March 10, 2022
On Wednesday, March 9, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) inducted the new cohort of Out in Two scholars in a virtual ceremony.
Jonathan J. Matamoros, who is Associate Director of the Academic Advisement and Transfer Center (AATC) as well as Coordinator of Out in Two, and Maria Ramirez, Assistant Coordinator for Out in Two, led the event.
Speakers included BMCC President Anthony E. Munroe, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Erwin J. Wong, Vice President for Student Affairs Marva Craig, and Out in Two alumnus José Fabrizzio Cevalles.
“Out in Two offers a unique learning experience that empowers students to become high-achieving leaders in all academic programs,” said President Munroe is a pre-recorded message screened at the zoom event. “The experience offered by Out in Two reflects BMCC’s commitment to foster global cultural awareness, serve our community and motivate our scholars to become effective and innovative leaders in our ever-changing world … Congratulations, and continue to stay Panther Strong!”
Since its inception in 1999, the President said, 90 percent of BMCC’s Out in Two scholars have transferred to prestigious institutions such as Columbia University, NYU, Vassar College and Cornell University, and many have transferred to CUNY colleges including Baruch, Hunter, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and others.
“We’re very proud of each inductee for their academic achievement thus far. I’m excited to officially welcome them into the Out in Two community,” said Director Matamoros.
“I’m happy to be welcoming all the new scholars in this new academic journey,” said Assistant Coordinator for Out in Two Maria Ramirez. “We’re excited to be working with and learning from them as well. I know they will make BMCC and Out the Out in Two community very proud.”
Out in Two scholars must meet requirements such as having been first-time freshmen when they entered BMCC, and having completed at least 12 credits in their first semester with a GPA of at least 3.0. They are awarded $1,600 per semester for their remaining three semesters, and commit to graduating from BMCC within two years from their first semester.
Another important requirement for the Out in Two scholars is to participate in community service each semester, which could include volunteering with any of a large list of BMCC community partners, from Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC to City Harvest, New York Cares and many more.
Spring 2022 inductees are from 18 academic majors
The 28 students in the Spring 2022 Out in Two cohort are:
Accounting major Revaz Menteshashvili;
Business Management majors Andrea Diaz, Federico Della Monica, Keily Arteaga Gutierrez, Henry Kummer, Sylvia Corvalan Orellana, Sebastian Peralta and Fatoumata Samake;
Childhood Education major Ifeoluwa Oluwasina;
Communication Studies majors Atenas Barquet-Toledo;
Community Health Education major Jean-Piere Labuschagne;
Computer Information Systems major Jazmin Manning Sanchez;
Computer Science majors Tina Guo and Almir Redzematovic;
Early Childhood Education major Maria Moreno;
Engineering Science majors Salvador Garciaand Kariel Smith;
Financial Management major Ludmilla De Barros Vieira;
History major Dante Clemente;
Human Services major Catherine Guitian;
Liberal Arts major Nohin Sara;
Psychology major Mohamed Elghamry;
Science majors Zion Blake, Justin Lesta and Anna Serbina;
Science for Forensics major Ashley Burton;
Theatre major Khafre Uhuru and
Video Arts and Technology major Raul Flecha Villasboa.
The BMCC Out in Two program relates to BMCC’s Strategic Plan, including but not limited to Strategic Goal 3: Integrate Career Development Throughout the Student Experience.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- In a March 9 virtual ceremony, BMCC welcomed a new cohort of 28 Out in Two scholars in 18 different majors
- To meet eligibility for the program they must meet requirements such as having been first-time freshmen when entering BMCC and having completed at least 12 credits in their first semester with a GPA of at least 3.0
- Inductees receive tuition assistance and dedicated advisors, and are expected to do community service, maintain a high GPA and graduate in two years.
