• LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative (LHI)

    Mission Statement: LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative is an inclusive platform for students, faculty, and staff foregrounding pedagogical inquiry, civic engagement and academic service learning by facilitating a year-long college-wide inquiry of a global issue as addressed by the United Nations. Through partnerships with local and global NGOs, students gain access to career opportunities and professional development workshops. Ultimately students are mentored on how to translate their classroom learning to advocate, educate, and support their communities.

    About Us: LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative (LHI) aligns with the vision and praxis of the Association for Experiential Education by offering a platform for students to engage in deep learning and accomplish the goal of education; i.e., as John Dewey (1916) notes, education becomes relevant and meaningful to students only when they understand the reasons for learning the academic content.
    LHI fosters institutional improvement by opening up multiple avenues for students across the college to become socially responsible global citizens. In addition, LHI projects attend to and support the diverse experiences of students by providing them with opportunities to learn, design, deliver, and translate their classroom knowledge and experiences through active partnership with peers, faculty, and staff at LaGuardia, as well as with members and administration of partnering non-profit organizations.

  • LHI Around the World


    The United Nations Academic Impact Program recognized LHI’s contributions by inviting LaGuardia to join the 1,400 institutions from 145 countries that make up the United Nations Academic Impact Program membership.

  • LHI Map


  • Spring 2023 Calendar of Events


    • ORIENTATION: Kick Off with CARE and LaGuardia CARES
    • Action Workshop: Digital Media
      • May 10 at 11:45AM in B219
    • Action Workshop: Educating Others
      • May 18 at 4:35PM in B307
    • LHI Annual Showcase
      • May 24 from 10AM to 3PM in E111

    Spring 2023 Faculty


    Claudette Davis (Natural Sciences)

    SCB101.7APR/7BPR (45455)/(45454)
    SCB101.980A/B (45627)/(45626)


    Dana Trusso (Humanities)

    HUP101.1295-(44004)
    HUP101.1299 (43425)
    HUP104.1351 (43987)


    Kyoko Toyama (College Discovery Program/Counseling)

    FSG14.2077 (43858)


    Sada Jaman (Business and Technology)

    BTF101.013A
    BTF101.010A


    Christopher Farley (Natural Sciences)

    SCC-101.634A/B (43362)/(43357)


    Tuli Chatterji (English)

    ENG101-0774 (45141)
    ENG 102-0823 (45082)
    ENG-102 0829 (43514)


    Rochell Isaac (English)

    ENG 101-0736 (43543)


    Rochelle Spencer (English)

    ENG 101-0795 (45128)


    Alice Baldwin-Jones (Social Sciences)

    SSA 101.1808 (44923)


    Anja Vojvodic (Social Sciences)

    SSP 200-1942 (44776)


    Rebekah Johnson (ELA)

    LIB 200-1504 (45447)


    Sandra Sze (MEC)

    MAT117.3284 (44165)


    Marina Klebanov (Natural Sciences)

    SCB101.117AB (45841)



  • Overview: LHI, LaGuardia’s Experiential Learning initiative, foregrounds the connection between classroom learning and civic engagement by offering a platform for students to engage in deep learning and accomplish the goal of education; i.e., as John Dewey (1916) notes, education becomes relevant and meaningful to students only when they understand the reasons for learning the academic content.

    LHI fosters institutional improvement by opening up multiple avenues for students across the college to come together to fulfill the missions and goals of LaGuardia Community College, i.e., becoming socially responsible global citizens. In addition, LHI projects attend to and support the diverse lived experiences of students by providing them with opportunities to design, deliver, and translate their classroom knowledge and lived experiences through an active partnership with peers, faculty, and staff at LaGuardia, as well as with members and administration of partnering non-profit organizations.




  • LHI College-Wide Committee


    Faculty


    • Tuli Chatterji (English)–Founder and Co-Chair
    • Ellen Quish (First Year Seminar)
    • Elizabeth Jardine (Library)
    • Claudette Davis (Natural Sciences)
    • Dana Trusso (Humanities) – Co-Chair
    • Sada Jaman (Business and Accounting)
    • Sandra Sze (M.C.E)

    Staff


    • Stefania Dinu (Development) – Co-Chair
    • Rocio Reynoso (ASAP Program)
    • Alice Wong (ASAP Program)
    • Yacquelin Nava (CCPD/CUNY Service Corps Program)
    • Deema Bayrakdar (Women’s Center)



  • Highlights

    Impact since 2020 to present


    • Two students—Bibi-Sakeena Khemraj (Biology) and Kayla Greene (New Media Technology) – were invited for an exclusive Q and A session with Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai.
    • Congratulations to our students Kayla Greene, Natalie Molina, Jennifer Lemos Mauldin, and Alma Rendon for being recognized by Malala Youth Action Campaign.
    • Courses involved: 62+
    • LHI sponsored the rehabilitation of a water well that provided access to clean water to 500+ villagers in the Wau State in South Sudan during COVID. The well is named after LaGuardia
    • LHI sponsored 3 educational workshops that benefited 1950+ villagers in South Sudan during COVID-19
    • Internships offered: 7
    • Volunteering opportunities: 16
    • 2 youths sponsored in a summer internship program at Make the Road;
    • LaGuardia Education students (mentor Dr. Caterina Almendral, ELA) revised lesson script maps and dialogues for Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh camps
    • Fundraised $8000 to support partnering organizations
    • The United Nations Academic Impact Program recognized LHI’s contributions by inviting LaGuardia to join the 1,400 institutions from 145 countries that make up the United Nations Academic Impact Program membership
    • LaGuardia is the first CUNY campus and first community college in the United States to become a member of the global organization, Climate Reality Project, founded by Nobel Laureate and Vice President Al Gore

    Read more


    In 2021 the United Nations Academic Impact Program (UNAI) acknowledged LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative’s contribution to global learning and global awareness by welcoming LaGuardia Community College to join 1,400 institutions from 145 countries in becoming an United Nations Academic Impact Program (UNAI) member.


    For questions contact Stefania Dinu (ASAP, sdinu@lagcc.cuny.edu) and Thomas Cleary (Library, tcleary@lagcc.cuny.edu)

    News


    In 2021 LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative launched a LaGuardia Chapter of Climate Reality Campus Corps, an Institutional Initiative of Climate Reality Project, a global organization formed by former Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore to combat climate crisis. The Chapter will be run and led by students.

    LaGuardia is the first CUNY campus and the first community college in the United States to become a Climate Reality Campus Corps Chapter.
    For more information email Kevin Mark at kmark@lagcc.cuny.edu






  • Partnership Image

  • Project Outcomes


    A. Institutional Impact:

    2020–2021


    LaGuardia became a member of the United Nations Academic Impact Program on May 20, 2021.
    Check the highlights of 2020-2021


    2019–2020


    LaGuardia sponsored the rehabilitation of a water well in the Wau State in South Sudan. The rehabilitated well provided 500+ villagers with access to clean water during COVID-19.
    LaGuardia also sponsored 3 educational workshops that benefited 1950+ villagers in South Sudan. The rehabilitated well and the educational workshops are named after LaGuardia.
    Click here to read the letters from Water for South Sudan’s Executive Director Lynn Malooly.
    To hear from Water for South Sudan’s founder Salva Dut, scroll down.


    Global Impact


    LaGuardia partnered with Global NGO Amal Alliance.

    1. LaGuardia students Pema Dolkar (International Studies), Erika Schuck (Business and Accounting), Keisha McKenzie (Business and Accounting) were awarded internship positions at Amal.
    2. A cohort of ELA students revised lesson script maps and dialogues to be appropriate for early childhood aged Rohingya refugee children in the camps in Bangladesh. (Mentors Prof. Caterina Almendral and Prof. Michele de Goeas-Malone, ELA)
    3. LaGuardia exceeded the fundraising goal to sponsor school supplies, professional development workshops, and tech support at the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. Click here to read the letter from Amal’s Founder and Executive Director, Danielle De La Fuente.

    Local Impact
    1. LaGuardia students volunteered at NY NGO, Make the Road
    2. LaGuardia sponsored the summer internship positions for two youth at Make the Road’s Summer Youth Action Program.
    3. 60 LaGuardia students volunteered at the Center for Immigrant Education and Training (ACE Program) to assist the children (Grade 1-12 of NY Public Schools) of LaGuardia student-parents with their school homework during COVID-19.



    B. Higher Educational Impact



  • Support Our Fundraising Efforts


  • Malala Fund


    Your support will sponsor Malala Fund programs that will help girls around the world go to school — from creating safe spaces for girls in northern Nigeria to training young Pakistani women as activists and providing STEM education to Syrian refugees.




    Learn more Donate today



    Amal Alliance


    LHI is excited to partner with Amal Alliance to raise funds for Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh whose education has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Amal Alliance empowers displaced children through holistic social development and educational programming around the globe.



    Learn more Donate today



    Make the Road NY


    Every year MTR hosts a Summer Youth Action Program, an internship experience, that provides students with an opportunity to gain specific skills to initiate change in their local communities and society at large. Please join LaGuardia Community College to help sponsor 2 youth for the 2021 Summer Youth Action Program and witness the change



    Learn more Donate today



    Water for South Sudan


    LaGuardia’s collaboration with the non-profit international organization Water for South Sudan helped the villagers in Wau, South Sudan, receive access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation to combat COVID-19.


    Read More


    The project was LaGuardia Humanitarian Initiative’s attempt to address global inequality, raise awareness among the LaGuardia community on the issue of global water crisis, help the LaGuardia community to reflect on its privilege of taking “water” for granted, and provide access to clean water to the villagers in South Sudan during the pandemic.

    The LHI fundraising project aimed to:

    • help the South Sudanese community combat water crisis in the region so that they would no longer have to fight against fatal water-borne diseases;
    • give access to clean water so that girls can attend schools as they would then no longer have to walk for miles to fetch water for their families, and
    • provide hygiene and sanitation to the villagers which will soon include building infrastructure such as solar power systems that would be connected to the villages.



    Learn more Donate today