Students from NYC and Pleasantville campuses are among the top 4% globally chosen for the prestigious United Nations academic program.

Thirty-four students from Pace University have been selected to participate in the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and Millennium Campus Network (MCN) Millennium Fellowship, a highly selective global leadership development program.

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This is the fifth consecutive year Pace students have been chosen for the competitive program -- and it’s the largest cohort to date. Students from both New York City and Pleasantville campuses representing the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lubin School of Business, School of Education, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, and College of Health Professions were among just 4,000 students to earn the honor globally from a record-breaking pool of 60,000+ applicants across 7,500+ campuses in more than 130 countries, with just 4% of institutions selected to host fellows.

During the fall semester, Millennium Fellows are chosen for their commitment to advancing the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through impactful, student-led projects that address issues such as sustainability, education, health equity, reproductive justice, and environmental protection.

“At Pace University, we are proud to congratulate our Millennium Fellows, part of the largest group of Fellows Pace has ever had selected for this prestigious global program,” said Marvin Krislov, president of Pace University. “These students exemplify the mission of the Millennium Fellowship, which empowers students to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through leadership, service, and innovation. From building environmental awareness through creative expression to addressing housing insecurity and strengthening support for marginalized communities, their projects reflect the best of what it means to be part of the Pace Community. We celebrate their commitment and look forward to seeing how their work continues to grow and inspire.”

Among this year’s cohort is a first-of-its-kind international partnership. Thanks to the leadership of Seidenberg Professor John Cronin, 19 members of Pace’s Blue CoLab are collaborating with students from Finland’s Häme University of Applied Sciences to develop a bilateral action plan supporting SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. The goal: establish the global right-to-know what is in the water we drink, with a formal proposal to be presented at the United Nations this October when Finnish students visit Pace University. The Blue CoLab’s work has been institutionalized over recent years, continuing to advance this right-to-know movement through expanded research, advocacy, and international collaboration, laying a foundation the 2025 Fellows are now building upon.

Projects from this year’s Fellows include initiatives on human trafficking awareness, technical literacy, sustainable dining practices, refugee and asylum aid, mental health, and more.

“The Millennium Fellowship represents an opportunity for me to connect with like-minded peers and mentors who are enthusiastic about social justice,” said Briana Pereira Duarte, a criminal justice major and campus co-director from Mineola, New York. “This experience will grow my project on raising awareness and policy change around gender-based violence, specifically female genital mutilation, and reinforce my commitment to equity and justice.”

“The Millennium Fellowship to me means opportunity—a chance to make a change and to be part of a community,” said Aziz Oguntade, a computer science major from Bronx, New York. “My project connects with quality education and aims to give people a greater understanding of the technological devices they use every day, especially those who may not have access to resources. Free and accessible technological literacy for all is my goal.”

“This is one of the most transformative programs in higher education as it empowers students to ‘be the change they want to see in the world’ on a local level,” said Sue Maxam, Assistant Provost for Wellness at Pace University. “Civic engagement and experiential learning are core values at Pace and central to the mission of the Millennium Fellowship, making this an ideal opportunity for our students.”

Pace University’s Millennium Fellowship record has grown impressively over recent years: 7 fellows in 2021, 15 in 2022, 30 in 2023, 25 in 2024, and now 34 in 2025.

Notable alumni projects include “Fare Trade Initiative,” a student-led initiative to combat campus food insecurity that has become a permanent resource on campus. Additional student-led efforts that have been institutionalized include a project addressing period poverty, which established sustainable access to free menstrual products on campus, and an initiative focused on reducing the student carbon footprint, which informed new sustainability measures now in place at Pace.

Students will complete their projects during the Fall 2025 semester, culminating in a Global Graduation Ceremony on Friday, November 21, 2025, alongside Fellows from around the world.

The 34 Pace students who have been selected for the 2025 cohort are:

• Abigail Colon, Health Science
• Alex Eppinger, Arts and Entertainment Management
• Alondra Gracia, Health Science
• Alonso Manon Mateos, International Management
• Angela Basha, Psychology
• Aziz Oguntade, Computer Science
• Briana Duarte, Criminal Justice – Campus Co-Director
• Caroline Zanuto-Winter, Computer Science
• Diana Aldabergenova, Psychology
• Dillon Talactac, Information Technology
• Elizaveta (Lisa) Sinitcyna, Business Management – Campus Co-Director
• Graig Decembre, Information Technology
• Isaac Lasso Younes, Computer Science
• Kayla Nestfield, Global Studies
• Kiley Cosgrove, Computer Science
• Mamoun Edfouf, Undecided
• Mariam Talakhadze, Finance – Campus Co-Director
• Mimi Langley, Modern Languages and Cultures
• Nailah Brown, Computer Science
• Natasha Baker, English Language and Literature
• Nkechi On (Colene) Munroe, Adolescent Education/Biology
• Noor Huda, Computer Science
• Phoenix Ellrodt, Information Technology
• Rachel Parker, Communications
• Sadia Oishika, Computer Science
• Samantha Sergi, Psychology
• Seth Jarmol, Political Science
• Silas Gonzalez, Computer Science – Campus Co-Director
• Skyler Flynn, Communications
• Spechal Nickey, Biology
• Symphonie Ivory, Art
• Varshita Korrapati, Political Science
• Yesenia Erazo-Tequianes, Political Science and Peace & Justice Studies
• Zachary Cherenfant, Information Technology.

About Pace University

Since 1906, Pace University has been transforming the lives of its diverse students—academically, professionally, and socioeconomically. With campuses in New York City and Westchester County, Pace offers bachelor, master, and doctoral degree programs to 13,600 students in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Lubin School of Business, Sands College of Performing Arts, School of Education, and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University honored New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang with the 2025 Robert S. Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence at a ceremony on September 30, 2025, at Pace University’s New York City campus.

IG Lang, who has served as New York State’s Inspector General since 2021, was recognized for her exceptional leadership and integrity in overseeing public sector investigations, her commitment to fairness and transparency, and her visionary approach to accountability and reform.

“IG Lang represents the highest ideals of public service and prosecutorial excellence,” said Pace Haub Law Dean Horace E. Anderson Jr. “She has brought an innovative, principled, and compassionate approach to oversight, reform, and the responsible use of prosecutorial power. Her career is a model for our students and for all who seek to serve the cause of justice.”

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Following the presentation of the award by Kristine Hamann, Executive Director of the Prosecutors’ Center for Excellence and member of the Tucker Prize Jury, IG Lang addressed an audience of Assistant District Attorneys and prosecutors from across New York and beyond, joined by civic leaders, public servants, and attorneys, as well as distinguished students and faculty from the Pace Haub Law.

During her remarks, IG Lang reflected on the importance of integrity and fairness in prosecutorial work at a time when, as she noted, “so many of the most excellent prosecutors in our city and our country are being truly tested.” She emphasized that true prosecutorial excellence means speaking truth to power, taking on hard cases, and “operating not just with integrity, but within the bounds of law, with decency and civility.”

IG Lang also underscored the critical role of procedural justice in strengthening public trust. “The procedures used to make decisions must be fair and impartial, and the people who make those decisions must be respectful of the rights and dignity of all involved,” she said. “When individuals feel seen and heard, even when outcomes are difficult, trust in institutions grows.”

We need people in government, especially on the integrity side of government, who aren’t afraid to do the right thing. We should all be very grateful that we have a public servant like IG Lang at the helm.

—Robert S. Tucker

Drawing on her personal and professional journey, IG Lang recounted how early experiences with victims’ families, as well as her work creating a groundbreaking course that brought prosecutors and incarcerated individuals into the same classroom, shaped her commitment to fairness and empathy. She spoke movingly of her continued efforts as Inspector General to advance justice in New York’s correctional system, including investigations that have transformed drug testing practices, curtailed the use of solitary confinement, and shed light on systemic abuses.

Robert S. Tucker, whose endowment funds the prize, praised Lang’s contributions to public integrity: “We need people in government, especially on the integrity side of government, who aren’t afraid to do the right thing. We should all be very grateful that we have a public servant like IG Lang at the helm.”

IG Lang was appointed by Governor Kathy Hochul as New York State’s 11th Inspector General in October 2021. A lifelong New Yorker, attorney, and educator, she leads statewide investigations into allegations of fraud, corruption, and abuse within New York State government. Under her leadership, the Office of the Inspector General has expanded transparency and technology initiatives, strengthened protections for vulnerable populations, and fostered a multidisciplinary approach to public integrity enforcement.

The Robert S. Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence is awarded annually to an individual or a group of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of criminal prosecution and who demonstrate excellence in prosecutorial practice. Honorees are selected each year by a jury comprising former prosecutors and Haub Law faculty members. The award ceremony brings together prosecutors from across the region and state, civic leaders, members of the judiciary, New York City government and the Haub Law community to recognize these distinguished individuals for their work. Past Award Recipients include Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget G. Brennan, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and the Office of the Bronx District Attorney, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, former New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood, and Richard A. Brown, the late Queens District Attorney, among others.

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