Student-athlete Jana Ciric ’20 has cultivated quite the broad range of interests and accomplishments. She’s an active member of Pace’s swimming and diving team, as well as a computer science major with a passion for mathematics and programming. That was what initially drew her to Seidenberg. “I have been really influenced by the positive effect technology has had on humanity in the recent years,” she told us. “When it came to making a decision about what I [would] be majoring in, I knew I wanted to be a part of [that].”

On the athletics side, Ciric is in it to win it—literally. She’s earned the Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Sport Excellence Award two years running, and she broke six—count ‘em, six!—of Pace’s swimming records. “Ever since I was a little kid, I loved being in the water,” Ciric explained. “Thanks to swimming, I met my best friends, visited many different places, and even came to the US. These reasons always remind me why I love being a swimmer and why I am always grateful to have chosen this sport. It has presented me with many great opportunities and taught me many valuable skills like time management, incredible work ethic, determination, and perseverance.” Ciric’s family, she says, who live 5,000 miles away in Niš, Serbia, “are always cheering me on and following all of my meets.”

As an international student, Ciric has cultivated a broad perspective that’s only strengthened by her impressive professional background. She’s interned at a number of different industries in a variety of different locations; from a mobile app developer in Serbia to a financial firm in Connecticut to working with EDI (electronic data interchange) in nearby Purchase, NY. Not to mention the fact that she’s also an intern at Seidenberg, as well as a tutor at Pace’s Learning Assistance Center. “All of these experiences taught me different skills, embedded different values within me, and made me grow as a person,” Ciric explained.

She had some important advice for anyone looking to land a new opportunity, too. “Take on challenges. If I hadn’t gone out of my comfort zone and accepted that first internship, I am not sure I would have had two more after that.” Hear, hear!

In her work as a mathematics tutor, Ciric has shown a demonstrated interest in teaching—something that started at home. “Both of my parents are professors, so I guess [that] passion for teaching runs in my family. I love helping out other people and tutoring enables me to do that.” Her approach to assisting her peers with their work is a seemingly simple one, and yet, can be applied to any leadership role. “In order to adjust to the learning abilities of each student, I first try to get to know [them],” Ciric told us. “During the session, I like to create a motivating environment for learning and to be flexible. These strategies assist me and the student [in] having a great, mutually beneficial relationship! They also enable students to become independent learners.”

When asked about what fun facts most people might not know about her, Ciric said she writes her signature using the Cyrillic alphabet and, like all of us, is an avid binge-watcher. “I have [seen] The Officeseven times,” she explained. Big mood tho.

It’s clear Ciric’s dedication and passion for so many subject areas will serve her well in the future. We’re excited to hear about all the records she continues to break!

Like any experienced professional in the film industry, Will Giuseffi ’20 wears many hats. He’s a digital cinema and filmmaking major, having worked on last year’s award-winning PaceDocs film, Hawaii: Living on the Edge in Paradise. That’s what initially drew him to the Pleasantville Campus. “I chose Pace because not only does it have a spectacular film program, but also [for] the social environment. Pace has many options such as school clubs, a close-knit community, and [access] to everything that’s around Pleasantville and White Plains.”

Originally, however, Giuseffi had his sights set on majoring in business. “Math was my strong suit,” he said, a strength that would help him a great deal when he switched to the arts. “The industry usually puts the priority of money in front of creative decisions, [and] that makes business a very important and knowledgeable skill for filmmaking.” But it was his passion for “creating something from the end of a whole process” that truly set him on the path toward a career in film. He has a love of assembling snippets of video and reshaping them into a cohesive whole—a very useful skill, and one that has served him well in his time at Pace.

That passion came in handy when Giuseffi worked as an editor on PaceDocs’ latest documentary film, Hawaii: Living on the Edge in Paradise. Led by Professor Maria Luskay, EdD, PaceDocs is an award-winning Media, Communications, and Visual Arts production course that allows students to film and produce their own documentary on location. “The experience is mind-blowing,” Giuseffi enthused. “Every student had a part in almost every roll that went into this film.”

It was quite the demanding project, considering Giuseffi was also juggling a full load of 18 credits that semester. And yet, he had nothing but positive things to say about the experience. “[It] was an eye-opener into a completely different culture. [We] interacted not only with the land but the people as well, and it gave an emotional [depth] to the meaning of paradise in Hawaii.” He told us, “That experience has shaped my expectations for the hard work ahead in my field of study, including all the fun that it rewards.”

Not one to sit idle, Giuseffi also went on to land one of Pace’s most coveted summer-funded internships at Arc Stages, a theater arts center in the Pleasantville area, and it brought up old memories of when he attended a theater camp as a child. “Coming back years later on the other side of things, I got to experience more of what actually goes into planning and staging a play,” Giuseffi explained. He assisted with the production of six different shows across six groups of actors—quite the feat for a summer season!

“Seeing how things are run from the administrative end of a theater camp has given me more respect for the craft as well as more insight [into] how plays are really put together,” he said. And his team certainly appreciated his help—they started calling him “Will-tern,” a fun little nickname that speaks to the home theaters can so often become.

It’s that sense of home and belonging that Giuseffi struggled to find in the early days of his college career, however. “I never really found a group of students at Pace that I felt close to,” he confessed, speaking specifically about his sophomore year. Then he met Mitchell Lew ’19, the past president of Alpha Chi Epsilon (AXE). “I never wanted to join Greek Life when I entered college,” Giuseffi explained, and yet, he agreed to meet the fraternity at Lew’s urging. “I got to know all of the brothers and spent a few nights spending time with them. I pledged [that] same semester. My only regret is that I didn’t meet them sooner.”

Giuseffi also trains in martial arts, not to mention he’s an Eagle Scout—two activities that pair well, in his opinion. “[It] helps me grow my leadership abilities,” he said. We’re excited to see what he works on next!

Kamari Stewart ’19 has worked for some heavy-hitting companies. She’s interned for the likes of Viacom, the Brennan Center for Justice, and The New Food Economy; acted as the managing editor for Pace’s Spoon University chapter; written for multiple digital publications; and most recently, landed a coveted internship at NBCUniversal for the TODAY show.

Before she began taking the Pleasantville Campus by storm, though, Stewart was unsure about whether she would attend Pace. It took a conversation with then-Dean of the Pforzheimer Honors College Susan Dinan, PhD, at a PaceBound event to really solidify Stewart’s decision. “She told me, ‘You’re not going to make a bad decision, you just have to make the best one.’ That is something that has stood with me for the past four years. She wasn’t trying to convince me that all of these others schools were bad—just to do what was right for me.”

What’s right for Stewart is also, as it turns out, writing. “For as long as I can remember, writing has been something that I’d loved to do,” she told us, explaining that her involvement in her high school student newspaper was what initially sparked her interest in journalism. “I chose digital journalism [as a major] because I like that it targets the digital aspect. We are in a digital world and it’s important to know how to adjust to that.” Not one to miss an opportunity, Stewart also set her sights on double minoring in politics and public relations. “I’m a person who likes to have as many options as possible,” she said. She felt that both areas of study have helped her navigate spaces in both communications and the news cycle.

And Stewart is all about research. Her recent feature for The New Food Economy regarding the rate of Amazon reviews in relation to food that’s too sweet was particularly compelling—and not to mention timely. “[It] was my second summer with them and it was even better than the last,” Stewart enthused. As their editorial intern, she hand a hand in a variety of tasks; from social media to the newsletter to feature writing and editing. “It’s a small newsroom so there’s a lot of moving parts [and] several pieces in rotation to be produced. My favorite task [was] getting to write for them. The editor who I was working with, Karen Stabiner, [was] just amazing. I was so nervous to write anything for them at all, and she made sure I put out the best quality work possible.”

It was that incredible ambition and work ethic that caught the attention of the Emma Bowen Foundation, where Stewart was awarded a fellowship. Its mission, to provide students of color multi-year internships in media, aligns perfectly with her passions. “I think media and newsrooms should be reflective of the world we live in,” she told us. “There is so much talent out there and foundations like the Emma Bowen Foundation give everyone an opportunity to succeed.”

Her advice for students looking to follow in her footsteps? “Stay focused and keep working toward your goals. You might face a lot of nos before you get one yes—but that will make it all the more worthwhile. You deserve to be here.” Also, she adds: “Use your resources! There are so many people at Pace who are here to help you. I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now without the immense support I got from staff members, advisors, and faculty members.”

We can’t wait to catch Stewart’s next amazing project in the digital landscape. It’s sure to make waves!

Four innovative Pace students just won IBM’s prestigious Call for Code 2020 challenge, which unites thousands of developers to create and deploy applications powered by open source technology that can tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. Together, Ajinkya Datalkar ’20 (MS in Computer Science), Manoela Morais ’20 (MS in Financial Risk Management), Chimka Munkhbayar ’20 (MBA in Entrepreneurial Studies), and Helen Tsai ’21 (MS in Computer Science) worked on an app code with more than 3,000 lines including more than 11.252 million lines edited or inserted—quite the feat for only four people! But how did they get started?

“We were all students at Pace when we met,” Morais told us. “[Datalkar] and I had already done other projects together, such as winning the 2019 Pace Pitch Contest.” The two were eager for their next app development challenge, and when speaking to Munkhbayar about joining the group, their project idea was launched. “I was more interested in working in the project that solves the challenges that rural farmers in Mongolia face,” Munkhbayar explained. “We planned to create something for rural household farmers.” The group, which would become known as Agrolly, added on Tsai as their web developer to handle the logistics of the website. “I was so impressed with their work,” she enthused. “When [Datalkar] asked me to join, [...] I jumped into developing.”

Like all new projects, the Call for Code challenge seemed daunting at first. Team Agrolly was tackling a real-world issue, after all, and it was no small feat for a group of only four people, who all had other responsibilities as busy professionals. “Getting inside a competition such as Call for Code is a great push for us to do our best,” Morais said. “We [...] put together a team with different backgrounds and nationalities to fight for a common enemy, which is climate change.”

That wasn’t their only challenge, however. “I am located in Mongolia while [my] other team members are located in New York,” Munkhbayar said. That’s a 12-hour time difference, for anyone who might be wondering—a challenge that Tsai initially shared. “When I joined the group, I was in Taiwan working as an intern,” she told us. “They [would] throw me some information at night, which [was] my morning, and [I’d] work on it during the day and throw it back to them at night.” That’s basically 24 hours of coding! But Tsai insisted that, “Everyone is very supportive,” and Munkhbayar agreed, adding that they overcame the time difference challenge and coordinated well with each other.

When asked about what being named finalists meant to each of them, the consensus was clear: they’re grateful, but they’re also even more committed to furthering their work on this necessary project. “Our team is in an ongoing improvement process,” Tsai said, and Datalkar agreed, adding that, “Currently, we have pilots in Mongolia and we are soon launching in Brazil. I am really looking forward to registering as a company and making this into a global product.” Munkhbayar shared that enthusiasm with her teammates, and told us that, “I personally want to revolutionize the agricultural farming sector in my country and in [the] wider scale of the Asia region.”

Morais explained that team Agrolly has a three-year plan in place, including developments to assist families across the globe. They hope to add new functionalities to their app, and continue to develop it in the years to come. “I think Agrolly has the potential to truly make a difference in people’s lives—including ours,” Morais said.

On Tuesday, October 13, IBM announced the winner of the Call for Code 2020 challenge live—and Agrolly won! They will “receive $200,000, support from IBM Service Corps and technical experts, and ecosystem partners to incubate, test, and deploy their solution,” according to the IBM report. In addition, “Agrolly will also receive assistance from The Linux Foundation to open-source their application so developers across the world can improve and scale the technology.” We’re thrilled by this news, and we look forward to all the incredible innovation these Pace Setters are set to make. Join us in congratulating them!

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$1 Million in Matching State Funding to add programming, modernize space and help address nursing shortage

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. (March 23, 2021) – Pace University is poised to transform Lienhard Hall, home to its College of Health Professions on the Pleasantville campus, into a modernized Healthcare Hub with the help of $1 million in state funding.

With these critical funds, Pace will add important programming for students preparing for careers in the region’s burgeoning healthcare and biotechnology sector while adding to, and modernizing, existing lab, classroom and simulation space -- all with the goal of meeting the ever-changing technology demands in the healthcare sector and preparing much needed nurses in New York State.

The grant, awarded as part of the New York State’s Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program (HECap), is intended to increase preparation, laboratories and facilities in health sciences throughout the state.

"The new Healthcare Hub on our Pleasantville campus will enable Pace University to continue our proud tradition of educating nurses and other health professionals in such high demand in our region," said Pace President Marvin Krislov. "I congratulate Pace's College of Health Professions on its successful application for a HECap grant. I thank all our partners in the New York S​tate government for this crucial funding, and I'm excited for our future CHP students, who will benefit from the state-of-the-art labs and learning spaces in the new Healthcare Hub."

The goal is to help address a growing shortage of qualified nurses throughout the region, state, and country that was highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is expected to grow as demand only increases in the field. Additionally, it’s estimated that as many as 75,000 qualified students were turned away from undergraduate and graduate programs in the U.S. in 2018 because of insufficient space, clinical sites, and faculty, according to an American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s report.

“We are profoundly grateful to have the opportunity to expand our state of the art Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation to accommodate more students to address the growing shortage of registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing faculty,” said Dr. Harriet R. Feldman, dean and professor at the College of Health Professions and the Lienhard School of Nursing at Pace University. “The new Healthcare Hub will also provide educational space for active learning, vital to what today’s students need in nursing and allied health professions.”

Lienhard Hall is the heart of the College of Health Professions; it was constructed in 1968 and is home to CHP’s simulation labs, practical exam rooms, lecture hall and faculty and administrative offices. The new Healthcare Hub will allow Pace to expand capacity to educate greater numbers of pre-licensure and advanced practice nurses, as well as future faculty and nursing leaders. The Hub will also allow CHP to develop additional simulation space with high fidelity equipment, telehealth simulation capability, and advanced information technology that will support and enhance the student learning experience.

For nursing student Brandon Joachim, the new Healthcare Hub will be a great asset and learning space for students at Pace.

“I've learned and grown from the number of hands-on experiences Pace has offered from so early in the curriculum,” said Joachim, a senior. “I believe the addition of the new Healthcare Hub will be a tremendous and safe place to encourage, facilitate and foster our growth. I’m truly excited to see it elevate the Pace experience and the Nursing program to the next level.”

The state grant to Pace is part of $57.2 million provided to 35 colleges and universities across New York State. All recipients must invest $3 for every $1 the state provides.

“These state investments in higher ed capital projects are smart growth job creating engines that will benefit our communities for years to come,” said Sen. Pete Harckham.

About Pace University

Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides. From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. Pace has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains. Follow us on Twitter or on the Pace News website.

About the College of Health Professions

Established in 2010, the College of Health Professions at Pace University offers a broad range of programs at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels. It is the College’s goal to create innovative and complex programs that reflect the changing landscape of the health care system. These programs are designed to prepare graduates for impactful careers in health care practice, health-related research, or as educators, and equip graduates to work in health policy and global health fields. Students in clinical programs receive hands-on training in the College’s interprofessional Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation and have the opportunity to apply their developing skills in real-world settings at many of the regions' leading clinical facilities. The College is currently comprised of several growing and important areas of study, which include Nursing, Physician Assistant, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nutrition and Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, and Health Science. Our vision is to be recognized for our innovative leadership in education, practice, scholarship, and service to improve health and the health professions. Our mission is to educate and challenge diverse students for the health professions to be leaders, innovators and lifelong learners who will positively impact local, national, and global health. For more information, please visit the College of Health Professions website and the Lienhard School of Nursing website.