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T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E B R O O K LY N T E C H A L U M N I F O U N D AT I O N
Tech Women: The First 50 Years
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Tech Women: Game Changers
IN 1969 a 13-year-old Brooklyn girl, Alice de Rivera, filed a suit against the New York City Board of Education charging that the boys-only policy at Stuyvesant was discriminatory because it was based on sex. The following year, a few girls were admitted at Tech. None of them finished; I assume because of the many challenges that a tiny female minority in an almost totally male STEM environment faced in that era. (When I was at Tech, there were only a few women teachers. Today they are 51 percent of the faculty.) By 1972 there were 171 girls at Tech. The first young women graduated in 1974. Today, nearly half the student body is female, and they frequently are designated as the graduation salutatorian or valedictorian. I took the admission test in 1965, when girls could not go to Tech. While I remember a few class discussions about the subject, most of the boys were against admitting them. Some cited the lack of girls’ bathrooms. Others just assumed girls could not do the perceived physically demanding tasks of assembling the metal cope and drag for sand casting molds in the foundry. In our class discussions, no one ever mentioned that if they had to compete with girls on the entrance exam, they might not have scored high enough to be admitted. In fact, according to a 1975 New York Times article, “teachers and administrators say” the admission of girls “has improved the quality of the [specialized] schools by increasing the competition for entrance.” Congratulations to all the women who have graduated from Brooklyn Tech during the past 50 years. Not only do each of you deserve a “shout out,” but you have made Tech a better school. Larry Cary ‘70 President Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation P.S. Today, every Technite is facing many daunting challenges because of the pandemic. If Tech and its students ever needed alumni support that time is NOW! The Alumni Foundation has allocated $100,000 for unanticipated needs of the school and its students due to the crisis. That will probably not be enough. Please donate to the Foundation and help meet the unprecedented LARRY TALKS ABOUT: needs of today’s students. Donations are tax deductible. - GROWING UP POOR - INSIDE THE ALUMNI No contribution is too small or too large. On behalf of BOARD -TECH’S WOMEN today’s Technites, I thank you for your support.
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Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation OFFICERS President Larry L. Cary ‘70 Vice Presidents Horace H. Davis ‘84 David Lee ‘78 Susan Mayham ‘76 Anthony P. Schirripa ‘67 Treasurer Donovan Wickline ‘88 Secretary Ned Steele ‘68 DIRECTORS John Albert ‘90 Wilton Cedeno ‘82 James DiBenedetto ‘71 Tomas Hernandez ‘73 Lesleigh Irish-Underwood ‘82 Penelope Kokkinides ‘87 Edward T. LaGrassa ‘65 Salvatore Lentini ‘79 Margaret Murphy ‘83 Bola Oyedijo ‘92 Achilles Perry ‘58 Valmira Popinara ‘18 Deepti Sharma ‘04 Denice Ware ‘83 Michael A. Weiss ‘57 Honorary Director Leonard Riggio “58 Student Representatives Sam Greenberg ‘22 Lucy Vuong ‘22 Andrew Zhou ‘21 FOUNDATION STAFF Executve Director Elizabeth A. Sciabarra Chief Education Officer Mathew M. Mandery Finance Officer Rikhia Chowdhury Office Manager Ina Cloonen Graphic Designer Suzanne Hausman Social Media Lisa Trollback BROOKLYN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL Principal David Newman
Certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The Mark of Responsible Forestry.
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TechTimes The Magazine of The Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation THIS ISSUE: Tech’s women: a half century of achievement and impact
4 Then and Now 6 Super Women 14 Future Leaders 22 The Year of Covid 33 Women of Distinction 34 Foundation Report
Editor In Chief and Chief Writer Ned Steele ’68 Guest Editors Lesleigh Irish-Underwood ’82 Jeanine Aguirre-Ramirez ’88 Editorial Direction Elizabeth A. Sciabarra Art Director Nicholas E. Torello Creative Strategy Consultant Chelsea Erin Vaughan
TOP: GONZAGA UNIVERSITY. CENTER: JASPER WALDMAN ‘20. BOTTOM: BTHS, LYZETTE WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY.
Student Photographers Kyle Han ’20 Jasper Waldman ’20 Writer Amanda Tukaj ’15 Intern Erica Shum ’20 Student Liaisons Youssef El Mosalami ’20, Yasmin Haredy ’20, Ayan Rahman ’20, Nicholas Riccio ’20 ©2020 Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation, Inc. Published annually. Articles may be reprinted with permission. Alums: Send yourletter to editor, or personal or professional update for publication in Class Notes to: neds@mediaimpact.biz On The Cover Technites all. BTHS yearbook photos curated by Suzanne Hausman FREE ONLINE BONUS!
NEW! A RICH PACKAGE OF BONUS VIDEOS AND CONTENT. MEET THE TECHNITES FEATURED INSIDE. LOOK FOR THIS ICON ON MANY STORIES
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NOTES
F R O M T H E P R I N C I PA L IN A YEAR unlike any other, Covid has brought Brooklyn Tech unique challenges that have been successfully met by our staff and students alike. Rendering an educational environment on par with the standards and expectations of Brooklyn Technical High School since March has been no easy task, and I am proud of how our entire school community has responded. We have been making significant positive strides in our plans and aspirations to take Brooklyn Tech to greater heights as the premier STEM school in New York City and the country. Two years ago U.S. News and World Report ranked Brooklyn Tech the 82nd best high school in the nation. Last year we moved up significantly as the 47th best school in the nation, the highest ranking our school has yet to achieve. In the niche high school rankings, which rank
schools that serve a population of over 50% free lunch (a poverty yardstick), we were ranked third in the nation – our third consecutive top three placement. We have the largest College Board Advanced Placement program in the world with 9,190 exams given and a Brooklyn Tech historical high of 91.7% with scores of three (on a five point scale) or above. We are being recognized nationally for our achievements. This issue of TechTimes celebrates Tech’s women. This is fitting. Highlighting our woman scholars’ impact on school is an easy task: nine out of the last ten valedictorians have been women, including last year’s valedictorian and salutatorian. Women comprise the majority of our AP classes, even though they do not make up the majority of our school. In short, our achievements as a heralded institution for learning are based in no small part on the contributions and accomplishments of the extraordinary women of Brooklyn Technical High School. David Newman Principal
EDITOR’S NOTE THIS EDITION OF TechTimes is like no other. For the first time, an entire issue is devoted to one theme: honoring the women of Brooklyn Tech, 50 years after the first were admitted. Young women were not present in my day. Today, as these pages show, they are scholars, leaders and achievers of extraordinary caliber. I am grateful for my two guest editors: Jeanine Aguirre-Ramirez ’88 and Lesleigh Irish-Underwood ’82. Their sound judgment informs this issue throughout. Thanks to Sue Mayham and Randy Asher, who helped me see how to present this great theme. And thanks to my numerous “sounding board” fellow alums. TechTimes 2020 was produced amid the COVID-19 shutdown. Our challenges paled in comparison to those of so many. But they were real. Photo shoots and interviews were cancelled. Profiles and stories we’d hoped to bring you could not proceed. How to photograph students, and alums in seven states, during a lockdown? With resourcefulness and technology. Zoom journalism and FaceTime photography blossomed during the quarantine; we eagerly explored this new visual art form as you’ll see inside. Most important, we again tapped the astonishing talent of student photographers Jasper Waldman and Kyle Han – now our fellow alums. I thank them deeply. A final word: this issue is about Tech’s women but also is for the men. Many of us came of age when women lacked the opportunities in business and STEM that exist for them today. The guys shaped the Tech legacy for the first half century. The women are now our equal partners, and we all benefit from the partnership. They are us. We are them. We are all Technites. And we are proud. Ned Steele ’68 Editor in Chief
The Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation opposes all forms of racism and supports equity in educational opportunity.
Share your news or thoughts on the stories in this issue... Email to ➜ neds@mediaimpact.biz 2
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COVER STORY
CELEBRATING TECH’S WOMEN An appreciation of the women who have done Tech, and all of us, proud since 1970
TOP: BTHS BLUEPRINT. BOTTOM: ALEXA WHYTE
“To be a powerful woman in the room.” That was then-senior Sophia Chok’s response when we asked students, “What does being a woman at Tech mean?” Each year Tech graduates 500-plus young women. Since the mid-1970s that makes many thousand powerful women in the room. This issue celebrates them and their achievements. The earliest female graduates might not have responded as Sophia did. Tech’s first co-ed half century started slowly in the fall of 1970, with one converted boy’s bathroom, a handful of courageous young women, and significant challenges. Within a decade, women at Tech filled 40% of the classroom seats. Today, Tech women astound. They were seven of the Class of 2020’s top ten academic performers, nine of the last 10 commencement valedictorians, and they frequently lead the major student organizations. But if we are to be honest, we must acknowledge that for women pursuing a career in science and technology anywhere – or the education that leads to one – the path is rarely a cushioned, gilded one. What, then, is the story of 50 years of women at Brooklyn Tech? For this issue, we talked to dozens of them (and men too)…. from early pioneers to today’s academic rock stars bound for prestigious colleges. Each had her own story. We heard of challenges and rewards; highs and lows. Of exceptional achievement… often attained through true bravery or at high personal cost. Some saw a glass half full; some half empty. How female alums view their Tech experience often depends on their particular circumstances, outlook and decade. But universally they shared one reaction: gratitude. Gratitude for the opportunity to attend Brooklyn Tech, for the education they received, for the lifelong foundation it provided, and for special relationships formed. (Almost all could cite at least one teacher or course that changed their life.) After graduation and college, Tech women fanned out to corporate centers, universities, research facilities, tech incubators and government halls. They are now among the most powerful in the room. We celebrate the impact of our Tech women in their respective professions, and their transformative presence at the school. While much has been accomplished, more remains to be done. Full equity remains elusive, and our teenagers already realize it. We can change that. We must all be allies, and retire the old stereotypes and tropes. When we do, we’ll see everywhere what we see among these pages... women of extraordinary talent, character and spirit who lead and inspire. Here’s to the next 50 years.
Ned Steele, Editor in Chief Lesleigh Irish-Underwood and Jeanine Aguirre-Ramirez, Guest Editors FALL
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The Transformation BY MATHEW M. MANDERY ‘61
AS I WALKED through Brooklyn Tech’s doors, a 14 year-old freshman entering its enormous facility for the first time, little could I imagine that I would someday be principal of this incredible STEM high school; let alone be instrumental in establishing and leading an alumni foundation whose educational programs would help Tech maintain its role as a beacon of STEM education. I see as one of Brooklyn Tech’s most significant growth changes the inclusion of female students. In 1922, Tech opened as an all-male technical high school with the goal of preparing young men for leadership roles in industry. The era’s prevailing perspective was that engineering and technical areas were male endeavors. The Tech I attended maintained this viewpoint. The curriculum was similar to that our founding principal, Albert Colston, had instituted; the school remained focused on educating only young men. The only encounters with women were the female teachers and dances with Bay Ridge High School, an all-girls school. So it remained until nearly a decade after my graduation, when young women were finally admitted. I proudly returned in 1983 as Tech’s principal. The school had transitioned in little over a decade to 40% female – a very significant change given the school’s 50-year history of allmale culture. Gradually, the curriculum and majors were evolving to reflect the work world that its young men and
women would enter. A facility updating that should have taken place in the early 70s was finally happening, bringing bathrooms and locker rooms for young women – who were soon excelling academically and holding leadership of clubs, student government and athletics. Indeed the prestigious “All Tech Award” was given to young women. At Homecomings, alumni from Tech’s first five decades were startled and impressed with the incredible presence and accomplishments of our female students. I came back for a third time in 1999, to lead the Foundation’s effort to build a strategic partnership with Brooklyn Tech to bring about a complete modernization of the curriculum. Young women had leadership roles in all aspects of the school community. The transformation from an all-male technical high school of excellence for the “machine age” to a co-ed, specialized STEM high school of excellence had taken place. This issue of TechTimes shows how Tech, powered by its student body of young women and young men, is poised to celebrate its centennial and move into its next hundred years as a leader of secondary STEM education. Dr. Mandery, the Alumni Foundation’s Chief Education Officer, is the only alum in Tech history to serve as appointed principal (1983 – 1987).
Sue Mayham ’76 BY JEANINE RAMIREZ ’88
NO FEMALE ALUM has had a longer-lasting and deeper impact on the Brooklyn Tech community than Susan Mayham ’76, Alumni Foundation board member. Founder of the Ruby Engineers, a group recognizing and supporting female students, she has passionately advocated for Tech, and for Tech women specifically. If anyone can be said to “bleed blue,” it is Sue. 4
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• Financial industry pioneer youngest female manager on Wall Street; rose to Vice President of Bank of New York in a stellar three-decade career • Alumni Foundation Vice President • Captain and Founder of Tech Twirlers • Developing confidence at Tech that drove her banking career: “I wasn’t an engineer, but I knew how to engineer my career. The architecture of my career was the real WWW.BTHSALUMNI.ORG
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: ALEXA WHYTE, BTHS BLUEPRINT, STOCK IMAGES, COURTESY GEORGE CUHAJ, BTHS BLUEPRINT, JASPER WALDMAN
A Pioneer Remembers
COVER STORY
Transitions BY ELIZABETH SCIABARRA
IT WAS 1971, my very first year as a Brooklyn Technical High School teacher, and young women had started being seen in Tech’s previously all-male hallways and classes. It was amazing how the culture of the school changed. While most schools in New York City were already coed, Brooklyn Tech and a few outliers were not. The enactment of Title IX forced the issue. Some boys suggested that the standards of the school would go downhill with the admission of young women, while others greeted it as an opportunity for a better social life. Still others showed discomfort at the thought of academic competition between boys and girls. But those first girl entrants were even more emboldened to take math, science, and engineering courses to “prove” themselves. Even teachers were skeptical — particularly those who taught in the shops. The thought of young women pouring metal in foundry, or running a lathe or using a slide rule in a technology class, simply didn’t click. After all, how would teachers “handle” girls being in the classes, and what stories could they tell with females in the room? There were big challenges. A Sex Equity Committee was established to make certain the building complied with Title IX. Bathrooms had to be converted, locker rooms renovated. The content of classes had to be examined so it did not solely reflect the male voice. We had to create extra-curricular programs aligned in number and performance to the boys’ programs.
strong base that I learned from Tech. I became the youngest officer in my day at a time when women were still secretaries and assistants.” • Daily challenge in the early days of a co-ed Tech: “One girls’ bathroom. On the fifth floor. fifth floor south. It’s still there.” • Joining teams and clubs: “We started them. We got volleyball. We got basketball. We got swim team. We had tennis. But none of them were PSAL sports.”
Several young women teachers in the school stepped up to take charge of activities: volleyball, swimming, track and basketball came into being, first as clubs and then as PSAL teams. I coached cheerleading. Over 85 young women took part — boosters, cheerleaders and twirlers. We indeed were trailblazers. After all, where else would a competitive team that was almost all Black and brown, be competing at venues that were almost all white? This was our first lesson in tolerance and working hard to be the best, despite the lack of acceptance from across the country. These activities gave me the opportunity to interact with young women in the areas of leadership, collaboration, having a strong voice, taking steps to demonstrate skills, and teaching each other skills that would raise the bar for all. Many discussions about life, relationships, reaching goals, exercising abilities, and meeting one’s full potential were part of the cheer experience. Young women indeed found their place at Tech: in classrooms they succeeded academically. In government, they became leaders and articulated the ways in which others had to [continued on page 33]
• On bonding with female classmates: “We came from five boroughs. We had a shared experience. We joined teams to hang out. Some joined the cheerleaders: that way we had an after- school social life. We went to football games so we could hang out on Saturdays. A lot of us to this day are still close.” • Among her contributions to Tech: “I donated my twirling uniform and shoes to the Tech Museum. I kept the baton.” FALL
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• First female engineering dean at Gonzaga BTHS major: college prep First career: chemical engineer (Exxon, DuPont) Second career: academic curriculum vitae of 23 pages, with more than 65 published peer-reviewed articles Areas of expertise: dynamical system theory, artificial intelligence/ machine learning, supervisory and modelbased control synthesis, and fault identification and monitoring. In other words… “I was interested in big data long before it became popular.”
Student athlete: Tech swimming and volleyball teams: “It disciplined me about studying.” Tech taught her: “I entered college a disciplined learner. My roommate did not know how to compete or study. I had already learned that. Tech put me a year ahead of my college peers.” On women in engineering… “We are advancing in environmental, chemical, and biological, but not so much in mechanical and electrical.” …And in engineering academia (where 65 out of 1,074 accredited engineering schools have female deans): “I don’t see myself as a trailblazer. But the people I hire will grow up under a different kind of dean.” PHOTOS: GONZAGA UNIVERSITY, FRAMINGHAM MAYOR’S OFFICE
• Former visiting scientist at NASA and Sandia National Laboratories
It started at Tech: “Engineering seemed to be the converging point of pure mathematics and pure science.”
O ’77 HO
• Three chemical engineering degrees (bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate)
E
Dean, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Gonzaga University
The engineer as dean: “I use data to develop analytical trends and inform such matters as enrollment and funding projections.”
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YVON NE
50 YEARS OF TECH WOMEN
ALUMNAE
R ’80 E C I P S First career: educator; taught woodworking, architecture, drafting. First woman chair of technology education, Framingham Public Schools. VP of advocacy and educational partnerships at Museum of Science, Boston. Framingham: home of Bose, TJ Maxx, and Staples. The state’s14th largest city, it took city status in 2018. Yvonne defeated six rivals to become the first mayor: “I wasn’t a lifelong politician; I was an educator. That was the secret sauce for me.” VIP support: The Bible on which she took the oath as mayor was held by Sen. Elizabeth Warren. STEM supporter: twoterm member of Governor’s STEM Advisory Council . Brooklyn: “When I tell people I went to a high school that was ten stories tall, they say, ‘No way.’”
Mayor, Framingham, Mass. • First African-American popularly-elected woman mayor in Massachusetts • First African-American woman graduate in technology education, SUNY Oswego • BTHS major: architecture
First-generation: Neither parent graduated high school. It started at Tech: “This was a school of kids who read Barron’s Review books for fun. Everyone was very deliberate in their learning. I give credit to the teachers who helped me fill out my college applications – my mother couldn’t help me with that.”
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ECCA RAMN B A RE
ALUMNAE
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Ph.D. student, Yale University Social Robotics Lab • Researches human-robot interaction to help children with autism and learning disabilities • Completed undergraduate degree in one year, aided in part by BTHS advanced placement courses • BTHS major: software engineering
Yale research : how robotics can support socially taught skills like emotion recognition and adaptive learning. “Research on robots as
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tools for autism therapy shows increased engagement, increased levels of attention, and more appropriate social behaviors when robots are part of the interaction.”
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT : JASPER WALDMAN’20, LYZETTE WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY, MAGDALENA JOOS
Wunderkind: Rebecca completed 108 credits in her first semester at Long Island University to earn a computer science bachelor ‘s degree. That spring, she earned a master’s. LIU hired her as an adjunct professor teaching eight courses (several of which she designed), then as assistant dean for research.
Career aspiration: to become a full professor, supervising research and developing curricula. It started at Tech: “My introduction to robotics and mechatronics was through the robotics team.”
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• Twenty-three year IBM career • Alumni Foundation board member • BTHS major: computer science Current IBM role: driving strategy and software development for IBM’s Watson Health organization. AI meets healthcare: Bola’s team develops software combining advanced analytics and AI to drive smarter health ecosystems. This means simpler processes, better care, faster breakthroughs, and improved experiences for people around the world. Multi-skilled: Bola earned an MBA in marketing and information technology management.
A OYED L O B IJO
Global Program Director, IBM
’92
Women in IT: “There are not many that ‘look like me.’ When I walk into a room, the [first] reaction is often, ‘You must be the intern.’ For me it’s comical, but it speaks to how underrepresented Black women are in senior leadership roles in IT.”
YANA BR
It started at Tech: “My leadership style goes back to cheerleading: When leading a team, you have to be not only motivational but also foster an atmosphere for creativity, innovation, and productivity.”
ERG ’97 B OM
Associate Professor of Computational Biology, Rutgers University • Developed computational tools for microbiome analysis used by researchers worldwide • Research helping NASA search for signs of life on other planets • BTHS major: biomedicine Curriculum vitae: includes 75 published papers (and counting) and over 120 scholarly lectures. It started at Tech... in her genetics class: “I didn’t think any school offered that.”
Funded and honored by National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research Crohn’s disease and Tourette Syndrome. Creating a genome-based predictor of Crohn’s likely to lead to new drugs for prevention or treatment. NASA and life beyond Earth: “We are looking at the origins of life on this planet in order to design tests for life on other planets.” National Science Foundation Honor: for her teaching and microbiome research.
Women and STEM: “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something — if not you, then who can?” FALL
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Justice, NY Supreme Court Appellate Division • Former president, National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) • Former supervising judge, Civil Court, New York County • Board of Overseers, Cardozo Law School • BTHS major: chemistry Advocate for women: Led NAWJ in trademarking #WETOO IN THE LEGAL WORKPLACE. Potential fulfilled: “I never imagined I would become a judge; I came from humble beginnings. Many people saw the potential and gave me the opportunity.” Order in the court: “A court is a system of interpersonal relationships: the attorneys, the court officers, the clerk. A judge has many responsibilities: Above all, you want to be sure that justice is served.” Mentor: maintains an ongoing internship program for Brooklyn Tech students interested in a legal career. Lifelong ties: “I developed relationships with faculty and fellow students at Tech that I still have today. It gives me a sense of joy and fulfillment.”
Executive Director, Alliance of Artists and Recording Companies (AARC) • Three-decade career of advocating for recording artists’ and record company rights • Member of the first class of women to graduate with a four-year Tech education • BTHS major: college prep Artist Royalties: AARC is the leader in representing recording artists and copyright owners globally in home-taping, rental and other royalties. BTHS pioneer: “It was fun; it was challenging. The converted boys’ bathrooms took some getting used to, but none of that bothered me. I was so glad to be there. “As a 13-year-old girl entering Tech you think: so many guys, this is great. That lasts about a month. Then you stop seeing them as boys. You start seeing them as classmates – and competitors.” Tech taught her: “There were maybe 300 of us and nearly 6,000 boys. Tech prepared me to compete and be comfortable in a male-dominated curriculum and profession. I’ve heard women say sometimes the men don’t let them speak up. I’ve never had that experience.” Tech goes to the Grammys: That’s Linda’s original swim team T-shirt.
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LINDA (FIGUEROA) BOCCHI ’75 WWW.BTHSALUMNI.ORG
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: DANIEL GREEN, COURTESY OF THE SUBJECT, MATTHEW BOCCHI, GREG BOCCHI . RIGHT, NOAH KALINA, NICK LA CLAIR (INSET)
YA R. K N A EN T
ALUMNAE
H NATOCH A EN R A S
05 ’ NY
Actor • English language voice of Ash Ketchum, the main character in the Pokémon anime series and movies • 2019 winner of Voice Arts Award • BTHS major: technology & liberal arts Ash Ketchum: Wikipedia calls the animated protagonist Ash Ketchum a pop icon and “one of the most well-known and recognizable fictional characters of all-time.” Sarah has been his voice since she was 19 – almost 700 episodes and 15 movies. Voice Arts Awards winner: a global competition held by the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences. Versatility: Sarah is the narrator and voice of every character in Marvel’s “Black Widow: Bad Blood.” She has also been the voice of Tinkerbell in “Peter Pan,”
Marian in “Robin Hood” and has worked on many other TV shows, movies, games, toys, commercials, and more. She has also been a film editor for the last 10 years, covering many topics for MSNBC and working on narrative features. Gap year: Sarah took a year off from work to study international relations and the psychology of religious and political extremism. It started at Tech: Performed in a production of “Guys and Dolls,” and sang in the chorus: “I got a strong singing and music education. And with a thousand kids in my graduating class from all backgrounds all over the city, I gained a better understanding of the world around me.” Bi-coastal: Sarah splits time between NY and LA. Child Athlete: Bronze medal winner in rhythmic gymnastics at the 1999 Junior Olympics. FALL
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Iconic ALUMNAE
In 2007 Munira Ahmed ’02 posed for a photographer friend, modeling an unconventional approach to wearing a hijab. The photo ran on the cover of a Muslim cultural magazine and was then largely forgotten... ...Until artist Shepard Fairey spotted it a decade later, seeking inspiration for a poster series commissioned for the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, DC. The resulting poster showing Munira became iconic instantly. She literally became the face of that march, her image seen by millions globally. A political statement initially, the poster took on additional life. It hangs today in many homes and classrooms, a potent reminder that we are all – regardless of nationality or religion – Americans. “I’m not someone who really likes being in the public eye,” Munira says. “When I first saw the poster my reaction was, this was the first time I had seen something like that be very positive about Islam. It wasn’t on my mind that this was my face.” Munira notes proudly that poster sales raised over $1million for a group that uses art to support grassroots causes. She still sees the poster held aloft at rallies: “It makes women feel seen. You don’t have to be Muslim Poster: Shepard Fairey. to identify. It Photos: top, Ridwan Adhami; says, ‘I am this bottom, Droga 5. Below: Zoom person. I am that woman.’” photography by Kyle Han ’20
Research Assistant, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Wisconsin, Madison • Research area: computational catalysis • Undergrad majors: chemistry (Vassar), engineering (Dartmouth) • BTHS major: chemical engineering
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Catalysts: Lisa’s research seeks more cost-effective, environmentally-friendly catalysts for industrial uses like manufacturing polymers, plastics and dyes. Why it matters: “Current catalysts often use rare earth materials,
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Opening the Digital Door BY AMANDA TUKAJ ’15 Two women whose technology education began at Brooklyn Tech are opening the door to STEM for young girls in underserved communities across New York City. Digital Girl Inc., a non-profit founded and led by Michelle Gall, Class of 1996, provides handson training, mentorship and tutoring to girls, who in many cases have had no previous exposure to tech. Toni Robinson ’80 serves as programming director and board president. “We went into schools and said, ‘this is what your girls should be learning for this economy,’ Toni explained. Many of the elementary and middle schools they saw “had nothing” when they arrived, she added. Based in Bedford Stuyvesant, where less than 38 percent of the community has a high school education, Digital Girl’s mission is to create tech-savvy and empowered students who can find jobs that will lift them out of poverty. The organization offers free workshops, hack-a-thons, and programs in coding, web design, robotics and more. With a staff of about 25, they are in 15 schools and have mentored over 5,000 students. They have also have hired and mentored several Brooklyn Tech students as interns. It’s their way of giving resources and opportunities back to the Tech community. Digital Girl, Inc. has been in operation for over five years, and receives support from Google, Verizon, NationPhotos courtesy Digital Girl, Inc.: above: L Michelle Gall, R Toni Robinson. Right, program participants learn coding. Below: Lisa Je analyzes chemical components in a surface science lab.
al Grid, Con Edison, The Brooklyn Nets, Sprint and government officials. “Changing my career and going to the digital side of things really changed my life, and I started to wonder how to help other people do the same,” said Michelle, a one-time digital marketer. Michelle wishes she had had more guidance when she was navigating male-dominated industries, especially as a Black woman. The expectations and stigma she encountered motivated her to help young girls facing similar challenges – and, she said, “That’s how Digital Girl was born.” “A mother will say to us, ‘Oh my God, my daughter is in your program, thank you so much.’ There is no price to that kind of reward,” Michelle said. Toni was an electrical engineering major at Brooklyn Tech less than a decade after the school became coed, and found very few other girls in her classes. At home, she was discouraged from pursuing STEM. All the girls who have participated in Digital Girl’s programs have gone on to college, and while the organization’s focus has always been on girls, it also offers co-ed programs. “Find your support system. Find one person who can be a champion for you – a mentor or a teacher,” Michelle tells young girls who might be interested in STEM but are fearful of others casting judgment. “You also have to be confident in yourself, regardless. You can’t let your confidence come from other people.”
and are expensive and ineffective.” It started at Tech: Lisa interned at chemical company BASF, then working on catalytic converters for combustion engine vehicles. That (pardon the pun) catalyzed her interest. It started at home: “My love for chemistry began with the aromas of my mother’s cooking wafting into my brain, and I pursued these aromatics in organic chemistry.” Diversity: Passionate about increasing and supporting underrepresented students in engineering, Lisa is active in a volunteer campus group supporting that cause. Frequent visitor: Lisa visits Tech yearly, talking to students about opportunities in engineering and catching up with former teachers. FALL
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STUDENTS
FUTURE LEADERS STARS FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS ITHZEL TOSCANO ’21 • Weston Research Scholar • Science Olympiad multiple award winner • Co-president of student tutoring service Why engineering? I was convinced beyond belief I would be a lawyer. Then, I got to Tech. I realized I was an engineer at heart, and that no other profession made me feel the passion and freedom I felt while tinkering with electronics or writing some particularly complex code. Being a woman at Tech means… Initially I am underestimated, but my
gender doesn’t matter – because I get the job done. Career aspiration: Be a professor of mechanical or electrical engineering with my own lab where I can develop technologies that improve lives. Influential film: “Dora’s Fairytale Adventure.” Watching and re-watching it as a child is how I became the first in my family to learn English.
“Everything I don’t know, I want to learn. Everything people tell me I can’t do, I want to do.”
NIA BLANKSON ’20
MAJOR: industrial design COLLEGE: McGill
• Parliamentarian, National Honor Society
• Member, Tri-M National Music Honor Society • Co-MVP and co-captain, varsity soccer • Won third place, as a first-time entrant, in Tech’s annual Shakespeare Monologue Competition The class I’ll never forget: In orchestra, I used to be the one student who would play as quietly as possible, and put my music stand up high so I couldn’t be seen. However, my teacher believed in me. She
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helped me become more confident and gave me the opportunity to progress and grow. Orchestra had a huge role in my becoming the person I am today. Tech taught me: It’s OK to try things out of your comfort zone, discover new passions, and things that you don’t particularly like. Being a woman at Tech means… pushing the boundaries with academics, sports and extracurriculars. Cool thing I did: Our varsity soccer team made Tech history by becoming the first to reach the citywide finals. Role model: Phoebe Waller-Bridge Influential book: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Career aspiration: Definitely something in music. I would love to learn more about music composition.
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TOP ROW L TO R: ZOOM PHOTOGRAPHY BY KYLE HAN ‘20; ANITA PAN, REBECCA RONNING. BOTTOM ROW: JASPER WALDMAN ‘20
MAJOR: mechatronics
STUDENTS
SOLENNE WOLFE ’20 “My drive for success is coded as overly competitive. My educational accomplishments are perceived differently from those of my male counterparts.” MAJOR: environmental engineering COLLEGE: Dartmouth • Debate team captain, national debate champion
Memorable achievement: The debate team qualified for a national tournament.
• Created and published a student magazine
Role model: Joan of Arc
• Community gardener Challenge I overcame: Feeling small in a huge school. I want to be the first woman to… Earn a dollar to a man’s dollar.
“WE ARE THE CRISIS GENERATION”
ALICE GOYER ’20 MAJOR: physics COLLEGE: Harvard • Lead roles in three Tech musicals • Co-founder of a school club, “Tech Treks,” that helps Tech students gain opportunities and funding to study abroad • Silver medalist in Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards, a juried national competition • Granddaughter of a Tech alum (Harold Shair ’57)
Second coolest thing I did: Taught a yoga class on Tech’s new green roof.
Cool thing I did: Compiled my friends’ writing into a zine about Brooklyn Tech.
Influential book: “When Things Fall Apart” by Pema Chodron Influential film: Lady Bird My mustwatch TV: Cake Boss
From my résumé: Bilingual in French, proficient in Italian. Certified Autodesk Inventor user. Have worked with SolidWorks, soldering, basic circuitry, and 3D printing. Tech taught me: To self-advocate. Challenge I overcame: I used to be very shy, which is actually what got me into theater in the first place. I have been performing ever since. :) On studying abroad, postCOVID-19: I am optimistic that the appeal of travel will outweigh the fear once it is deemed safe and legal. Career aspiration: Pursue STEM in college, couple those skills with business, and enter the startup world. Role model: Elizabeth Warren My must-watch TV: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel On Tech’s stage as Grandmama in The Addams Family FALL
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SOPHIA CHOK ’20 “Asian women have traditionally been brought up to be quiet at home. Tech offers and creates an environment where if you want to be someone different, you can.” COLLEGE: Yale – National University of Singapore College (2021) • One of 15 recipients nationwide of a State Department-sponsored scholarship to study abroad • Varsity wrestling team • President, Advocates for Housing Rights Linguist: Speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, Malay, Hakka; working on Korean: “Languages have power as we become more global.” My gap year,2020-21: A U.S State Department intensive, immersive Korean language and culture study program in Seoul, Korea.
Why wrestling? “It empowers women. It made me stronger and tougher. It helped me stand my ground, physically and mentally.” Being a woman at Tech means… “To do beyond what is expected and be a powerful woman in the room. To inspire other women to be the same.” Always in my backpack: “A metal spoon. It’s more eco-friendly.” Cool thing I did: Raised over $7,500 and organized a 50-student trip to the annual Harvard Crimson Student Journalism Conference. Influential book: “The Prince” by Niccolo Machiavelli Career aspiration: Study urban studies, computer science and east Asian studies in college: “I’m not certain what career I will pursue, but I aim to uplift low-income, immigrant communities in New York City.”
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LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM: BTHS WRESTLING, SOPHIA CHOK, JASPER WALDMAN ‘20 RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM: JASPER WALDMAN ‘20, AMY BOBB, TIA BOBB
MAJOR: law and society
STUDENTS
MAJOR: software engineering COLLEGE: NYU Tandon • Computer-coding, viola-playing orchestra member who performed at Titans of Tech gala dinner • Member of student team that planned Tech’s first Founder’s Day
life stories, and the captivating, clear way he described history concepts. Influential book: The Bible Career aspiration: To be a software engineer at Google.
• Volunteer at Alumni Foundation office (event planning and alumni services) Why coding? It’s problem-solving, and I love puzzles. You feel powerful when you can tell a machine what to do.
“I got into robotics in third grade. I didn’t realize until middle school that the field I was interested in was male-dominated. If it’s a coding problem to solve, it doesn’t matter whether you are male or female.”
AMY BOBB ’20
How Tech changed me: Tech throws countless opportunities at you, so I’ve learned not to hesitate. Being a woman at Tech means… There are a lot of people not my gender in my field of study. However, we are not so different. If I could have a celebrity mentor: Lupita Nyong’o The class I’ll never forget: Global history, sixth period. I’ll never forget my teacher, Mr. Decker’s unique
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MAJOR: social science research COLLEGE: Haverford Filmmaker ( her documentary represented Tech at a National History Day competition)
Varsity table tennis
ABIGAIL ISAKOV ’20
From my résumé: With two classmates, produced a documentary about Woodstock: “A revolutionary festival that brought people together at a time when society was divided.” I want to be the first woman to… Create and lead an all-woman film company. Challenge I overcame: I came into Tech from a very small school, and social anxiety controlled my life. Over time, after joining several student organizations, I became more social, gained leadership roles, and soon was able to speak in front of hundreds of students. The moment I knew Tech was family: I spent a lot of time in 1W2,
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the office of Parent and Student Engagement, starting as a monitor. I developed a family there – some of the most important people in my life now. When I was dealing with stress and anxiety, they made me feel comfortable and relaxed, joking around but not invalidating my feelings. Sometimes, when I was scared to go into an office to hand in a form, my whole group would follow me there, motivating me and telling me things like: “You’re a queen, you got this!” Influential books: “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover; “Catching the Big Fish” by David Lynch My must-watch TV: Broad City
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CLOCKWISE FROM NEAR LEFT: JASPER WALDMAN ‘20, AYAN RAHMAN ‘20, EDWARD SUEN, KIKI JIANG
National Honor Society executive, Key Club treasurer
STUDENTS
MAJOR: biological sciences COLLEGE: Johns Hopkins • Founder and president of a school club to raise awareness and donations for autoimmune diseases • Teaches self-defense to young women • Co-chair, National Honor Society community service committee
REWAA ELGAZZAR ’20
Challenge I overcame: Being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis – the most difficult yet rewarding experience of my life. I didn’t expect a chronic condition to be one of the things I had to deal with. As I began to share my story, I found that several classmates shared the same struggles of having
an autoimmune condition. They helped me realize that although I might have to live with MS for the rest of my life, I should not allow it to interfere with my dreams and aspirations. Recent area of interest: Molecular genetics, the submolecular aspects of biology. Coolest experience: Learning the proof of Euler’s formula in calculus class. It blew my mind how all of the topics that we learned this year culminated in this one formula. I’m known around Tech for… Speaking out on social justice issues. Although I want to pursue a STEM-related career, I think it’s very important to be politically active, or at least aware. Career aspiration: Become a neurosurgeon; combine healthcare with activism to bring reform to that sector.
“Sometimes people think that good grades mean you are a hard worker, not that you are really smart. When I was accepted by Johns Hopkins someone said, ‘That’s crazy.’ Well, why is that crazy?”
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ASHA LAWRENCE ’21 “When girls see women doing powerful things, they follow in their footsteps.” • Student government officeholder • Social activist • Environmental activist How Tech changed me: It offers me new ways to cultivate my growing passion for social justice. This has confirmed my dream of a career in social justice. Activism… uplifts me. It gives me purpose and motivates me to question and challenge the world I live in.
I’m known at Tech for: My British accent. It’s a great conversation starter. Being a woman at Tech means… I can freely explore who I am, what I am interested in, and what I am passionate about – all while surrounded by other strong and intelligent women. Always in my backpack: My journal. Influential book: “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson My must-watch TV: Queer Eye
LEFT, TOP TO BOTTOM: AFRIDA AHMED, KIRIN LAWRENCE, JASPER WALDMAN ‘20 RIGHT, TOP TO BOTOM: JASPER WALDMAN ‘20, COURTESY OF THE SUBJECT, JACKIE YEE ‘20, JASPER WALDMAN ‘20
MAJOR: environmental science
SANJID MUSTARI ’20 MAJOR: law and society COLLEGE: City College of New York • Stage manager for school plays and musicals • Senior chair, National Honor Society’s parent services committee • Advanced placement scholar award Stage Managing: I’m usually glued to my headset whispering something like “Standby cue 17; cue 17 go!”… cues about lighting, sound, scene changes, or all three. My “go” is what activates things to change on stage. From my résumé: Volunteers in
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summer community arts and crafts program for elementary schoolers. Tutors elementary and middle school students preparing for state exams. The moment I knew Tech was family: Volunteering at Homecoming. For a lot of schools, graduation is pretty much the last time students interact with their alma mater. With Tech, it’s different. Tech is a community that’s always drawing you back in – and I can’t wait to attend the C entennial. Influential film: BlacKKKlansman
A STAGE MANAGER’S JOB
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STUDENTS
MAJOR: chemical engineering COLLEGE: Cornell • Science Olympiad state and regional medal winner • Created and led a club to help the homeless • Violinist First-generation, immigrant family: I was born in China and am the eldest sister and translator for my family – the bridge between them and America. My parents gave me the world and redefined what “immigrant” meant to me. Challenge I overcame: Accepting my Chinese-American identity and using it to empower others; growing comfortable with myself.
Tech taught me: To chase opportunities, view myself as a leader, and speak up about issues I believe in. Influential book: “My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Picoult My must-watch TV: Sherlock Role model: Mulan Career aspiration: Physician giving back to marginalized and underserved communities.
KELLY SU ’20
Cool thing I did: Chairing a Model United Nations committee on the persecution of Uyghur Muslims and watching my proposal come to life.
Kelly, studying on scholarship in Tokyo. in traditional Japanese yukata.
KEYLIN ESCOBAR ’20 “As a woman at this school, I love doing what people don’t expect of me. I smile to see people’s faces when I excitedly tell them I major in physics and I love it!” MAJOR: physics COLLEGE: Columbia • Weston Research Scholar • Science Olympiad: placed first twice in forensics regionals • Tri-M Music Honor Society Favorite subjects: Advanced placement physics, orchestra: “Equally unforgettable.” Academic revelation: I love how calculus ties up the concepts of physics so beautifully.
Cool thing I did: I built three musical instruments: a dulcimer, a zither, and a glockenspiel. Challenge I overcame: I was taken out of orchestra, the class I loved so much. This led me to learn the music myself and prepare for the concerts without the class. I ended up playing for multiple orchestras in concerts. I want to be the first woman to… be Hispanic and win a Nobel Prize. Being a woman at Tech means… I can help prove that physics is a field women can go into. Influential book: “The Way I Used to Be” by Amber Smith FALL
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THE YEAR OF COVID
LIVING IN THE YEAR OF COVID In a time of crisis, members of the Tech community responded with passion and action. • BY AMANDA TUKAJ ’15 WHEN JIM DIBENEDETTO ’71, Tech’s retired longtime choral director and football coach, was asked by nurses at NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn for help in obtaining face shields, he sprang into action. He raised $4,000, and the Alumni Foundation then struck a deal with Makelab, a Brooklyn-based 3D printing company, to provide 50 face shields per week. Laurie Zephyrin, MD ’92 is vice president of healthcare delivery system reform at the Commonwealth Fund, where she focuses on vulnerable populations. “It is a continuation of my life’s work of using healthcare and medicine as a vehicle for social change,” she said. Dr. Zephyrin has written policy papers and op-eds addressing inequities in healthcare Dr. Laurie Zephyrin that the COVID-19 epidemic highlighted. She has been quoted or published in major media
including the New York Times, LA Times, and Politico. Karina Popovich ’19 (right) is a student at Cornell University and founder of Makers for COVID-19, an international group of about 200 people with 3D printers. They produced 20,000 pieces of PPE a week and distributed them in the U.S., Ghana, Mexico and India. When the pandemic sidelined Deepti Sharma ’04’s corporate catering business, she organized a fundraiser to deliver meals to front line healthcare workers and a domestic violence shelter. She also partnered with a food relief nonprofit to serve up to 800 meals a week provided by restaurants her business normally works with. Deepti Sharma Penelope Kokkinides ’87 is chief administrative officer of healthcare company InnovaCare, with 19 clinics in Florida and Puerto Rico. When the pan-
STUDENT ART
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ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: MORE STUDENT ART
Sabrina Zhen WWW.BTHSALUMNI.ORG
PHOTOS: TOP L TO R, THE COMMONWEALTH FUND; COURTESY OF THE SUBJECTS (2); BTHS BLUEPRINT
Self-portrait from shelter-in-place: Visual arts teacher Edna
Pandemic Lessons BY NICOLE ZEF ’20
was “Pajama Day” at Tech. We walked the halls sporting flannel pants and silly onesies. We didn’t realize it was our last day – that we’d spend the rest of the year at home in pajamas. Until then I had taken walking through the Tech halls, making jokes in the cafeteria, and stuffing myself into an elevator for granted. I took seeing my friends every day for granted. Never in my life did I think these things could be taken away with one announcement from the mayor. But it happened. And it’s our duty to learn and grow from that. So my advice is: take nothing for granted. Chase every opportunity you see as if it’ll be gone by tomorrow. Answer that phone call, respond to that email, show up to that meeting. Indulge yourself in the “now.” If we can’t stop events from happening to us, we can control how we react to them. Even if we are stuck in a pandemic hoping graduation will be rescheduled, we are in control of our own path. And don’t let this situation undermine everything that happened over four years. Tech gave us so much more than this pandemic has taken away. MARCH 13
demic struck, she reinvented every aspect of their operation. She introduced telemedicine, safety and cleaning protocols, triage tents in parking lots and reconfigured treatment areas. Not one clinic missed one day of service during the transition. Jenny (Lam) Low ’82, director of community engagement at the New York City Council president’s office, helped run a program that delivered fresh produce to ChineseAmerican seniors, and partnered with Rethink Food NYC, a nonprofit that collaborates with restaurants, to distribute 45,000 meals a day. Jonathan Gao ’20, who aspires to work in healthcare, used skills he learned at Tech and $2,800 in GoFundMe campaign donations to 3D-print face shields for medical staff at NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center.
Adapted from the 2020 (virtual) Commencement valedictory address. Ms. Zef is now a freshman at Harvard.
Diolata’s class project at the pandemic ’s sprin g 2020 peak
Rachel Chen
Lola Korik FALL
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ALUM TRIBUTES
CELEBRATING The First 50 Years of Tech Women, Our Ruby Engineers, and Here’s To The Next Generation of Our Rubies. – Liz Sciabarra & Sue Mayham ’76
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Jerry Polizzi 1956 EVERY TIME I SEE “The Life and Works of Beethoven� by John N Burk, on my bookshelf, I am thankful to have been a student of Mary Heslin my special English teacher in 1954-56. She gave me this volume in support of my fledgling interest in classical music. Miss Heslin exposed a group of teens to many aspects of the humanities through personal readings, college level class discussions, visiting lecturers and field trips to various cultural events in New York City . The visit to a dress rehearsal at the Met had a life long impact. This was my first opera and opened a wonderful aspect of music which I have loved ever since. Through her inspiration and personal interest in her students, Mary Heslin provided the class with interests beyond the realm of technology into the worlds of music, philosophy, history, the Renaissance and Shakespeare. Even after c.65 years, I fondly remember Miss Heslin and am thankful to have had her as a teacher.
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Pamela Taylor Hurst ’76 Toni Jessop ’77 Robyn Allen-McKinnon McKinnon ’78 ’78 Michelle Michelle Danvers Danvers FaustFaust ’78 ’78 Lisa Morris Mathis ‘78 Denise Jeffrey-Elbert ’79 Jacqueline Mayo ‘79 Sandra Smith ‘79 Heidi Cox ’80 Rochelle Hall-Rollins ’80 Jackie Hartley ‘80 Lorri Pierce Vann ‘80 Robin Boyd-Clark ‘81 Allison Edwards ’81 Pia Farena Gero ’81 Traci Hughes-Velez ’81 Tami Johnson-McGee McGee ’81 ’81 RosiaRosia Blackwell Blackwell Lawrence Lawrence ‘81 ‘81 Lynette Pinckney ‘81 Germaine Walker ’81 Adriane Adriane Louard Louard Brown Brown ‘82 ‘82 Tara Tara Bullock Bullock Edmonds Edmonds ’82 ’82 Lesleigh Irish-Underwood Underwood ’82 ’82 Stephanie M. Mack ’82 Robin Matthew ‘82 Lisa Edmiston ‘83 Dana Jenkins-Krind ’83 Lolade Samuel-Cash ’83 Denice Clarke Ware ’83 Kim D’Abreu ‘84 Danielle Eaddy-Alleyne Alleyne ’84 ’84 Maxine Herbert ‘84 Valarie Hollingsworth ’84 Stephanie Stephanie Roddy Roddy Holloman Holloman ’84 ’84 Wanda Wanda Russ Kenscoff Russ Kenscoff ’84 ’84 Tatia Mays-Russell ‘84 Dorene Terry-Bess ’84 Michelle Fuller ’85
DELTA SIGMA THETA
SORORITY, INC.
Nadine Rosemond ’85 Miranda McFadden ’86 Stephanie Smith ‘86 Jen Payne Parish ’87 Tamara Jackson Britt ’88 Felicia Brown ‘88 Deirdra Smith ’88 Erika Balfour ‘89 Michelle Marshall Durant ‘89 Kea Hodges ’89 Zola Mashariki ‘89 Sharen Cox Phillips ‘89 Simone Barnett ’90 Thelma Evans ’90 Joann Lewis ‘90 Tanisha Mallet ‘90 Natasha Davis Bolden ’91 Jeanique Riche Druses ‘91 Laura Harding ‘91 Shahara Jackson ‘91 Thais Jiménez ’91 Keisha Mondi Johnson ‘91 Ava-Marie Madeam ’91 Janel Shervington ‘91 Jada Thompson ’92 Naneka Brathwaite ‘93 Faith Bynoe ‘93 Shelia Collins ’93 Celeste Douglas ‘93 Dalela Harrison ’93 Felicia Staton Olivas ‘96 Aisha Greene ’97 Ericka Merkman Williams ‘97 Trudy Smith Amin ’00 Laschaunda Cogburn ‘03 Vanessa Deravin ‘07 Antoinette Nelson ’07 Yesseña Brown ‘08
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Onida Coward Mayers
Nicole Alford ‘86
Tonya Black ‘82
Wanda Berry ‘86
Sonya Davie ’82
Laura Shepard ’86
Cheryl Dinkins ‘83
Cydney Bowers Taylor ’86
Lisa Rodgers Gardner ’83
Crystal Bobb-Semple ’87
Jeanine Anderson Molock ’84
ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, INC.
Sharlene R. Forbes ’87
Kelli Craig-Henderson ’84
Nicole Foster ‘87
Yanique LeCadre ’84
Candice Richardson ’87
Dionne Whitfield-Ledford ’84
Samantha Carter Hill ‘87
Tanya R. Kennedy ‘85
Christine Pembroke-Davie ’10
Brooklyn Tech Track and Field Alumni Celebrate 50 Years of Women at Tech INAUGURAL TEAM Joan Sterrett Allah ’75, Sharon Munroe ’76, Deborah Clark ’76 Pamela Robinson ’76, Valerie Walker ’76, Janice Flaherty ’76, Delores Kenzie ’76, Deidre Hudson ’76, Ellen Cleghorne ’76, Beth Goodman ‘76 Regina Nelson ’77, Jackie Brown Tindall ’77, Rochal Roach George ’77, Bo Tsao ’77, Althea Johnson Evans 78, Delores Gerald ’78, Veronica Small ’78, Karen Gray ’79, Judy Moody Woods ’79, Myra Bellamy ’79, Lorna Atmore ’79, Cecila Rivers ’79, Donna Foster Salongo ’79, Sonia Babb ’80, Marcia Brown ’80, Audrey Churchill ’80, Heidi Cox ’80, Andrea Currie ’80, Maureen Dennis ’80, Karren Elliott ’80, Linda Falcon ’80, Michelle George ’80, Beverly Green, ’80, Rochelle Hall ’80, Jackie Hartley ’80, Sherell Henry ’80, Lisa Holley ’80, Bonita Innes ’80, Cheryl Jackson ’80, Jennifer Jones ’80, Sandra Lafayette ’80, Philicia Lloyd ’80, Yolanda Mitchell ’80, Valerie Oliver ’80, Andrea Patterson ’80, Benita Phanorod ’80, Ellen Polydore ’80, Rudelle Sargent ’80, Jennifer Serrant ’80, Sherry Selman ’80, Sherry Selman ’80, Tanya Smith ’80, Mia Mahedy ’80, Wendy Armstrong Clark ’80, Robyn Allen McKinnon ’80, Kay Moore Benjamin ‘80, Deborah Page Scott ’81, Lola Sergeant ’83, Lynda Wyatt- Grier ’84, Dionne Sinclair ’85, Denise Joseph ’87, Michelle Rogers ’87 CLASS OF 2020 Kayla Wong ’20, Wennie Chen ’20, Rachel Lai ’20, Christy Huynh ’20, Lucinda Doogan ’20, Isabell Fitch ’20, Chloe Islip ’20, Astrid Obadia ’20, Jenny Yang ’20, Helena Oiwa ’20, Amira Dixon ‘20
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With Gratitude and Deep Appreciation TO
Helaine Drucker, Helen Bennett, and George Moriber Who inspired me to be an educator.
Matt Mandery 1961
Lesleigh Irish-Underwood ’82 Penelope Kokkinides ’87 Susan Mayham ’76 Margaret Murphy ’83 Bola Oyedijo ’92 Valmira Popinara ’18 Deepti Sharma ’04 Denice Ware ’83
Learn in abundance Lead with conviction Leave a legacy
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Paulette Clark-Norfleet 1983 WHEN I THINK of Brooklyn Tech and honoring the mark WOMEN have made at Tech, I think of Mrs. Lillian Fiore. Mrs. Fiore was my history teacher twice (1981 & 1983) while I attended Tech. But she was more than a history teacher, she was and is an inspiration. Almost every year since my graduation from Tech I would come back to visit the school and visit her classroom, over these 37 years since my graduation I don’t believe a year has passed that I haven’t spoken to Mrs. Fiore. She probably isn’t aware, but she was a support when my mother was diagnosed with Breast Cancer, and when I possibly couldn’t take some of my final exams due to illness, she once again stepped in to assist. From a teacher, mentor to now a dear friend, I salute Mrs. Lillian Fiore an amazing teacher, wife, mother, grandmother and WOMAN of TECH!
Darvin Darling 1998 With honor and respect for my spouse,
Dr. Sophia Lubin ’96
Irwin Shapiro 1947 TECH HAS ALWAYS had women, but only in the last half century have most of them been students. In my day, in the 1940s, the only women were older and mostly teachers. The one who had the most profound effect on my life was my English teacher, Sylvia Feldschuh; she was very kind, considerate, low-key, understanding, extremely smart, and an excellent teacher, who instilled a love for literature, alas not a lasting success with me.
Queen Precious Jewel Earth Zabriskie White 1996 Saluting 50 Years of Tech Women
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ALUM TRIBUTES
POSTINGS:
Honoring The Special Tech Women In Our Lives Carlos Lopez 1969 I salute all the women that graduated and attend Brooklyn Tech. I graduated in 1969 before they were admitted as students.
grow, Thanks to my Class of ’83 classmates who made my Tech years so memorable. Proud to be a Technite and part of the 50 Years of Tech Women celebration.
Fanying Jen 1996 Wishing you all the best of success and don’t anyone or anything stand in the way of your maximum potential.
Sara Schoenwetter So proud of our daughter, Shaina Doherty ‘01 and current faculty member! Mom and Dad
Carol Brinkley 1979 Ms. Sciabarra is the BEST! Women of Tech, cherish the memories and the relationships from this institution. There’s no other place like it.
Gail Reilly Congratulations to all Tech women who smashed the glass ceiling,“to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition, to know everyone’s life has breathed easier because you lived this is to have succeeded.” Fondly, Gail
Richard Torres 1967 This is to hope that the women who came after I left Tech were a fine example. They provided the course for the future of Tech. Yakik Rumley 1993 I am thrilled to support this cause. Stephen Harbin 1982 To Pamela Walker (1983): You’re an amazing attorney, one of the best! Thank you for your help and guidance in assisting your fellow Technite with my affairs, to ensure that my dad’s wishes regarding his estate are fulfilled. David Lee 1978, Tech Alumni Foundation With great respect for our women engineers and teachers. Dorothy Teneketges Bennett 1982 Here’s to celebrating all my Tech sisters across the years who I know are making a difference in this world. Debra Johnson Lamb 1975 My husband Alvin and I met in the Spring of 9th Grade at Tech in 1973 and have been together for 47 years (happily married 43 years). Richard Gollin 1945 I attended Tech as a teen during WWll. There were no women attending, so I was utterly callow when attending college. Fortunately, Tech had taught me many crucial procedures, such as Rule One of every Shop. “Clear your work space.” So I’ve now been happily married for seventy years. Janet Calderon Congratulations and Best Wishes, Linda! It was always apparent that as a woman, you would make a significant contribution to society. Your perseverance and commitment to excellence was inscribed in your DNA and noticeable even as a young girl living in Brooklyn! The love and support of your parents played a role in that desire. Hugs & Kisses, Janet aka Cuca Selena Lee 1983 Thanks for ALL my amazing teachers, especially Mr. Zimmerman. He saw the potential in all his students and helped us
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Jerry Justvig 1975 Congrats to all BTHS alumnae! Thank you to Alice Hartley,French Teacher extraordinaire! Rest in Peace! Paola Garcia 1996 Graphic Communications Major, STEM Educator, Earthship Builder, Researcher, Event Curator & Accredited Green Roof Professional. Started Conscious Orchards dedicated to Earth & Human Stewardship, which focuses on creating multilingual programming & curriculums around BuiltEnvironments, Food Systems and Cultural Literacy. Recognizing the urgent need to adapt design to climate change and bridge the urban & ecological spheres, Paola focuses heavily on community-involved initiatives that promote resiliency & enhance relations between humans and nature. Check her out: IG @SassyPLG Gregory Bocchi 1975 “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”—Eleanor Roosevelt Congratulations to my amazing and accomplished wife, Linda Figueroa— Class of 1975, and all the pioneering women of Tech. You have all made Brooklyn Tech proud! Rev. Denise M. Jeffrey-Elbert 1979 My forever gratitude goes to Mrs. Elaine Osterweil, my freshman math teacher. Success in her class set the precedence of success for the rest of my life! Ed LaGrassa 1965 I celebrate all the women on the Alumni Board. Dr. Katherine Vorvolakos 1991 with her niece, Yianna Manolakos 2022
Gretchen Mullins Kim 1984 I had Ms. Marcia Weiser for AP Calculus my senior year at Tech. She had such confidence in me when I faltered in this class because not my strongest subject. She also made me feel special because she really noticed me as a person and not just a student. We have remained friends to this day. Sonya Hunte 1995 is the Senior Director for the Anchorage (AK) School District’s Office of Equity and Compliance. A former board member of the National Association for Social Workers, she is also connected to the community as a member of both, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and The Links, Inc. Eugene Wilson 1981 Mrs. Marcia Weiser - great math teacher. Her teaching enabled me to get my Electrical Engineering degree. Pamela Taylor-Hurst 1976 Bilingual Mentorship MBA,Guidance Counsellor College HBCU Recruitments & Fundraising: Oasis of Peace Wellness Exec. Director Golden Diamond Life member Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Alana Gayman 1973 Brooklyn Tech was a refuge for a nerdy teenage girl when being a girl and a nerd anywhere was not considered cool in most places. May Tech continue to be a place of growth and discovery for generations to come! Ed Rosenthall Mrs. Engler, Thanks for guiding me through Tech 1959-1963. Veronica Session 1977
Joan AlexanderBakiriddin 1986 As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of women at Brooklyn Tech, I send this message of hope: A strong woman is a woman determined to do something others are determined not be done. – Marge Piercy Let’s learn from the first female Technite; step into your purpose and remain focused. You can make a difference. Steven J. Marcus 1960 When I was at Tech, it was academically excellent, as always, but also a
dark, joyless, detached, narrowminded, and regimented place. Upon graduating, I never wanted to see it again. But when, by luck, I reconnected about 15 years ago, I was amazed that Tech seemed to have been totally transformed into a high-spirited and joyful place. Now the opposite of regimented, it appears to inspire its great diversity of students, faculty, and staff to follow their own hearts and strive to be the best that they can individually be. This respect for diversity, I imagine, was the prime mover of its seemingly magical transformation. Pat Cirillo Cuzzocrea / Former Teacher / Cirillo Scholarship I would like to recognize and thank my mentor, colleague and friend, Elaine Osterweil, for making my initial year of teaching mathematics at Brooklyn Tech a wonderful experience. Martin Brooks 1968 If women had been admitted to Tech when I was there, life would have been perfect. Larry Kearney 1959, Mike Potegal 1959 In fond memory of: Mary Patricia Heslin Schmidtberger We attended Brooklyn Tech from 1955-59. One of our strongest and warmest shared memories is of Mary Schmidtberger (née Heslin) who was our homeroom and our English teacher. She was a lovely and entirely self-possessed woman with a commanding presence; some of us could hear the Irish in her voice and knew that her parents had been born there. Through careful planning, well argued persuasion and, when necessary, guile, Mary created an honors English class. She seemed to live for it. She scared everyone by demanding that we read the Norton Anthology of American Literature, Shorter Edition, a fat compendium that didn’t seem all that short to us, over the summer and be ready to answer questions about it on Day 1 of the fall semester. She later explained that this big assignment was intended to show that the Honors class meant business. She was, in fact, a sublime teacher, demanding but kind. Compassion shone in her large, bright eyes as she guided the writing of her adolescent novices. What she had to say could be personal and critical but so engaged that it was just alright. Her support made Tech into a friendlier place and helped us through our various adolescent crises. She was both inspired and inspiring. She founded the Scholarship Library in a broom closet on the fifth floor, and scheduled times for individual use. WWW.BTHSALUMNI.ORG
ALUMNAE
Women of Distinction
Under her direction our class put on a production of J.B., a retelling of the story of the biblical figure Job by Archibald MacLeish. We had never imagined ourselves doing such a thing - it hadn’t opened on Broadway yet (some of us still can’t believe we did it). Mary was also faculty advisor of Horizons literary magazine which we put together in our final year. After it went to press she took all of us to The Jumble Shop on Eighth Street in the Village. We had dinner and talked and, hey, we were real people. Mary got married in our last year and invited us all. Out there on the Long Island grass we felt seriously honored and indefinably sad. After we left Tech, a few of us would get on the tubes and head over to her place in Jersey City, unannounced. We’d ring the bell and stand there stupidly, and she’d smile and let us in and sit with us talking about college and the world. A remarkable woman and a wonderful friend. Back in the day, when the class had become too raucous, Mary would smile and bid us a Shakespearean “Prithee, peace.” She died in 2006 in Kansas where she’d been living with her husband, Loren Schmidtberger, and her three children. Prithee peace, indeed, Mary.
Sukari Brown 2009
Michelle Rogers 1987
GOVERNMENT
Jenelle Callender 1999 “Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong, it’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” -- G.D. Anderson. Saluting the amazing women of the Brooklyn Tech Track Team! Tech Track Forever.
Justin Schechter 1973
Jenny (Lam) Low ’82 is director of community engagement for the New York City Council President.
Venesa Alicea-Chuqui 2000
Adrianne Washington 1983
Eleni Angelpolis 1988
Adrienne Williams 1975
Steven Bauman 1979
Denise Wintz 1980
Lubov Bogopolskaya
Lynda Wyatt 1985
SCIABARRA
represented by young women. My role has never wavered. I have always felt that I had to encourage the female voice and to ensure that my “kids” were always included and respected. I was also there to listen and to provide sound advice, so their roles in the school would not be diminished because of their gender.
[continued from page 5] invest in Tech. In sports they excelled in team and individual performance. But mostly, they found ways to prove that they were at Tech, were going to stay, and be forces to be reckoned with. To d ay of cou r s e, you ng women are on equal footing with young men; they have graduated with honors and attended the most prestigious schools. In fact, over the last ten years, the salutatorian and valedictorian selections have both been overwhelmingly
Frederick Butcher 1962 Steve Caddle 1987 Louis Camacho 1975 Edward Carroll 1966 Leona Chin 1976 Kim D’Abreu 1984 Sonya Davie 1982 Cathy DeMarinis Mueller 1975 Tyrone Dixon 1970 David Gilbert 1960 Robert Krasny 1969 Carol LaPunzina 1978 Rande H. Lazar, MD 1969 Myron Levy 1959 Kendra R. Mathias 1998 Lexi Murman 2016 Christine Pembroke 2010 Miriam Perez 1985 Kathline Pierre Sunflower Aisha Ponds 1991 Jack Prince Victoria Reyes, MD 1988 Tonya Rice 1982 Cecilia Rivers 1979
Thandekile Shange 1985 Suki Toguchi 2001 Susan Tom 1994 Christina Toufexis 1988 Crystal Walthall 2003
Ms. Sciabarra, known to all at Tech as “Ms Ski,” held senior positions in the Department of Education after leaving Tech, and then returned home to serve as Executive Director of the Alumni Foundation.
Tech alumnae are everywhere. A small, random sample:
Lesleigh Irish-Underwood ’82 was elected to the Alumni Foundation Board of Directors. The Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for United Way of New York City, she is the second Director from her class, joining Wilton Cedeno. ACADEMIA/EDUCATION Dalia Kagan ’12 is a math teacher in New York
Annie Zhu ’12 holds world agegroup records in swimming. BUSINESS
Claudette Shephard, MD ’79 is associate professor and residency training director at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine.
Dupe Ajayi ’95 is a marketing strategist at The Shed.
ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, MEDIA
Janessa Cox-Irvin ’99 is global head of diversity & inclusion at Alliance Bernstein.
Actress Ellen Cleghorne ’76 was a Saturday Night Live cast member, 1991-1995. Christine Ko ’03 (known as Miss Ko) is an award-winning singersongwriter and rapper.
Akasha Lawrence Spence ‘06 is the newest member of the Oregon House of Representatives. JOURNALISM Jeanine AguirreRamirez ’88 is an Emmy-nominated Spectrum NY1 Brooklyn reporter and news anchor. HEALTHCARE/SCIENCE /ENGINEERING Emma Costa ’14 is a PhD student in neuroscience at Stanford University. Sophia Khan ’98 is a dentist and assistant professor at the University of Colorado. Zujaja Tauqeer, MD ’07, a Rhodes Scholar, is now a resident in ophthalmology at Penn Medicine. ATHLETICS
Katie Blitz ’12 is a senior account executive at PR firm DKC.
Umindi Francis Denis ’94 is the founder and CEO of Umindi Francis Consulting Group. Arlene Isaacs Lowe ‘76 is global head of corporate social responsibility for Moody’s and President of Moody’s Foundation. Tatia Mays-Russell ’84 is Chief Financial Officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association. Tanya Soman ’09 became the youngest female to make Venture Partner at 500 Startups. FASHION and ART Nsenga Knight ’99 is an artist with many exhibitions, awards and residencies. Nzinga Knight ’99 is an awardwinning designer and fashion authority. Kim Taylor ’81 is a textile artist; her art quilts were exhibited at the African American Museum of Nassau County.
Compiled by Erica Shum ’20 from research by Lisa Trollback (Alumni Foundation) and alumnae submissions.
Anne Cebula ’16 is an NCAA national gold medalist in fencing. Kai Poux ’20 is a nationally ranked wrestler.
THERE’S MUCH MORE ONLINE: - HEALTHCARE - TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE - MILITARY - LAW, EDUCATION, ETC. TO ACCESS, SEE BOX, PAGE 1
Erinn Smart ’97 is an Olympic medalist (2008) fencer. FALL
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Annual Report
• National Grid – Our partnership with National Grid continues into its eighth year supporting the Middle School STEM Pipeline Program. • Con Edison – A new grant from Con Edison is enabling Tech to build a greenhouse as an extension to the environmental science lab. In addition, they have committed $5000 to support our Robotics Team and continue to support a summer internship program for rising Tech seniors. • Leon Root MD Motion Analysis Lab – Hospital of Special Services – This new partnership provides research opportunities for Weston Research students and visits to the lab by Tech students. • Picattiny Arsenal – Picattiny Arsenal has provided a mentor and financial support for our robotics team. • Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology – A partnership has enabled us to replace computers in the Environmental Science Lab; the dedication of the lab took place during the 2019-20 school year. • New York Institute of Technology – we are working with NYIT to develop ties to our media major. NYIT continues to provide support to make the course management software, Moodle available to Brooklyn Tech on a school-wide basis. • Turner Construction - Worked with Turner to make a comprehensive scholarship/internship program in construction management at Pratt Institute available to Brooklyn Tech students. Continued to work with Turner to maintain our connection with the Turner Youth Force 2020 program. • ACE Mentor Program – Through our partnership with ACE we have been 34
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able to expand the number of internship experiences available to Brooklyn Tech students. • Long Island University – the partnership with the School of Pharmacology provides research opportunities for Weston Research Scholars. LIU has sponsored two new majors – the first is an accelerated program leading to a PhD in Pharmacology and Physical Therapy and the second is in Advanced Health Professions. • Rutgers University – The Civil Engineering Department of Rutgers School of Engineering is providing professional advice in the development of our Materials Testing Lab and has provided tours of their facilities. • Stevens Institute of Technology – Our partnership with Stevens continues to develop. It provides internships for Weston Scholars and dialogue between Stevens professors and Brooklyn Tech faculty. • Dow – a new partnership with Dow Inc. is providing funding for equipment in the Materials Testing Lab. • NYU Tandon School of Engineering – Continues to provide research internships, access to the ARISE Program, ties to the ACE Mentor Program and the Dynamic Systems Lab.
PROGRAMS LEANDRO P. RIZZUTO INTERNSHIP PROGRAM- Rizzuto,’56 sponsors our internship program which provides field based opportunities for our students. • The Architecture Construction Engineering (ACE) Mentorship Program continues to be a popular program. • Our ‘flagship’ internship, The BTHSCon Edison Summer Internship Program, provided internships for students from the Electrical, Megatronics & Robotics, Physics and Math majors. • Futures and Options popular program providing career exploration and internships.
• Tech alum who attend Homecoming and Career Day are looking for ways to provide meaningful internship opportunities. At least a third of the 50 internships posted on the school website are from Tech alum. WESTON RESEARCH SCHOLARS PROGRAM – Josh ’46 and Judy Weston sponsor a research programs designed to pair students with a Brooklyn Tech mentor and an external mentor to pursue research in all STEM areas. • Coordinated research experiences for sophomores, juniors and seniors in the program. • Produced a research journal documenting the work of the Weston Research Scholars Class. • Conducted the recognition program and White Coat Ceremony which included a welcoming of new members. MIDDLE SCHOOL STEM PIPELINE PROGRAM Brooklyn Technical High School in collaboration with the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation and National Grid launched the STEM Pipeline program in July 2013 to introduce Middle School students to the exciting world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The program is designed to develop the next generation of STEM leaders by opening the world of science and technology to middle school students and prepare them for the challenges facing them in high school, college and careers. Preparation for the Specialized High School Admission Test, SHSAT, is incorporated into the program to enable access to the specialized high schools. We draw our participants from Brooklyn middle schools that are under-represented in the specialized high schools. Students in the program experience a variety of project-based activities including design and modeling, automation and robotics, energy and the environment, and WWW.BTHSALUMNI.ORG
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PARTNERSHIPS ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES FOR BROOKLYN TECH STUDENTS
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Annual Report
the science of technology. The classes are taught by Brooklyn Tech faculty and current Brooklyn Tech students serve as assistants. Upon graduating from middle school, students who are admitted to Brooklyn Tech continue in the program having the opportunity to study at one of the nation’s premier specialized STEM high schools. JEFFREY M. HAITKIN ‘62 FACULTY GRANT PROGRAM - supports faculty, student activities, and curriculum enhancements. The grant program, enables teachers to attend professional conferences, earn additional professional credentials, receive training to stay at the cutting edge of their craft, bring teaching tools to the classroom that otherwise would not be available, expand instructional opportunities for students. Grants have been awarded in many categories including: NASC; Zome tools for mathematics classes, LEAD conference for the Student Government Organization; DNA Lab materials; College Board Training for teachers teaching Advanced Placement and the Capstone Project; Chemistry Manipulatives for classroom use; National Society of Black Engineers, Debate, Mock Trial, AMC Math Contest; Science Olympiad and a host of other items. SCHOLARSHIPS - Office manages $17,000 in scholarships annually started by alums in memoriam or for subject area recognition. Our office obtains the names of the nominees, makes certain that each
meets the selection criteria, presents letters at Senior Awards night and makes disbursements before the end of the school year.
EVENTS/ACTIVITIES/ INITIATIVES CAREER DAY - We recruited speakers with the help of alums, friends, local community, and the Parents Association. We generally have 200 attendees who cover close to 250 classes consisting of junior and senior major classes, freshman and sophomore English classes, freshman DDP classes, AP Computer Science, and sophomore digital electronics classes RECENT ALUMNI DAY - Our target audience base consisted of individuals that were 5 years out, or less. Alums were given schedules of two-three classes within their previous major, or those that were closely aligned with their college studies. They were also given different key-points to speak on, depending on whether they were freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors. Overall attendance includes 400+ alumni. HOMECOMING -Homecoming has become a two-day event. Friday, we showcase the school by hosting a panel discussion in the auditorium and guided tours. The day culminates with lunch at Juniors. Saturday begins with an auditorium presentation. We have showcased our award-winning STEP Teams – the Lady Dragons and Organized Chaos, our jazz band and our
ACCOUNT STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES AND CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
UNRESTRICTED SUPPORT
TEMP RESTRICTED
PERM RESTRICTED
TOTAL 2019
TOTAL2018
696,505
292,860
489,365
905,687
REVENUE
983,941
525,640
1,509.631
1,460,164
NET ASSETS RELEASED FROM RESTRICTIONS
362,239
362,239
TOTAL SUPPORT AND REVENUE
2,042,685
456,311
EXPENSES
2,280,119
CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
(237,434)
456,311
NET ASSETS BEGINNING OF THE YEAR
4,991,256
1,211,405
NET ASSETS END OF THE YEAR
4,753,822
1,667,716
Parentheses indicates a negative number
2,498,896
2,371,851
2,280,119
2,122,250
218,877
249,601
7,817,212
14,019,873
13,770,272
7,817,312
14,238,750
14,019,873
chorus. We have also presented an excerpt from our spring musical. Classrooms were open for alumni visits. Saturday night was capped off with individual anniversary year parties at different venues throughout the five boroughs. RUBY ENGINEERS – Leadership and selfesteem building group for young women founded by Susan Mayham ’76. MIDDLE SCHOOL OUTREACH-The Foundation hosted several major events at Tech for parents and students of Brooklyn middle schools. We had excellent attendance and interacted with over 11,000 participants. The Department of Education’s Office of Student Enrollment as well as the Office of Assessment participated in two of these workshops. The DOE also helped us obtain directories, handbooks and changes to the test booklet for each of these workshops. We participated in Outreach events at various middle schools throughout the five boroughs. Our newest outreach effort is partnering with District 13 to help them expose more of their students to rigorous math instruction and the content of the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test. We participated in two specialized high schools fairs this summer and three sessions on high school admissions. The middle school outreach group assists at these events and helps facilitate parent sign-ups at each event. TITANS OF TECH DINNER -This event recognizes the achievements of Technites and their philanthropy. TECH CELEBRATION - We recognize former faculty, alumni who have graduated within the last 25 years, alumni who have had sports careers seeded in Tech, distinguished alumni and friends of Tech who have provided extraordinary service. HALL OF FAME – The induction ceremony is held in June. Alumni are honored for their extremely successful careers and their outstanding contributions to society. FALL
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Lifetime Giving $1,000,000 + Isaac Heller ‘43 Norman K. Keller ‘54 Leonard Riggio ‘58 Leandro P. Rizzuto ‘56 Charles B. Wang ‘62 Josh S. Weston ‘46 $500,000 + John A. Catsimatidis ‘66 & United Refining Company Fred M. Grafton ‘44 Achilles Perry ‘58 Floyd Warkol ‘65 $250,000 + James Fantaci ‘64 Victor Insetta ‘57 Erik Klokholm ‘40 $100,000 + Harold Antler ‘46 Charles A. DeBenedittis ‘48 Susanne D. Ellis Howard Fluhr ‘59 & The Segal Company Jeffrey M. Haitkin ‘62 Herbert L. Henkel ‘66 Stuart Kessler ‘47 Alfred Lerner ‘51 Richard Mack Stephen C. Mack Frederick C. Meyer ‘40 Michael F. Parlamis ‘58 Lee James Principe ‘56 Richard H. Schnoor ‘49 & Mary Jane Schnoor Louis H. Siracusano Sr. ‘60 Thomas J. Volpe ‘53 Michael A. Weiss ‘57 $50,000 + David Abraham ‘48 Martin V. Alonzo ‘48 Willard N. Archie ‘61 John Arfman Anthony J. Armini ‘55 Larry Birenbaum ‘65 Peter J. Cobos ‘72 Robert F. Davey ‘58 Jacob Feinstein ‘60 Peter A. Ferentinos ‘55 Joseph J. Jacobs ‘34 Joseph J. Kaminski ‘56 Richard M. Kulak ‘56 Rande H. Lazar ‘69 William L. Mack ‘57 Michael Minikes ‘61 Carmine A. Morano ‘72 Robert C. Ochs ‘59 Sherman Rigby ‘46 Alan M. Silberstein ‘65 $25,000 + Martin V. Alonzo Jr. & Marlene Alonzo & Sabrina Alonzo Anonymous ‘67 Lawrence A. Baker ‘61 Douglas Besharov ‘62 Larry L. Cary ‘70 & Cary Kane, LLP Dorcey Chernick Joseph M. Colucci ‘54 Kenneth D. Daly ‘84 John di Domenico ‘69 James DiBenedetto ‘71 Andras Frankl ‘67 Jason Haitkin Penny Haitkin Lawrence S. Harte ‘49
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Alice C. Hartley Eric Kaltman ‘60 Penelope Kokkinides ‘87 Mathew M. Mandery ‘61 Robert Marchisotto ‘47 Betty J. Mayer Arnold J. Melloy ‘40 Margaret Murphy ‘83 & NYStaffsearch Murray H. Neidorf ‘45 Bert Reitman ‘63 John B. Rofrano ‘61 Patrick Romano ‘43 George E. Safiol ‘50 Harry Scheuer ‘48 Anthony P. Schirripa ‘67 William Sheluck Jr. ‘58 John C. Siltanen ‘31 Ned Steele ‘68 Chester Wong ‘94 William H. Wong ‘64 $10,000 + Jeanine Aguirre-Ramirez ‘88 Frederick H. Ajootian ‘41 Joseph Angelone ‘63 Mark Arzoomanian ‘83 Tony Bartolomeo ‘70 Emanuel Becker Cindy L. Bird-Kue ‘86 Robert H. Buggeln ‘57 LeRoy N. Callender ‘50 Wilton Cedeno ‘82 Nicholas Y. Chu ‘77 John V. Cioffi ‘67 William A. Davis Jr. ‘59 Thomas C. DeCanio ‘63 Al D’Elia ‘67 Murray Dropkin ‘62 Jonathan D. Dubin ‘74 Leonard Edelstein ‘55 Jeff Erdel ‘63 John J. Eschemuller ‘65 Richard R. Ferrara ‘59 Keith Forman ‘76 Bernard R. Gifford ‘61 Jeffrey L. Goldberg ‘69 Jacob Goldfield Domingo Gonzalez ‘72 Eugene J. Gottesman ‘47 George Graf ‘70 William H. Henry ‘57 K. Steven Horlitz ‘64 Joy H. Hsiao ‘87 Edward H. Kadushin ‘57 Charles Kyrie Kallas ‘37 Leslie P. Kalmus ‘56 Steve H. Kaplan ‘63 Elizabeth Korevaar Eliza Kwong ‘93 Edward T. LaGrassa ‘65 Richard E. LaMotta ‘60 Lauren Soloff Franklin F. Lee ‘77 Salvatore Lentini ‘79 Michael Levine ‘61 Glenn Y. Louie ‘59 Stephen J. Lovell ‘57 Lawrence C. Lynnworth ‘54 John M. Lyons ‘66 Sidney A. Mayer ‘46 Susan Mayham ‘76 Victor Montana ‘60 & Patricia Vasbinder Ellen Mazur Thomson George W. Moran ‘61 John Moy ‘58 Shana Mummert John R. Murphy ‘61 Michael D. Nadler ‘52 Alan S. Natter ‘69 Hau Yee Ng-Lo ‘80 FALL
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Floyd R. Orr ‘55 Eugene Picone ‘76 Michael G. Reiff ‘72 Daniel K. Roberts ‘43 Edward Roffman ‘68 Robert M. Rosen ‘51 Edward R. Rothenberg ‘61 William J. Rouhana Jr. ‘69 Edward P. Salzano ‘64 Alfred Schroeder ‘46 Phyllis Scroggie Irwin I. Shapiro ‘47 Moshe Siegel Roy B. Simpson ‘41 Lawrence Sirovich ‘51 Barry Sohnen ‘70 Daniel Stahl Jonnie Stahl Ronald P. Stanton ‘46 Stuart Subotnick George J. Suffal ‘53 Joseph N. Sweeney ‘48 Michael Tannenbaum ‘58 Daniel Tomai Wesley E Truesdell ‘46 Armand J. Valenzi ‘44 George L. Van Amson ‘70 Salvatore J. Vitale Jr. ‘56 Ralph B. Wagner ‘51 Louis Walkover ‘37 Stephen Weinryb ‘75 Anre Williams Steven Wishnia ‘66 Douglas Yagilowich ‘76 Randi Zinn $5,000 + Ron S. Adler ‘68 Louis G. Adolfsen ‘67 Kenneth S. Albano ‘68 Michael A. Antino ‘60 Joseph F. Azara Jr. ‘64 Donald Bady ‘48 Rudolph Bahr Jr. ‘41 Randell Barclay Eric D. Barthell ‘75 Theodore Bier Harry H. Birkenruth ‘49 Syd Blatt Anthony Borra ‘58 Marty Borruso ‘71 Thomas Breglia ‘76 Robert B. Bruns ‘55 Charles Cahn Jr. Dominic N. Castellano ‘45 Joseph A. Cavallo ‘58 Sylvia Cember Samuel D. Cheris ‘63 Robert J. Ciemian ‘59 Leonard B. Comberiate ‘69 Deirdre D. Cooke ‘80 Peter J. Coppolino ‘61 Brian Cosgrove Joseph L. Cuzzocrea Sr. Kenneth D’Alessandro ‘66 James E. Dalton ‘49 Fred M. Del Gaudio ‘71 Frederick DeMatteis ‘40 Lucia DeSanti Edward Diamond ‘63 Ronald T. Diamond Robert C. DiChiara ‘63 Robert H. Digby ‘61 James Dimon Robert J. Domanoski ‘47 Mary-Jean Eastman Barry D. Epstein ‘58 Domenick J. Esposito ‘65 Samuel Estreicher ‘66 Murray Farash ‘52
Arthur A. Feder ‘45 Charles D. Federico ‘47 Robert Femenella ‘72 Al Ferrara Keith Franklin ‘78 David L. Fung ‘81 Robert J. Golden ‘63 Arnold Goldman ‘73 Adrienne D. Gonzalez ‘94 Herbert A. Granath ‘48 Kenyatta M. Green ‘89 Michael Greenstein ‘65 Robert Gresl ‘46 Arnold Gruber ‘59 Mario Guerrero ‘86 William L. Haines Steven A. Hallem ‘72 Robert J. Heilen ‘53 Gordon H. Hensley ‘47 John Hensley Christopher Hong ‘09 Clifford A. Hudsick ‘61 John Jarrard Allan C. Johnson ‘28 Michelle Y. JohnsonLewis ‘79 Gerard Justvig ‘75 Peter Kakoyiannis ‘65 Sheldon Katz ‘52 Arthur H. Kettenbeil ‘67 Carl H. Kiesewetter ‘55 Kiseon Ko Eugene V. Kosso ‘42 Bert Krauss ‘50 Joel F. Lehrer ‘48 Marvin J. Levine ‘65 Nathan Lipke ‘92 John Liu ‘98 Raymond M. Loew ‘58 Carol Loewenson Thomas Lowry Joel O. Lubenau ‘56 Frank R. Luszcz ‘61 Taahira Maynard ‘99 Stephen Mazur Steven D. Menoff ‘72 Michele Meyer Edward D. Miller ‘56 Francis C. Moon ‘57 Alfred J. Mulvey ‘67 Kaeisha T. O’Neal ‘99 Robert J. Paterna ‘72 Robert J. Pavan ‘47 Regina M. Pitaro Lee H. Pomeroy ‘50 Jeff Porrello Valentine P. Povinelli Jr. ‘59 Bertram Quelch ‘45 Joan Riegel Jonathan Riegel David Rios Charles J. Rose ‘70 Edward M. Rosensteel ‘74 Randi Rossignol Lawrence G. Rubin ‘43 Dan M. Ruesterholz ‘56 Seth Ruzi ‘76 Erwin L. Schaub ‘46 Roger E. Schechter ‘70 Ernest R. Schultz ‘25 Michael Simpson ‘90 Irwin Smiley ‘46 Jonathan D. Smith ‘80 Richard E. Sorensen ‘60 Robert J. Stalzer ‘59 Mitchell E. Stashower ‘83 Ivan D. Steen ‘54 Robert C. Stewart Robert Sumanis Peter M. Taras ‘77 John Thonet Mike Trovini David W. Wallace ‘42
Denice C. Ware ‘83 Elizabeth M. Wieckowski ‘79 Grayling G. Williams ‘76 Russell P. Wong ‘79 William C. Wurst ‘67 Peter Yan ‘88 Joni A. Yoswein Lloyd Zeitman ‘69 Barry Zemel ‘64 Laurie Zephyrin ‘92 Erwin A. Zeuschner ‘53 Wei-Jing Zhu ‘86 Corporate & Organization Sponsors Air Products Alfa Piping Corp American Express Foundation B T Alex Brown BDO Seidman, LLP Bonanza Productions Inc Brooklyn Nets BTHS Alumni Long Island Chapter BTHS Parent Association, Inc Burson-Marsteller C. R. Bard Foundation Care2 Cellini Fine Jewelry Ceramax Co., LTD Charles B. Wang Associates Inc Charles B. Wang International Foundation Chase Manhattan Bank Chicago Bridge & Iron Company Cirocco & Ozzimo, Inc Computer Associates International, Inc Con Edison Construction Resources Corp of New York Cowles Media Foundation Credit Suisse Securities Daikin Applied Deutsche Bank Duggal Color Projects, Inc Eastern Metalworks of NY, Inc El Paso Energy Foundation FIRST GameStop Corporation Gateway Institute for Pre-College Education Gatorade Company GE Foundation GIBC Digital Goldman Sachs Gives Annual Giving Fund Goldman Sachs Matching Gifts Program Haights Cross Operating Company Heritage Mechanical Services, Inc Hines Interests LP - East Region IBM Ice Air, LLC Ingersoll Rand InnoCare Services Company LLC Itron ITW Foundation Jaros Baum & Bolles John Wiley & Sons, Inc
JPB Foundation KSW Mechanical, LLC Laura Berdon Foundation Liberty Science Center Lucent Technologies M & I Electric Industries, Inc Mancini Duffy Marathon Bank Math For America Inc MBS Textbook Exchange Merrill Lynch & Co Found Metromedia Company Miller Proctor Nickolas Inc. Morgan Stanley Cybergrants National Basketball Association National Grid National Hockey League Foundation National Society of Black Engineers New York City Urban Debate League Octagon P.J. Mechanical Corp Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Pennoni Associates, Inc Pension Review Pfizer Inc Piper Jaffrey Polytechnic University Raytheon Company Related Construction Holdings, LLC Ridgewood Foundation Ridgewood Savings Bank Robinson Silverman Pearce Aronsohn & Berman LLP SIAC Simatelex Manufacturing Co Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett LLP SPX Cooling Technologies SRS Enterprises, Inc Starlite Printers Sterling Project Development Group Structure Tone, Inc T.E.C. Systems, Inc TD Bank Textron Charitable Trust The Benevity Community Impact Fund The Durst Organization The Hyde Agency The Jay Chiat Foundation, Inc The Kahn Family Charitable Foundation The Lotos Foundation The McGraw-Hill Companies The New York Community Trust Time Warner Truist Comprehensive Turner Construction Co. Verizon Foundation, Inc. Walentas Foundation Warner Brothers Television Wasserman Foundation Zoppas Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology Group, LLP WWW.BTHSALUMNI.ORG
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The list reflects total lifetime giving through June 30, 2020 above $5,000. Many thanks to all the contributors who have not yet reached that level but whose contributions are making a difference at Brooklyn Tech.
Brooklyn Tech Strong Please support Tech’s 6,000 students in this time of unprecedented challenges.
Your donation gives them: • Emergency help to reduce the pandemic’s education disruptions • Classroom instruction enhancements • College-level research experiences • STEM Diversity middle-school outreach initiative Online: www.bthsalumni.org/donate Mail: Use the reply envelope or mail to: Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation 29 Fort Greene Place Brooklyn, NY 11217 ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: WHY GIVE? WHAT YOUR GIFTS GIVE TECH
Please contribute—with the reply envelope, or at www.bthsalumni.org/donate
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Living in the Year of COVID… see page 22
Sandy Chen ‘20
Ellen Seto ‘20
Vivian Lin ‘20
Kathy Liu ‘20