1LaGuardia – LaGuardia Community College

We Are 1 LaGuardia!

LaGuardia Community College is made up of a diverse body of students, faculty and staff. Each person has their own history and background that feeds into our dynamic working and learning environment. Our college promotes opportunity and learning experiences that are equitable, inclusive and diverse – We are 1 LaGuardia!

On March 14, 2023 LaGuardia Community College hosted a panel discussion featuring community leaders who share their personal stories and promoted the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Special guests included:

Joyce Moy, Former Executive Director, CUNY’s Asian American/Asian Research Institute
Rabbi Mira Rivera, Rabbi-in-Residence at the Jewish Community Center in Harlem and the LUNAR Collective
Dr. Kevin D. Jordan, Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Excellence and Chief Diversity Officer, Farmingdale State College

Artwork and Video Competition

As one community, LaGuardia celebrates and nurtures the free expression of each person’s identity, need, and talents. Have you ever wondered who you are? It’s a philosophical question that we’ve all asked ourselves at some time or another. It involves thinking about our own identity and its meaning. LaGuardia hosted an artwork and video competition inviting students, faculty, and staff to answer the question: “Who Are You?” as part of a Campus Climate Project, funded through the City University of New York. This competition gave participants the opportunity to express themselves through art and video in the spirit of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion on the LaGuardia campus.

Submissions were accepted from March 6, 2023–April 7, 2023. Winners will be announced in May. For more information contact Wendy Nicholson, Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, at wnicholson@lagcc.cuny.edu or (718) 482-5140.

TOP WINNER
Tahaliya Thompson
LaGuardia Student

My artwork is about my identity as a neurodivergent black woman in a neurotypical society. It’s also about the stigma and the judgements that I sadly receive from NT people on a daily basis, when I choose to not mask my ND identity, stay true to myself and advocate for myself when I need accommodations.

Kadesha Riddle
LaGuardia Staff

My artwork includes two components. I utilized butterflies because of what they symbolize – growth, endurance, transformation, and evolvement — all of which are important to embracing and cultivating diversity, equity, and inclusion. Butterflies are not only aesthetic, but they are also diverse and indicative of peace, and freedom, and I believe that we, as people, can learn a lot from them and how they transform. Transformation essentially goes hand in hand with diversity. For many years, I focused on the bad aspects that I thought about myself. I wouldn’t accept a compliment from a stranger — and I suffered from extreme anxiety. It was only when I began to figure out who I am that I began to flourish and grow. Therefore, I decided to add labels with positive traits about myself. I realized that low self-esteem is a waste of time and energy. Now, when I ask myself, “Who Am I?’, I can easily say affirming things that benefit my sense of self. When you know who you are, you are freeing yourself from the pressure of other people’s expectations, stereotypes, and labels.

Princess Joy B Decano
LaGuardia Student

“I am who Jesus says I am” came from the concept of His word to his disciples. He said “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), and I identify as one of His light of the world, and not the only one. Though, the message doesn’t end there, the book also mentioned, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16). I believe that we all have a purpose given by our Creator and upon my meditation in pondering about what to paint, I came across a thought of lighting up a candle and remembered this verse from the Bible. My mother once told me a lesson to be learned about the power of just one lit candle when I was little. She said, “darkness isn’t found in light, but light can and will always fill in the darkness.” With that said, I thought that it would relate and hoped that it would inspire others to let their light shine. Not for their own selfish agendas, but for the greater good of all people and things. I also hope to share this light with others so that they may be motivated to continue pursuing their careers while devoting themselves to become a better person to create a positive impact to the world.

Isabela Rivera Riascos
LaGuardia Student

Being Korean-born, making it in America, to me, meant living in NYC. I’m so excited to be here. When LAGCC looks me up by my Student ID number, they see I’m a new student, returning to school after time away, pursing Mechanical Engineering. I’m still learning who I am, but I know that learning entails not just being able to provide the correct answer; but being content with asking the right questions themselves. I’m appreciative LAGCC can be that space where I can be unabashedly curious while earning a degree, one question at a time.

Jamila Khanam Chowdury
LaGuardia Student

How does an immature person think about her life? She dreams, but in a reality that doesn’t exists. She tries her best, but others see as failures everywhere. What does happiness or success mean actually? She wonders! She has many questions but with no answer!

Violeta Sabovic and Lina Londono
LaGuardia Students

The title of our work is “The Reach.” As Nutrition & Culinary Management students and officers of the Nutrition & Culinary Management Club, we have created a piece based on topics that we feel represent us. These topics are nutrition, food justice, equity, diversity, and sustainability. “The Reach” reminds us that food is a fundamental human right. However, many people worldwide do not receive a nutritional meal which goes against their rights as human beings. Nutrition is essential as it provides the necessary nutrients required to survive. Sadly, many people, regardless of ethnicity and social status, do not have access to the adequate foods needed for a balanced meal. “The Reach” shows us that those with higher socioeconomic status have a greater capacity to achieve their nutritional needs efficiently. Meanwhile, low-income people must work harder to acquire these exact needs. It is why hosting an event such as the Hunger Banquet helps spread the significance of food inequality by briefly allowing students to experience the different socioeconomic statuses and sampling what their meals would look like in high, middle, and lower classes. We used grains and beans for our artwork since food plays a crucial role in our program.

Francisco Colon
LaGuardia Staff, Communications and External Affairs

Working for an institution that serves a large population of newcomers to NYC can many times be self-healing. While we perform our everyday jobs, we can often reflect on how our parents and ourselves took on the challenge of finding some success in the USA through school or language skills. We decided to tell our immigrant story as it is something that has shaped our personas and character as we have spent most of our lives living with the trauma, hardship, and struggles of growing up in a foreign land. We concentrated on the things that made us who we are today, the meanings of our similarities, and decided on a poem to tell our stories. Although we know many people across the country (and even the world) can relate to the immigrant narrative, we have found that being compassionate and understanding another person’s background – as well as relating to it – helps us communicate and perform better as friends and in the workplace. Even when it comes to relating to those who are not immigrants, we think a good way to approach people around us is by remembering what makes us alike rather than what separates us.

Michael Hernandez and Xavier Correa
LaGuardia Students

My friend Xavier and I are both freshmen at Laguardia this year and wanted to capture what our day-to-day life is like as students. We included shots of things we do before, during, and after classes. As freshmen, we’ve both had our fair share of struggling, however, we found that LaGuardia has a lot of resources and cool people once you get to discover them. We tried to capture that with some of our shots and dialogue throughout the video. As a Mechanical Engineer student, Xavier told me that he spends a lot of time in the library and at his computer doing work. So we tried to include a couple of shots. For me, one of the hardest things I had to get used to was waking up at 5 or 6 each morning to get here from the Bronx. That’s why we included that shot of me waking up in the morning. For our dialogue, we wanted to highlight the tight community that LaGuardia has shown to us.

Elisabeth Allan
LaGuardia Student

Being Korean-born, making it in America, to me, meant living in NYC. I’m so excited to be here. When LAGCC looks me up by my Student ID number, they see I’m a new student, returning to school after time away, pursing Mechanical Engineering. I’m still learning who I am, but I know that learning entails not just being able to provide the correct answer; but being content with asking the right questions themselves. I’m appreciative LAGCC can be that space where I can be unabashedly curious while earning a degree, one question at a time.

Juan Medina-Verdugo
LaGuardia Student

In this video, I wanted to share my unique life journey with the audience and let them get to know me better. I spoke from the heart, delving into my past experiences, beliefs, and values. With honesty and vulnerability, I opened up about the challenges and obstacles I faced along the way and the lessons I learned from them. I shared my personal struggles, hopes, and aspirations, revealing my deepest desires and fears. Through my video, I aimed to connect with viewers on a deeper level and create a sense of understanding and empathy. My video is a testament to the power of human resilience and the importance of being true to oneself. I believe that by sharing my story, I can help others feel less alone and inspire them to pursue their own dreams and passions.

Salina Tamang
LaGuardia Student

When asked, “Who are you?” seems to be a simple question. But, when you think about it, it perplexes you. The same goes for me. The first thing that comes to me is my name, which isn’t just mine, and I know I’m more than simply my name. In this short film, I’ve done my best to show who I am in the form of a poem. In the end, I hope you know who I am.

Contest Rules and Submission Guidelines

ARTWORK Submissions

Artwork submissions must answer the question: “Who Are You?”
Artwork submissions must be created on a 9×12 paper/canvas. NOTE: Paper/canvas and starter kits with crayons are provided by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and can be picked up at the 5th Floor of the E-Building, Room E-513D.
Artwork submissions can be created by an individual or a team. Only LaGuardia students, faculty and staff are eligible to participate.
Artwork submissions can be created using a wide range of materials that include, but are not limited to: photographs, crayons, markers, paint, stickers, food, glitter and more.
Students, faculty and staff can only participate in ONE submission (either individual or team).
Artwork submissions CANNOT include copyright materials, logos, or brands. Make your work original!
Artwork submissions CANNOT include any obscene, indecent, or profane language.
Artwork must include completed submission form that provides a brief description of the artwork and approach.

VIDEO Submissions

Video submissions must answer the question: “Who Are You?”
Video submissions can be created using digital video cameras and/or cell phones (using a landscape layout).
Video submissions can include voice-overs and non-copyright/opensource music only.
Video submissions cannot exceed one-minute. Videos exceeding 1-minute will be disqualified.
Students, faculty and staff can only participate in ONE submission (either individual or team).
Video submissions CANNOT include copyright materials, logos, or brands. Make your work original!
Video submissions CANNOT include any obscene, indecent, or profane language.
Videos must include completed submission form that provides a brief description of the artwork and approach.
Video dimensions should be 1920px x1080px for full view.

Eligibility and Deadlines

PLEASE NOTE: All artwork and video submissions will become the property of LaGuardia Community College and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and will be displayed on the DEI website: https://www.laguardia.edu/dei/.

Submissions will be judged by a panel of LaGuardia, faculty, staff and students; based on aesthetic merit and how well each submission reflects the DEI theme and answers the question: “Who Are You?”