January Academy is taking place on January 26 and 27, 2021 over Zoom. Zoom links will be sent out after registration.
January 26, 2021 (Click title to read description)
Intro to Coding and Python, 10:00am-12:30pm
Instructor: Majid Sahin, ITF/TLC Macaulay Honors College
Meeting Time: January 26, 10:00am-12:30pm
This course will be a brief introduction to coding and the python language. We will cover basic coding structures and syntax, problem solving, and most importantly what you can do to learn and improve your coding skills. The course will start off for complete beginners and will cover more advanced topics. All are welcome.
| About the Instructors: https://macaulay.cuny.edu/directory/majid-sahin/ |
50 Interview Tips to Secure Your Dream Job, 10:00am-11:15am
Instructor: Scott Mesh, CEO, Los Ninos Services
Meeting time: January 26, 10:00am-11:15am
Nail the interview and get your dream job! Learn what employers look for and what you can do to impress them. If you want to secure the job of your choice, then learn as many tips as you can. Be at your best and learn how to avoid mistakes that can get in your way. Learn over 50 important tips in this session.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmeshnyc/
| About the Instructor: Dr. Scott Mesh is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of Los Niños Services. He has interviewed and hired over 500 people in the past 20 years. Los Niños is one of the largest and best regarded special education providers of autism and developmental disabilities services to toddlers and preschoolers in NYC. He is the co-founder of the International Young Child Expo and Conference, rated a top 5 Early Childhood Conference in the US. He taught at Queens College and Yeshiva University and is the co-author of A Practical Guide to Early Childhood Assessment. He is active in the Entrepreneurs Organization where he created the Young Entrepreneur Summit. Dr. Mesh is the very proud parent of a Macaulay Honors College sophomore. |
Wellness Spring Tune-Up, 11:30am-12:45pm
Instructors: Steve Rudolf Associate Director of Clinical Services, Macaulay Honors College & Kristina Gowin, Associate Director of Wellness and Counseling, Macaulay Honors College
Meeting time: January 26, 11:30am-12:45pm
With the new semester comes an opportunity to make positive changes and hone healthy habits. Through this interactive workshop, you’ll get to a chance to reflect on the fall and winter, see what’s working and what you could improve upon to bring your best self into the spring. Specific topics include maintaining healthy boundaries, digital declutter, understanding your emotional bandwidth and developing imperfect solutions when necessary.
https://macaulay.cuny.edu/student-life/student-well-being/mental-health-and-wellness-center/
| About the Instructors: Kristina Gowin, LMHC, is Associate Director of Wellness and Counseling, is a trauma-informed practitioner. Steve Rudolf, LCSW, is Associate Director of Clinical Services and combines a strengths-based lens with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. |
Fundamentals of Excel, 2:00pm-3:15pm
Instructor: Majid Sahin, ITF/TLC Macaulay Honors College
Meeting time: January 26, 2:00pm-3:15pm
This workshop will cover the basics of excel tools, plotting, modifying plots/text, creating/using functions and working with data. It will prepare you for using excel or any other equivalent spreadsheet program for your courses and/or work outside of school. All are welcome.
| About the Instructors: https://macaulay.cuny.edu/directory/majid-sahin/ |
Resting Stitch Face: Embroidery Workshop, 2:00pm-4:00pm
Instructor: Kelly O’Donnell, Director of Science Forward, Macaulay Honors College
Meeting time: January 26, 2:00pm-4:00pm
Please note that this class is now full. If you would like to be placed on the waitlist, please email janet.fu@mhc.cuny.edu.
Come get crafty at our intro to embroidery workshop! Gather some basic supplies and join us to get started with this classic needlework technique. You’ll learn basic stitches and techniques so you can begin making beautiful creations.
At minimum, you will need these items to fully participate: embroidery hoop, needle, embroidery floss, scissors, and a piece of fabric. You probably have a pair of scissors at home and your fabric really can be anything: old clothes, sheets, pillowcases, totebags, etc. Try to find something woven rather than knit to work on. If you’re new to embroidery, you will likely have to buy or borrow the hoop, needles, and floss. There are some inexpensive kits out there that come with the items you need (for example: https://www.joann.com/bucilla-stamped-embroidery-kit-pocket-posies/17324351.html ). Feel free to email me any questions you might have about supplies.
 Kelly O’Donnell |
About the Instructor: Kelly O’Donnell is the Director of Science Forward at Macaulay Honors College. She oversees scientific programing and academics for Macaulay. Dr. O’Donnell also regularly teaches one of the Science Forward seminars and occasionally teaches upper level courses such as Ecological Change & Human Disease and Detecting Bullshit in the Modern Age. Before coming to Macaulay, Dr. O’Donnell completed a teaching post-doc at Columbia University. She holds a PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Stony Brook University and a BS in Biology from Cornell University. Her academic interests are in botany, urban ecology, citizen/community science, and invasive plant evolution. Her non-academic interests include embroidery, trapeze, and Star Trek. http://cuny.is/kellyodonnell |
Muay Thai 101, 3:30pm-4:45pm
Instructor: Ricardo Gabriel, TLC at Brooklyn College
Meeting time: January 26, 3:30pm-4:45pm
Muay Thai is the national sport and martial art of Thailand. Known as “the art of 8 limbs,” is it a combat sport that utilizes punches, kicks, knees, and elbows, and well as some stand-up grappling. Muay Thai has become very popular around the world, not only as a competitive ring sport, but also as an extremely effective form of exercise. Today many people train in Muay Thai just to get in shape, learn some skills, relieve stress, and have fun. This workshop will introduce students to the sport of Muay Thai and cover some basic techniques. Students of all genders, body types, and fitness levels are welcome! Exercise attire is required. Come prepared to move your body and have fun.
| About the Instructor: Ricardo Gabriel is former competitive amateur fighter and has over 8 years experience in Muay Thai, training under former multiple-time World and Lumpinee Champion, Coban Lookchaomaesaitong. |
How to Get Involved, 4:00pm-5:15pm
Instructors: Chelsea Alterman, Assistant Director of Student Development & Chris Daversa, Director of Student Development
Meeting time: January 26, 4:00pm-5:15pm
Navigating college and unsure how to meet new people and get more involved in the college community, especially in this virtual world? This workshop is for you! Learn strategies on how to connect to other students and put yourself out there, as well as reviewing online resources like Club Macaulay (our student club management system). This will be an interactive opportunity to grow your awareness and expand your social circle!
| About the Instructors: This workshop is led by Chris Daversa, the Director of Student Development, and Chelsea Alterman, the Assistant Director of Student Development. |
Introduction to Financial Literacy, 5:00pm-6:15pm
Instructor: Alan Chen, Founder of Tomoon Blog
Meeting time: January 26, 5:00pm-6:15pm
Everyone deserves the right and opportunity to engage with the modern world in a financially meaningful way to move upward in the socioeconomic ladder. We will go over the basics of credit cards, credit scores, debt, bank accounts, and taxes. There is so much more to explore, and this is a good start to your financial journey.
| About the Instructor: Hello! My name is Alan and I’m an alumnus of Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College. You would think after attending business school, I would know how to manage my personal finances. Unfortunately financial literacy is not a skill taught in schools. I come from a low-income family and have seen first hand the negative effects of poor money management and not saving early enough for retirement. My goal is to help people retire happily. By day, I write code as a software engineer; by night, I study financial literacy and work on technology startups. |
Homemade Pasta and Sauce! Easy and Better Than Anything Else!, 5:00pm-6:30pm
Instructor: Susanna Yurick, Associate Director, Honors Center, City College
Meeting time: January 26, 5:00pm-6:30pm
During this workshop we will be making homemade past and tomato sauce. We will send students who register a shopping list so that if they want to cook along with us they can. You will make your friends and family very happy!
If students want to participate along side us they will need equipment. We will send out a list to students who register.
| About the Instructors: Susanna Yurick and her husband, Mark Vincent are cooking enthusiasts and have been making home made pasta for years. They, lead by Mark, have run workshops on pasta and bread-making many times. Mark is Italian-American and Susanna grew up in a neighborhood that was largely Italian-American… this has fueled their love for the cuisine. In their other lives, Mark is a former athlete and Chiropractor, and Susanna is the Assistant Director of Honors at City with a degree in History. They are also, frankly, fabulous hosts and their dinner and cocktail parties are missed very much this year! They love being around people. |
January 27, 2021 (Click title to read description)
Job Search Strategies, 10:00am-11:15am
Instructor: Gia Chrisman, Associate Director of Career Development, Macaulay Honors College
Meeting Time: January 27, 10:00am-11:15am
Get help planning your career, getting a job and being successful at work with this free, helpful and fun training!
Students will gain a better understanding of what influences their career choices, identify key skills, and how to leverage their social networks and conduct appropriate research to maximize their job application. Students will leave with job search strategies and information on finding remote/virtual placements.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gianinachrisman/
| About the Instructor: Gianina Chrisman is the Associate Director of Career Development at Macaulay Honors College at CUNY, where she leads the college’s efforts to match Macaulay students with high-level internships, research, and job opportunities. She also serves as Co-President of the Career Services Association of CUNY, the professional association of career professionals who work in the City University of New York (CUNY). Gianina received her undergraduate degree from Hunter College, with a double major in Psychology and English Literature and a minor in Music. In 2010, she earned her M.S.Ed in Higher Education Administration from Baruch College.
She came to Macaulay from VISIONS, a non-profit organization that provides resources for people who are blind and visually impaired, where she served as the Youth Employment Coordinator. Prior to VISIONS, Gianina worked at the Sports and Arts in Schools Foundation as part of their Workforce Development team, and as an academic advisor at Hunter College. |
Aquaria in Your Area, 10:00am-11:15am
Instructor: Joseph Ugoretz, Chief Academic Officer, Macaulay Honors College
Meeting time: January 27, 10:00am-11:15am
Freshwater tropical fish, in a small planted tank, can be one of the most beautiful and satisfying pets available. And they’re perfect for honors students: fascinating, beautiful, indoors and low-maintenance. You can make sure your fish live and thrive, if you start out right. This workshop will cover the basics of starting and keeping a small aquarium in limited space and with a limited budget (and some hints about how to go bigger and more extensive, if you get ambitious once you begin). You will leave with a clear idea of how to begin, recommendations about what to keep, and solid information about costs and questions.
| About the Instructor: Dr. Ugoretz has kept and bred fish of different kinds and from different rivers and oceans for over 30 years. Currently he has (at home) over 100 gallons behind glass, including a display biotope of Lake Tanganyika and three planted tanks of various freshwater tropicals. If there’s a mistake that can be made in the aquarium hobby, he has made it, learned from it, and will be happy to talk about it. |
Makeup for Zoom and Beyond, 11:30am-1:30pm
Instructor: Amanda Hick, Assistant to the Chief Academic Officer
Meeting time: January 27 11:30am-1:30pm
Are you a makeup lover? This is the class for you! All are welcome! Whether your makeup bag has been collecting dust for several months, or you glam-it-up daily, I’m here to help your beauty shine! We will work on basic techniques that best flatter you for the everyday look and zoom meetings. We will then explore glam options to spice it up! Here are the basic pieces you will need to have on hand for this class (any brand will do!):
-moisturizer
-mascara
-eyeliner
-eyeshadow
-blush
-lip product
If you are more advanced, and have additional products, please have those on hand. After the basics, we will explore the magic of contour, highlighting, brows, false lashes, dramatic eyes and lips, etc.
| About the Instructor: Amanda Hick is the assistant to Dean Joseph Ugoretz with Macaulay Honors College in the Academic Affairs department. As a classically trained musician and opera singer, she has the opportunity to work with globally renowned makeup artists for operatic character roles and concert performances. Her interest and creativity with makeup has been inspired by masterful artists of all genres. Amanda looks forward to sharing this in hopes of inspiring others to love and enhance their inner beauty. |
Photography for Beginners, 2:00pm-3:15pm
Instructors: Christopher Cali, Student Development Coordinator, Student Development MHC, Zakary Roberston (CSI 2022) & Rhaldni Sayaman (CCNY 2023)
Meeting time: January 27, 2:00pm-3:15pm
This workshop co-hosted by the Macaulay Photography Club will be split into three parts:
– Camera Basics: Learn about the technical aspects of a camera and what adjustments you can make to influence your images.
– The Camera in Your Pocket: Get some pro-tips on how to maximize your photos with the camera you carry every day, your cell phone.
– Creating Ideas and Meaning: The art of photography often happens before you click the shutter. Talk about creating ideas and meaning through your photos.
Bring your DSLR or mirrorless camera to class to practice with us!
https://macaulay.campusgroups.com/student_community?club_id=19598
| About the Instructors: Macaulay Photography Club – The co-presidents and former president of the Macaulay Photography Club are teaming up to give this workshop. Chris Cali graduated from Macaulay in 2018 and now works as the Student Development Coordinator. When at Macaulay, he founded the Macaulay Photography Club. Zakary Robertson – Motivated by friends who seemed to never put their cameras down, I hunted out a good deal on a camera and once I started I couldn’t stop. Looking to rope more people into this creative outlet I looked into re-booting the photography club to give people the chance to learn and explore the world of photography no matter what they had available to them or how “good” they felt they were. Rhaldni Sayaman – Hi, I’m Rhaldni. I’m a math major at CCNY and I picked up photography a little over a year ago. My main interest lies in street photography, but I will dabble in any genre that interests me at the time. |
LinkedIn 101, 2:00pm-3:15pm
Instructor: Jamie Ruden, Career Program Coordinator
Meeting time: January 27, 2:00pm-3:15pm
A 1 hour workshop helping stregthen your LinkedIn account and utizling the platform to best network and market yourself.
Please set-up an account, if you haven’t already, before the workshop.
| About the Instructor: Jamie Ruden, Career Program Coordinator at Macaulay Honors College Career Development Office. She has years of experience enhancing resumes, cover letters, and LinkedIn profiles. She is excited to meet you at the workshop and hope to answer any and all questions. |
Turning Plastic into Jewelry, 3:30pm-4:45pm
Instructor: Agata Turula, Macaulay Green Initiative Co-President
Meeting time: January 27, 3:30pm-4:45pm
Why exactly is plastic so bad for the environment? What can I do to help?
In this workshop, we will start with a short and interactive presentation on why plastic pollution is so bad for the environment. We will discuss things like how long it takes for plastic to degrade in landfills, how it ends up in our oceans, and how it affects marine life. We will explain why it is important to recycle, and give tips on how to reduce and reuse plastic waste.
Then, we will be teaching attendees how to turn plastic waste into jewelry. The materials will include ordinary household items like bottle caps, plastic wrappers, etc. as well as scissors and tape. Our instructor will be guiding you through each step, and by the end of the workshop, you will have a beautiful new piece that you can wear, and the satisfaction of knowing you saved plastic from going into a landfill or ocean!
Note: if you are not able to purchase the earring hooks listed below, you can also make a necklace using a string and the plastic materials.
| About the Instructor:I’m Ana Maria, a sophomore at Macaulay at CCNY. I combined most of my passions in my majors of environmental studies for landscape architecture and studio art for photojournalism through CUNY BA, and have too many hobbies outside of school. Of course, those include many arts, and making my own jewelry pieces. |
Credit Score and Credit Cards, 5:00pm-6:15pm
Instructor: Alan Chen, Founder of Tomoon Blog
Meeting time: January 27, 5:00pm-6:15pm
Learn about credit scores and how they can impact your financial lives. We will discuss the various characteristics of a credit score such as how lenders use it, how it is calculated, and why it is so important. By the end of this workshop, you will understand how credit cards can affect your credit score and what you can do today to increase your credit score.
| About the Instructor: Hello! My name is Alan and I’m an alumnus of Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College. You would think after attending business school, I would know how to manage my personal finances. Unfortunately financial literacy is not a skill taught in schools. I come from a low-income family and have seen first hand the negative effects of poor money management and not saving early enough for retirement. My goal is to help people retire happily. By day, I write code as a software engineer; by night, I study financial literacy and work on technology startups. |
Songwriting Workshop, 5:00pm-6:15pm
Instructor: Kelsy Hillesheim, Alum, CCNY ’17
Meeting time: January 27, 5:00pm-6:15pm
Please note that this class is now full. If you would like to be placed on the waitlist, please email janet.fu@mhc.cuny.edu.
Do you write songs? Do you want to try? Come learn about the songwriting process, and what makes the songs you love so meaningful. Participants will share an original song (it can be a work in progress!) in a warm supportive environment to receive whatever amount of feedback is preferred.
| About the Instructor: When Kelsy isn’t at work or teaching violin, you can usually catch her writing (or cowriting!) songs in her room. Though she originally started out as a lyricist auditing the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, she later came to find her voice as a singer-songwriter one summer amongst an amazing community of folk artists. She hasn’t stopped since, and now she wants to share some tips and tricks she’s learned so far with you! |
Novice Stock Market Investing, 6:30pm-7:45pm
Instructor: Alan Chen, Founder of Tomoon Blog
Meeting time: January 27, 6:30pm-7:45pm
Stock market investing is a scary journey for many of us and some people even consider the stock market similar to gambling. During this session, you will go from having zero knowledge of investing to everything you need to start your long journey to accumulate wealth. We will go over several key topics such as approaches to investing, impact on taxes, and research tools.
| About the Instructor: Hello! My name is Alan and I’m an alumnus of Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College. You would think after attending business school, I would know how to manage my personal finances. Unfortunately financial literacy is not a skill taught in schools. I come from a low-income family and have seen first hand the negative effects of poor money management and not saving early enough for retirement. My goal is to help people retire happily. By day, I write code as a software engineer; by night, I study financial literacy and work on technology startups. |