puerto Rico, uniting bilingual text and visual art in a private room inside the library.

Curating this exhibition provided me with experience in artifact collection, exhibition design, visual communication, and art installation techniques. I have been considering pursuing a career in museum curation and this project has allowed me to engage in every stage of this process: from learning how to apply for a research grant to installing materials and hosting a gallery opening. It was incredibly gratifying to present my work professionally and publicly after a year- long process of academic research and logistical coordination of exhibition materials. It was also nice to host my friends, family, and professors at a community event, and to see in the visitor log that Bronx residents who are native to the small town of Moca (most well-known for its mundillo production) came to the exhibit and appreciated my work.

While I was in Puerto Rico last summer, many of the mundillo artisans asked me to spread the word about this form of art and its importance to their small community. With the help of the Honors program’s grant, I have been able to do so by bringing their stories and art to the Bronx community and that of Fordham University. I hope that other students will take the opportunity to engage in events and projects outside of Fordham and know that there will likely be support from the Honors Program along the way!

Ambassadorial Grant: Senior Internship at Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice

Author: Olivia Griffin, senior

Thanks to the generous support of the Honors Program Ambassadorial Grant, I was able to complete my senior Urban Studies community-based internship at Youth Ministries for Peace & Justice (YMPJ) this fall. The Ambassadorial Grant funded my transportation costs between campus and YMPJ’s headquarters, located in the South Bronx, and enabled my senior thesis research, examining development on the Bronx River.

My primary work included a Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) study for the Southern Boulevard neighborhood, a Cass Gilbert Amtrack Station Development project, and the Soundview Economic Hub project. These various projects align with YMPJ’s commitment to helping local communities grow, develop, and thrive through remediation campaigns that turn neglected areas into vibrant public spaces. I was able to aid in the coordination and management of these federal and state-funded projects, exceeding $500,000, as well as planning community stakeholder engagement, and transforming the community development website pages through design and standardized content. Additionally, I met with various community leaders and experts in urban planning through weekly meetings and the Steering Committee I served on.

YMPJ’s mission is to rebuild the neighborhoods of Bronx River and Soundview/Bruckner Boulevard in the South Bronx by preparing community members to become prophetic voices for peace and justice. This mission is accomplished through political education, spiritual formation, and youth and community development and organizing. I had the pleasure of working alongside the Community Development team, including Fordham alumnus, Mr. Brosco, and the executive director, Mr. Shuffler. Their leadership was transformative in developing my knowledge and skills in community development and non-profit work.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to support YMPJ’s important mission and to further my career in urban planning & development. This experience was made possible by the Honors Program administration and their generosity. I look forward to applying my knowledge from YMPJ in both my professional and academic pursuits, thanks to the Ambassadorial Grant.

Ambassadorial Grant: Junior Internship at Part of the Solution

Author: Julia del Pino, junior

For the fall 2024 semester, I worked with Part of the Solution (POTS) as a Legal Intern. As my first exposure to a legal setting, this opportunity was invaluable. I joined the attorneys in the Bronx Housing Courts various times, where I interacted with clients and observed the attorneys. When I first began, I was shocked to hear that many clients had arrears amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.

However, I observed that, at times, clients did not have accurate and sufficient public support from programs such as FHEPS, cityFHEPS, and Section 8. Other times unforeseen extenuating circumstances resulted in high arrears. It was a very eye-opening and interesting experience to navigate these situations. When observing the attorneys in the Court House, I learned how they would relentlessly advocate for their clients to obtain services and improve their homes if needed.

When in the office, I helped organize, complete, and supplementary write applications explaining the situations leading the clients to fall behind on their rent. I also helped POTS create their annual report for grant organizations to track the impact and sustainability of their support.

Lastly, I had the opportunity to observe the other social services offered at their other office on Webster Avenue. I spent a day volunteering at the kitchen and another day with the social workers. The organization certainly has a large undertaking, but the gratitude and positive outlook of many people are contagious.

I enjoyed interacting with the clients and the opportunity to learn from the attorneys’ extensive experience in the field, their motivations, and educational backgrounds. I am so grateful for the Fordham Honors Program Ambassadorial Grant. It is one of the many ways in which the Honors Program supports and
encourages students’ endeavors.

Attending the Hispanic Heritage Foundation Summit in D.C.

Author: Andy Diaz, sophomore

With the financial support of the Honors Program Ambassadorial Grant, I had the opportunity to attend the Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s Latinos on the Fast Track (LOFT) Summit in Washington D.C. While I was there, I had the incredible opportunity to attend a panel of prominent Latinx White House leaders and visit the White House. Following that panel, I and 50 other students participated in a day of Open Sessions: students proposed topics of discussions they wanted to lead and others were able to join. I also had the opportunity to network with White House officials as well as employees within the financial and national security realm. To cap it off, students were invited to attend the annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration and Award show that took place in the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts.

The conference provided a perfect opportunity for me to explore and learn about my areas of interest: political science and marketing. Hearing from Latinx leaders and learning about their experiences working in our nation’s capital was both inspiring and motivating. I was moved by their stories of coming from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds and making their ways to D.C. where they now head offices and advise the President. Overall, the conference was the experience of a lifetime at which I was able to connect with other Latinx students, network with professionals, and learn from peers and leaders about their fields of interest and work.

I am so grateful to the Honors Program for encouraging me every step of the way and for assisting me in lodging in D.C. for the duration of the conference. I encourage other Honors students to seek opportunities that foster their professional and intellectual growth; the Ambassadorial Grant can open so many doors.

An Engineer’s Praise of A Liberal Arts Education

Author: Daniel Joseph, senior

With the help of the Honors Program Ambassadorial Grant, I was lucky enough to attend the national conference of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers last October, along with 8,000 other undergraduates from around the country. While I was there, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend talks and workshops by industry professionals and leaders, network directly with hiring managers and engineers, and meet other incredibly bright students. To cap it off, the career fair featured almost 300 companies from around the country seeking to snap up young and developing talent for both internships and new-graduate positions.

To be honest, I was a bit intimidated. The students I talked to were aiming at aeronautics internships at Boeing and SpaceX, or software engineering positions at Google and Microsoft. I began to think that knowing I’d want to pursue Computer Science, choosing a liberal arts school like Fordham might have been a mistake.

However, my anxieties were unfounded. In an impromptu interview with a hiring manager, it was my time and experience in the Honors Program that differentiated me from the thousands of other qualified candidates at the conference. My interviewer had also attended a university with a Great Books program (they began with The Iliad, too) and we mostly talked about everything other than software engineering. Even Larry Stempel’s music history class came in handy — as he always promised us it would. She expressed that she was thrilled to have found a candidate that both knew what they were talking about technically, but could also hold a conversation and was obviously excited about continual learning and approaching situations from a variety of perspectives. I cannot help but credit the Honors Program for honing those latter aspects.

I am incredibly grateful to the Honors Program both for helping me to get to the conference all the way across the country, and for helping mold me into a person that could stand out from the crowd.

Honors Students Attend Humanism and Self-Respect Conference

Authors: Sophie Cote and Charlotta Lebedenko, sophomores

Thanks to the Ambassadorial Grant opportunity offered by the Honors Program, we were able to attend the Humanism and Self-Respect conference hosted by Periyar International and the American Humanist Association in Maryland. Humanism is an international movement dedicated to promoting secular values and the pursuit of truth through scientific empiricism. Our passion for humanism was largely inspired by the conversations and lively debates we had in many of our Honors classes, such as Ancient Philosophy with Professor Miller and Medieval Theology with Professor Davis, where we were able to hear a diverse selection of views on topics such as ethics and religion. The chance to meet speakers from around the world dedicated to humanism provided us with the invaluable opportunity to learn and network. This conference, which placed a significant emphasis on Periyar and the humanist “Self-Respect Movement” in India, expanded our previously narrow views on humanism in the world. We had not imagined that there would be such strong, established communities of humanists in other countries such as India, and having the opportunity to meet members of that community gave us new perspectives that we will implement into our own secular experience and journey at Fordham. In addition to spreading awareness about the Periyar movement in India, the conference hosted passionate speakers from the American Humanist Association and a group of secular activists and authors from Germany. We had many opportunities to speak with these prominent members of the humanist community, some of whom actually live in New York, which has provided us with a strong, lasting network of secular leaders throughout the world.

Ryan Bell of Secular Student Alliance with Honors students Charlotta and Sophie.

We are currently in the final steps of starting a chapter of the Secular Student Alliance here at Fordham. This organization provides a community for atheists and agnostic students on college campuses. We feel that the presence of a secular club on campus, especially at this religiously-affiliated school, will provide a safe space for students who may feel that their religious views are a minority on this campus as well as allow students who may be questioning their religious identities to explore free of judgment. There is a pressing urgency to shatter the stigmas surrounding the truly harmless titles of “atheist” or “humanist,” and we believe it is beyond important that secular students have a safe space and a platform to explore their own views just like any religious student would have access to. At the conference, we were able to meet Ryan Bell, the National Organizing Manager of Secular Student Alliance. He is the creator of the podcast “Letting Go of God” and is an author at the Huffington Post. Ryan gave us valuable advice on how to make our new chapter engaging and meaningful on a campus that desperately needs it.

As students deeply invested in the humanist cause, this conference provided an opportunity for us to meet other humanists and learn about the different ways to get involved in secular issues. We will apply the lessons we learned at this conference to our roles as leaders of the Secular Student Alliance at Fordham.

From Honors Music Major to Budding Concert Conductor

Author: Kristina Lazdauskas, junior

With support from the Honors Program, I participated in the Choral Institute at Oxford this summer. The ten-day program consisted of lectures on the philosophy of music-making, masterclasses in conducting technique and culminated with a final performance in which I conducted in concert for the first time.

I applied for the Ambassadorial Grant to help me with this opportunity because I knew that it would prepare me to apply for a graduate degree in Choral Conducting in the future. My studies as a music major have focused primarily on music history and theory rather than performance. I knew that the practical experience I would gain at the Choral Institute at Oxford would complement the academic side of my major and help me put what I’ve learned in my classes at Fordham into practice.

The immersive nature of this institute was invaluable. Though I arrived having had virtually no experience, conducting daily in the masterclasses and receiving real-time critiques from conductors Dr. James Jordan and Dr. James Whitbourn helped me to improve my technique and musicianship quickly. Daily lectures on conducting delivered by music faculty from Westminster Choir College and Oxford University also helped me to gain a deeper appreciation for the philosophy behind conducting. These talks encouraged me to think critically about the way in which the conductor’s performance is influenced by their self-perception, which aligned well with the ideas about the self which I had begun exploring in my Honors Early Modern Philosophy course and which I continue to explore in the Honors’ Religion in the Modern World course. Now, I am expanding on this question of the role of the artist’s self and its impact on conducting in an independent study, and it’s one that I hope to investigate further in my research as I progress through the major.

Studying in Oxford also afforded me opportunities I couldn’t have had elsewhere. I was able to sing mass with the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church Cathedral, view original medieval manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, and observe featured conductors in rehearsals with the Institute’s choir-in-residence. Furthermore, the program opened up to me an amazing support network of fellow conductors and singers equally interested in fostering human connection through the collaborative art of choral singing.

My experience at the Choral Institute at Oxford has been a shaping force in my studies. I’ve narrowed my research interests to the history and philosophy of conducting, and I am more confident now that I want to pursue choral conducting in graduate school. I am extremely grateful to the Honors Program for supporting me in this endeavor.

Attending the Global Climate Action Summit as a Student Reporter

Author: Robin Happel, senior

Jane Goodall and Alec Baldwin in conversation at the Global Climate Action Summit.

Thanks to a generous travel grant from the Fordham Honors Program, I was recently able to attend the Global Climate Action Summit as a student Reporting Fellow for the UN Association. UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently called climate change the defining issue of our time, and this summit was a crucial step towards advancing the goals of the Paris Agreement, the Green Climate Fund, and other UN initiatives related to Sustainable Development Goal 13.

As a pre-law student specializing in environmental policy, attending this summit was a dream come true, and it was so amazing to see Jane Goodall, Al Gore, John Kerry, and other luminaries of the environmental movement speak in person, as well as hear from diplomats from the Antarctic to the Amazon. Interviewing Fordham alumna Queen Quet Marquetta L Goodwine and other inspiring diplomats for GenUN was such a great reminder of why there are still so many reasons to be optimistic.

As a Southerner with family and friends in the path of Hurricane Florence, it’s easy to be cynical, but this summit was such a great reminder that there are people all over the world working to turn back the clock and stop catastrophic climate change. I feel very fortunate to be have been able to represent the Fordham Honors Program at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, and I hope that my experience inspires other students to get more involved with United Nations environmental initiatives.

Robin (second from left) and colleagues at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, CA.

Ambassadorial Grant: “Venezuela: Charting the Future”

Author: Santiago Sordo Palacios

With support from the Honors Program, I recently attended a symposium at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service; titled “Venezuela: Charting the Future,” the symposium brought together scholars, policymakers, business leaders, and civil leaders to discuss how the United States, Latin America, and the global community can facilitate economic growth, social peace, and political stability in Venezuela.

I applied for an Honors Ambassadorial Grant to attend the symposium to support work on my senior thesis, which uses a game theoretical model of political survival to understand why chavismo (the political movement founded by former president Hugo Chavez) has survived in Venezuela since 1999. The purpose of my project is to identify the equilibrium levels of taxation, private goods, and public goods that Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro have selected throughout their presidencies.

As a mathematics and economics joint major, I was prepared to work with the model. However, I did not have the necessary background in Latin American economics and political theory to apply it. Fortunately, at the symposium, I learned about potential data sources, key economic and political developments in Venezuela, and I networked with the panelists.

I thank the Honors Program for awarding me an Ambassadorial Grant and Dr. Barbara Stolz, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, whom I met through the Honors Alumni Network, for inviting me to attend the symposium.