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SQUARE NEWS Presents

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Thursday, March 12, 2015

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WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM

letter from the editor

When I came to NYU, the first thing I noticed was the disconnected nature of the campus and its students. During my time here, I have realized there are two ways to navigate this kind of environment. Some students choose to see it as a detriment: they complain that NYU has no community or that it doesn’t allow for traditional college experiences. Others, however, choose to see it as an asset. In this unstructured atmosphere, these students carve out their own niches. They take full advantage of everything NYU and New York City have to offer. They form connections with their professors, take on research opportunities, make art, juggle internships and start their careers. In other words, they are up and coming. When we sat down to plan this issue, the first thing we did was pin down what that title meant. The Selection Committee agreed that an Up-and-Comer is a student who doesn’t wait until graduation to put their degree to work — they have found something they are passionate about and have already begun to pursue it restlessly. These students come from diverse backgrounds and have diverse interests, but all share a similar drive to leave their mark on the world. In the pages of this issue, we have highlighted a group of NYU students who represent that drive and that spirit. We hope that you enjoy their stories and that they inspire you to find your own passion and pursue it relentlessly. I would like to take this time to thank Valentina Duque Bojanini, Thomas Devlin, Hannah Treasure, Emily Bell, Shawn Paik and Olivia Martin for all their help selecting our Up-and-Comers, working with our writers and keeping me in good supply of iced tea and pizza when things got hectic. I also would like to thank all the writers, photographers and copy editors who contributed to this issue, without whom none of this would be possible. — John Ambrosio, Assistant Managing Editor

INTRODUCING: THE UP-AND-COMERS

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Josy Jablons GALLATIN ’17

Vanessa Castro GALLATIN ’16

Samantha Gerson SILVER ’15 Chloe Chik GALLATIN ’16

Camaley Jennings STEINHARDT ’15

Samir Goel STERN ’16

Jake Rosenberg TISCH ’18 Luke Lindenbusch GALLATIN ’16

Emma Spett GALLATIN ’16

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Vanessa C

A S

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“WHAT IS SO BEAUTIFUL ABOUT ART IS IT IS CAPABLE OF CREATING SOCIAL COMMUNITIES.”

n the front of a lecture hall in the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, Vanessa Castro sits in the center among three other panelists receiving the Gallatin Dean’s Award for Summer Research for Arts and Music. Castro is being recognized for her art show “Recycled Origins,” which used the female form to explore other ideas in artwork in an exhibition at the Living Gallery in Brooklyn in September. “Gender isn’t something that needs to be used anymore to define these works, because it is still thinking in a binary that separates men from women, black from white,” Castro said of her work. “It’s important to start seeing beyond that to make any step forward in the way we view and understand others.” This project was just one of many in the works over the last two years for Castro. Since January 2014, she has worked for MoMAPS1 in Queens, an affiliate of the Museum of Modern Art that focuses on contemporary art and culture. Castro said her job at MoMAPS1, where she began as an intern and

now works as a preparator, is extremely hands on. As one of the people in charge of installation, art handling, assisting the Chief of Exhibitions and maintenance of the gallery space, most of her time is physically spent organizing and caring for the artwork. “As opposed to an administrative job, if I’m doing something like installation, I’ll be walking down the hall and see the work I did there in front of me, which in the end is more satisfying,” Castro said. “It was the classic rags to riches, internship turns into a paid job situation, which I never thought would happen.” Castro said her love of art began at a young age — she won first place at art fairs in kindergarten and first grade. She continued her involvement more seriously in high school, during which she organized open mic nights and was interested in band and photography. Despite her long history with artistic expression, Castro did not always have her eyes set on a future in art and curating. Castro said that her parents, who immigrated from Brazil, strongly encouraged her and her two siblings to pursue the same kind

careers they’d had and to find a more traditional kind of success. Castro originally came to NYU through Stern School of Business to study marketing in the fashion industry. Business school, however, did not provide the creative outlet she was looking for. “I liked the students I was surrounded by because they were all very hard working and really cared about school — and I really care about school so that was nice — but I just felt kind of grimy,” Castro said. “I just kept having arguments with my professor and he was the director of my department. Then I took an art history class and everything flipped.” From Stern, Castro switched to Gallatin, allowing her to pursue her love of art and culture, while also incorporating business studies. Her other creative projects include a curating position at the Silent Barn, a music and arts venue in Bushwick. Every other month Castro collaborates with local artists, musicians and poets to put on an interactive art show that mixes mediums including poetry, visual art and music.

Castro said that by incorporating many mediums, she is appealing to her generation’s cultural habit of multi-tasking and need for constant stimulation. “Think of your Tumblr feed or your Facebook feed: you might be watching Netflix, but you probably have another tab open with three other websites,” Castro said. Castro curates every show with the audience in mind, striving to create an inclusive environment for artists and non-artists alike. Eliminating exclusivity among art shows is personally important to Castro because of her experience as a second-generation immigrant. “There is a pressure to do what they brought you to this country to do,” Castro said. “I think it’s led me to have the work ethic that I have, and the reason I care so much about inclusivity, differences and accepting of difference. It is because of my upbringing and awareness of a world beyond the one I physically inhabit.” Allie Wuest, Castro’s friend since freshman year, said that she accomplishes this in all of her works, transcending the cliques that can develop in artistic communities to strive for inclusivity and a wel-

coming atmosphere. “Unlike a lot of people who say they care about diversity but then present white-washed, dudedominated art shows, Vanessa actually puts in the work to make sure a plethora of identities are represented in her exhibitions,” Wuest said. Castro is now in the process of curating two shows for Silent Barn: a fundraiser in March that will feature drafts of drawings and paintings for New York City Public Schools to buy art supplies, and a concert in May featuring an all-female band that will encourage women’s empowerment. As with all of her shows, she is working to make these exhibitions inclusive and encouraging to a broader community. “What is so beautiful about art is it is capable of creating social communities,” Castro said. “Weirdly enough some of these communities can exclude people. I think it’s important to blur those lines and create even a stronger community that not only embraces your friends or specific medium, but one that creates your medium as a whole.” • Larson Binzer

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Chloe C

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olitics can be grueling and unrewarding. The endless canvassing, phone calls and press releases make a career in politics nearly impossible to balance with everyday life. Despite all that, Gallatin junior Chloe Chik says it’s all worthwhile. “In politics, eventually you really will feel like you’re a part of something bigger than you,” Chik said. “For every loss I have ever felt there has definitely been triumphs and those triumphs make for great nights and a great personal point of pride.” Chik’s political career began in high school, canvassing for the “No On Prop 8” campaign and fighting for marriage equality in California. She said she joined the campaign because she knew people directly affected by the referendum and felt obligated to advocate for their rights. “I just want everyone to be happy and this shouldn’t be a stressor,” Chik said. “Love is not something that should stress you out. There shouldn’t be some external governmental force that affects that.” For Chik, this political awakening during the Prop 8 campaign came after a divide in her family forced her to formulate her own opinions. “My mom has been a life-long

Democrat and my dad is actually a Republican and so is his whole family,” Chik said. “Growing up I just realized I align more with the Democratic party because I am really big on the environment and LGBT rights.” Despite her interest in social issues, however, her path to politics

political campaigns and become a leader of the NYU College Democrats. She said that she found a strong community in that group. “The College Dems have become my family,” Chik said. “I think that is was what got me into it — having the people in those clubs sort of drew me in and I think that now

was my sophomore year and she was a freshman and from that moment we could all tell she was an extremely dedicated person, not only to the club, but in general,” Tunney said. “Through her dedication the past three years, I have become really good friends with her and I know that if I have

“FOR EVERY LOSS I HAVE EVER FELT THERE HAS DEFINITELY BEEN TRIUMPHS AND THOSE TRIUMPHS MAKE FOR GREAT NIGHTS AND A GREAT PERSONAL POINT OF PRIDE.” was not always clear. In high school, Chik said she strongly considered going to art school. “I paint and I dance,” Chik said. “For painting and drawing, I almost went to RISD, but decided not to because I really wanted a liberal arts education.” Eventually, Chik decided to apply to NYU, where she continued to pursue a career in politics. Since working as a canvasser, Chik has worked on more than seven

that I am older I am now drawing people in there too.” CAS senior Sophie Tunney, president of the NYU College Democrats, said it was Chik’s hard work and commitment to politics that sparked their friendship. The two met in the College Democrats and Tunney admired Chik for her ambitious attitude and strong work ethic. “The first time I met Chloe she was running for a position, and it

something like a problem I can always talk to Chloe because she will be there.” For Chik, that dedication comes from the belief that politics affects the lives of people every day. She said she hopes more people acknowledge the importance of a democratic government and feel obliged to participate. “I think being a policy-maker is more important than being in politics,” Chik said. “Someone who has

a vision, who can execute it, who can navigate through every road block and stop sign and sort of just the path to solve a big problem, whether its as boring as taxation to something as awesome as birth control or environmental issues. That’s why I hope that people will get into politics — politics is personal.” Despite her passion for politics and all the long hours that it demands, Chik said she understands the importance of leaving her work at the office. “The craziest part is that worklife balance — being able to be a college student, having my friends, working all these campaigns,” Chik said. “For me, if I am doing something, I’m doing it 150 percent and when I am off I will turn my phone and when its off, its off.” When she can’t turn her phone off, Chik admits that her job can be exhausting and thankless. However, she said it is all worth it because she is able to make a meaningful impact on the lives of others. “I was talking about this with a friend over coffee like two hours ago,” Chik said. “We asked ourselves, ‘Why do we even care to be so busy?’ It’s because we actually care about what we do. We change people’s lives. I am willing to stay up into the middle of the night and wake up early in the mornings.” • Alanna Bayarin

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Samantha G

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amantha Gerson has always been interested in the treatment of trauma, but it wasn’t until she worked with traumatized adults that she realized children suffering from these same conditions need attention and care they’re not getting. “Kids are human. I feel like people forget that a lot,” said Gerson, a senior in the Silver School of Social Work. “I think the best treatment for a child is communicating with them, just speaking to them, and I think a lot of forms of treatment just don’t communicate — they punish or they inactively ignore.” Punishment, negligence and abuse are all things Gerson said she experienced firsthand as a teenager during her time as a student at Logan River Academy in Logan, Utah. Logan River is a residential treatment center — a place where children and teens suffering from a range of emotional and psychological issues, including autism, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, can go for treatment. While Logan River is certified as an academic institution, it is not an accredited mental health facility and therefore is not held to any specific ethical or professional standards. “A lot of parents, especially in big city areas, send their kids for depression or anxiety or things like that, to residential treatment centers, and they’re super helpful,” Gerson said. “But Logan River, as my mother wasn’t aware, is not an accredited [Residential Treatment Center], so when I was there I did not have the experience that I think my mom or I was looking for, and my anxiety was not treated. On the contrary, my roommate there, who is currently still my best friend, and I faced a lot of abuse, both

physically and emotionally.” The abuse that Gerson and many other survivors experienced has left significant marks on their lives and has led many to seek additional help. But even after enduring this mistreatment, Gerson said she planned to stay silent. “I didn’t really have an interest in it, to be honest,” Gerson said. “I had my experience, I got over it, I got into social work.” She didn’t share her story with anyone but close friends until two years ago, when she was contacted by others who’d had similar experiences at Logan River and facilities like it. “These people have dedicated their lives to abuse as an issue, institutional abuse, and so they started this campaign and reached out to me because I specifically had attended the school, and I kind of turned into the face of it,” Gerson said. “Because of my background in social work, I ended up being more than they were actually looking for, so it worked out that I joined the team.” For over a year, Gerson has been working with Shutdown Logan River Academy, sharing her experiences and connecting with activists and parents of children who have suffered the abusive treatment of Logan River. She even convinced some parents to not send their children there. Since the campaign started, Gerson and the network of Logan River activists have received the attention from national news outlets, the endorsement of the hacker group Anonymous and the support from Project Human Rights, which has begun investigating the conditions at Logan River. “If there are so many eyes and so much media and so much attention coming in on all the students who haven’t agreed to lie for them and all the students who are covered in bruises, they can’t hide from that,” Gerson said. In addition to her work on the Logan River project, Gerson has

worked with the Trevor Project, Best Buddies, Homes for Homeless and has led service trips to New Orleans and Milwaukee as part of Alternative Breaks. Gerson’s colleagues, including her Best Buddies supervisor Allie Kobren, say Gerson is thoroughly dedicated to all her commitments, even with her busy schedule. “She juggles leadership and volunteer positions with demanding social work field placements, rigorous coursework and a parttime job,” Kobren said. “Samantha truly puts her heart and soul into each of these obligations and imposes and maintains a personal standard of excellence for herself in all that she does.” Gerson has shown her determination in the face of adversity and the doubt of others. Though officials and administrators at the school have denied the allegations brought up on shutdownloganriver.com, including Gerson’s own personal video testimony detailing her abuses, she is confident that continuing to shine a light on Logan River will soon expose its harmful practices. “The idea is to start with LRA and get that shut down, then get media attention to say ‘this is a problem and this is happening,’” Gerson said. “These institutions take advantage of their power and do things to children in need.” Gerson said she plans to continue with her education after graduation and hopes to work as a trauma counselor for kids and teens with PTSD or a history of sexual and physical abuse. Ultimately, she could see herself working in a Residential Treatment Center, providing children and teens with the help she was denied at Logan River. “I think this field kind of becomes your life,” Gerson said. “I want to help kids like the ones I was around growing up, who aren’t being helped.” • Ife Olujobi

“THESE PEOPLE HAVE DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO ABUSE AS AN ISSUE, INSTITUTIONAL ABUSE, AND SO THEY STARTED THIS CAMPAIGN AND REACHED OUT TO ME BECAUSE I SPECIFICALLY HAD ATTENDED THE SCHOOL, AND I KIND OF TURNED INTO THE FACE OF IT.”

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Samir G

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“THERE’S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT DRIVE ME, BUT AT THE BASELINE, IT’S THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT AND MAKE A CHANGE IN THE THINGS THAT I CARE ABOUT.”

fter spending an hour in the Leslie Entrepreneurs Lab with Samir Goel, I was getting ready to leave when he turned his attention to me and asked me the same question I had asked him a week earlier: “Where do you see yourself in five years?” I tried to come up with something to say, and stuttered something about how I don’t even know where I want to be tomorrow. We laughed, but this moment revealed a lot about who Goel is: a driven individual who takes just as much interest in those around him as he does in his own work. Goel, a junior in the Stern School of Business, grew up in Niskayuna, a small suburban town in upstate New York. He said his parents, who are both teachers, encouraged him to give medical school a try, but he decided to study business shortly after arriving in New York City. He said the most important thing he realized when he got to NYU was that he didn’t have to wait until graduation to start making an impact. “I’m an experiential learner, so I learn by doing things, getting involved

with things and doing things that actually matter,” Goel said. In pursuit of this experiential learning, Goel is already putting his future degree to work. Most notably, Goel, alongside his friend Hannah Dehradunwala, runs Transfernation, a nonprofit that confronts food insecurity by redistributing food waste. Their web-startup, slated to release an app this year, connects leftover food from corporate events to social institutions, who can use every extra sandwich. The duo started working on the project in the fall of 2013, when they entered the Social Impact Business Challenge, a contest in which NYU undergraduate students compete to develop an idea for a socially responsible business. Transfernation didn’t win the competition, but Goel said the opportunity was crucial and gave them a reason to focus on their idea. Two years later, they have distributed more than 200 pounds of food and are planning to expand. Goel — a self-described “total foodie who loves cooking” — says one of the things that has always bothered him is the concept of food disparity: the idea that some people have better access to food than others.

“There are so many things that I think could change, that could be better, that could be different, and I want to be involved in making that happen,” Goel said. Dehradunwala, a CAS junior and Goel’s partner at Transfernation, said the two of them work so well together that they more or less know what the other is thinking. She added that one of the first words that comes to mind to describe Goel is “connector.” “It wouldn’t be enough to call him a hard worker because he’s also an extremely impassioned worker,” Dehradunwala said. “I love building Transfernation with him because, although the way we approach things is quite different, we combine our ideas together well.” Aside from this work, Goel is also on the executive board of 180 Degrees Consulting NYU, co-founded the Net

Impact Collaborative Experience, formed the Social Impact Council and works as a resident assistant at Third North Residence Hall. All this involvement means that some of life’s necessities — like sleep — often fall by the wayside. “That’s been a problem and I’m really trying to work on that,” he said. “I really have a problem where I struggle to turn things down.” For Goel, however, being so restlessly involved is like second nature. “I get really excited about helping people do what they want to do,” Goel said. “There’s a lot of different things that drive me, but at the baseline, it’s the opportunity to really have a positive impact and make a change in the things that I care about.” Barbara Holt, an adjunct professor in Stern who knows Goel from some of the social impact programs

in which he’s taken a leadership role, said she believes it is the small things about him that set him apart. “He has a lot of emotional intelligence,” Holt said. “He’s got the ability to interact with people, to empathize, to listen and I think he’s not just concerned about his own agenda.” As for where he sees himself in five years, Goel said he would love to be involved in the intersection of the public and private sector by finding ways to use business to solve global problems, but admits that things could play out any number of ways. “I have no idea how the next few years are going to look, and that’s exciting,” Goel said. “There’s so many different avenues that I could see myself going down that I really have no idea, and it’s honestly really exciting.” • Alex Bazeley

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Josy L O

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ven before founding Students for Sexual respect this spring, Gallatin sophomore Josy Jablons met frequently with the administration to ensure the university maintained prevention programs, crisis services and disciplinary procedures in compliance with federal guidelines. Last August, Jablons reached out to NYU administrators and informed them about her intention to create Students for Sexual Respect. “I am passionate about sexual assault prevention because it merits national attention,” Jablons said. “But, mostly, I’m passionate about this because it’s personal. I work so that others might find the advocacy, survivor community and support that I never had.” Jablons then spent the next six months establishing this coalition to fight campus sexual assault, culminating in the ratification of Students for Sexual Respect as an official NYU club in December. The university gave the club a budget of $100, but through partnering with other student organizations, Jablons was able to collect $3,000 for their cause. Jablons said the purpose of the organization is to provide support to students who have survived sexual assault. “I am contacted really often by victims and survivors who either

are confused with the reporting process, the adjudication process or they have already gone through that and didn’t get the outcome they were expecting and now need help and don’t know what to do next,” Jablons said. “A lot of students who come talk to me, they felt like they had no student

promote conversation about sex and sex education. The president of the Feminist Society, CAS junior Meghan Racklin, said Jablons, who is treasurer of the Feminist Society, has the passion to be able to pull through with a project as hard as engaging students on campus

school offered her. Jablons said even though she transferred out of Tisch, she is still interested in exploring the arts because they provide a platform for the fight against sexual assault on campus. “I came here to study in the arts school and I’m not letting that go,” Jablons said. “I also think that the

“A LOT OF STUDENTS WHO COME TALK TO ME, THEY FELT LIKE THEY HAD NO STUDENT SUPPORT SYSTEM, SO THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO BE.” support system, so that’s exactly what I want to be.” The club currently has 40 students on its listserv. However, Jablons managed to sign up 100 people for the big photo campaign the club is working on, #BetterSexTalk, including students in Greek Life organizations and other clubs on campus. Students were asked to come up with a phrase about sexual respect and pose with it in order to

against sexual assault. “She’s incredibly passionate and committed, and even though this can be incredibly emotionally difficult work, she stays hopeful,” Racklin said. “As this movement looks forward, that’s something that’s desperately needed.” Jablons originally came to NYU as a student in the Tisch School of Arts, but decided to transfer to the Gallatin School of Individualized Study because of the flexibility the

arts are such a powerful way to get things done and to further and strengthen political movements and that’s usually not a connection that’s necessarily made.” Jablons’ Gallatin adviser Sharon Friedman said Jablons stands out from other students in Gallatin because she is very focused on what she wants to pursue in the future. “She’s already doing what she would like to do in the future,” Friedman said. “She is already

doing what she is studying, and by studying it alongside with doing it she is contributing to the university and to the citywide effort on behalf of sexual justice and sexual respect.” Alongside her coursework and her extracurricular activities, Jablons manages to find time to intern for both the National Organization for Women and the Center for Artistic Activism. Jablons is also part of network of students across New York that are currently working with NYC Public Advocate, Tish James, and providing feedback to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on his recently proposed statewide legislation for campus sexual assault. Jablons said one of the reasons she got to work on this team of students was her confidence to stand up for what she believes in. “I’m not afraid to put myself out there and stand behind my ideals and have my name be on those things, so that’s definitely helped in terms of making connections,” Jablons said. While creating a university funded club can be a difficult task, Jablons said it is worth it because of the long-term impact of her club. “I wanna leave a legacy behind,” Jablons said. “I’m going to graduate in a few years, or maybe be abroad. I want something that can stick around and that’s why I think it was good to go through the university.” • Marita Vlachou

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Camaley J

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“YOU CAN’T BE AFRAID TO TAKE AN OPPORTUNITY. GO WITH THE FLOW AND IF SOMETHING INTERESTING PRESENTS ITSELF, IT IS ON YOU NOT TO LET IT SLIP AWAY.”

n the first Monday of the fall semester this year, Camaley Jennings got an email from the White House. The message informed her that needed to be in Washington, D.C. by the following Friday if she wanted the internship she’d spent months interviewing for. “When I got the email, I immediately went to the Dean’s Office and withdrew from my classes,” Jennings said. “Thankfully she let me get my deposit back.” She drove to D.C. that Thursday and spent the next four months working in one of the most fastpaced workplaces imaginable. Jennings’ long journey to the White House started in Phoenix in 2008. When she was still in high school, she started the nonprofit Fresh Foundations. The charity worked with the community to get donations of new underwear, bras, socks and shirts and distribute them to over 3,000 women and children annually. The experience marked her first foray into

public service. When it came time for college, Jennings decided to apply to NYU because she said she wanted to be part of something larger. “I wanted to be part of New York because it was a globally centered place and it had the opportunity and experience I wanted,” Jennings said. Jennings, now a Steinhardt senior, wasted little time after arriving at NYU. She got involved as an admissions ambassador, a resident assistant and a member of Steinhardt Student Government. The people she worked with, including Steinhardt Student President Joseph Gery, said she also wasted little time showing she was dedicated and enthusiastic. “She works seemingly without effort, and yet the product is always outstanding,” Gery said. “It has been my pleasure to know and work with her over the past three years, and I can’t wait to see what she will accomplish.” In her sophomore year, Jennings said she unexpectedly discovered an interest in politics. Over the summer, she decided

to apply for an internship at the office of Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton. Much to her surprise, she got the job. “Working at the mayor’s office in Phoenix, I learned that all politics are local,” Jennings said. “I was inspired by the diverse constituency and their concerns.” After working for Stanton, Jennings interned at two nonprofits — the Clinton Global Initiative in her junior year and Charity Water the summer before her senior year. At Charity Water, an organization that provides fresh water for people in developing countries, her initially laidback, part-time job quickly turned into an associate position with a nine-to-five work day and trips across the state with the company’s CEO. Jennings said she appreciated the job’s structure — the highlight, however, was helping others. As a corporate partnership assistant, Jennings managed major client relationships and major fundraising events, a role she believed was important. “I would like to be do-

ing something in service that actually makes a difference in people’s lives,” said Jennings. “I don’t want to do something that has no impact.” Back at school for her senior year, Jennings was plagued with uncertainty. The previous April, she had filled out an extensive application to intern at the White House, but it wasn’t until June that she was contacted to fill out a security form that officially placed her on the wait list. Despite a final interview in August, Jennings was almost certain she had not been selected until she heard back in September. Jennings arrived at the White House on Sept. 4, 2014 and immediately began working. She was responsible for drafting memos, creating talking points and scheduling appointments. She said the job was so draining that she would fall asleep the moment she returned to her apartment, but that being in the White House gave her a sense of purpose she had not felt before. “I had never made so many mistakes before and I was con-

stantly stressing over whether or not I sent that email to whomever,” Jennings said. “I loved working with people who were so determined. I have a new appreciation for the people who make government work, regardless of political affiliation.” After having such a fulfilling and exhausting experience, Jennings said she is focused on relaxing and enjoying her last semester at NYU. “It was a difficult job and I think I’m going to take a break from politics for a while, but that will always be a part of who I am,” Jennings said. She added that for now, she is prioritizing the most pressing matter in her life — the third season of “House of Cards.” No matter what she decides to do after graduation, she said her experiences so far have shown her how to push forward. “You can’t be afraid to take an opportunity.” Jennings said. “Go with the flow and if something interesting presents itself, it is on you not to let it slip away.” • Kyle Luther

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Luke L I N D E

N B U S C

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“I THINK THAT’S WHAT

uke Lindenbusch was in eighth grade when he was first called to activism. Proposition 8 had just passed in his home state of California, eliminating the right of same-sex couples to marry. “It was the first moment when I had recognized that rights had been taken away from me,” Lindenbusch said. “As a gay man growing up in California, understanding that this was something that was going to affect my life and something that I felt a personal responsibility to fight for.” After the repeal of Proposition 8 in 2012, the scope of Lindenbusch’s interest in activism expanded. Through an internship with the Drug Policy Alliance, he worked for six months on marijuana decriminalization and ending racially biased policing in New York City. “That sort of opened the door for me in terms of looking at mass incarceration, and looking at prison reform, and looking at racial justice through the lens of political economy, which is what most of my work focuses on now,” Lindenbusch said. Lindenbusch cites some of his

work with the DPA as one of his proudest accomplishments. Last summer, he spent weeks calling elected officials’ offices to gather their support for a rally at City Hall regarding marijuana arrests in New York City. “Who knows if [Major Bill de Blasio] looked out his window at City Hall and saw the rally happening,” Lindenbusch said. “To think that maybe those few extra ‘yes’s’ that I got might have led to Bill de Blasio saying yes to a policy change is a feeling of accomplishment.” Lindenbusch recently started working with the American Civil Liberties Union on their LGBT and HIV project, specifically on the Supreme Court case that could potentially achieve marriage equality nationally. For Lindenbusch, this type of work is related to what initially drew him to activism. “I think that’s what activism is,” Lindenbusch said. “Having the moment when you recognize that something is happening that you fundamentally disagree with, and that only you have the power to change it.” Lindenbusch, a junior in Gallatin, is concentrating in Political Economy of Postcolonial Urban

Development. Lindenbusch’s adviser, Rosalind Fredericks, said his ability to integrate his academic and extracurricular endeavors is perhaps his strongest asset. “Luke’s time at Gallatin has been an impressive whirlwind of intellectual achievements and extracurricular accomplishments,” Fredericks said. “These intellectual pursuits are complemented by his dedicated social justice work both at NYU and in the wider New York City community.” Lindenbusch’s involvement in the NYU community is essential to the fulfillment of his goals. He is a coordinating organizer for NYU Divest, where he is currently working on gathering support among faculty to sign a letter to divest the university’s $139 million currently invested in the fossil fuel industry. His involvement in Divest is what inspired his current major project, which fights for NYU’s divestment from the prison industry, including both direct investment and indirect investment through support of the prison-industrial complex. Even though his work in the NYU community is extensive, Lindenbusch has not lost sight of

ACTIVISM IS. HAVING THE MOMENT WHEN YOU RECOGNIZE THAT SOMETHING IS HAPPENING THAT YOU FUNDAMENTALLY DISAGREE WITH, AND THAT ONLY YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE IT.” his principles. “[I hope to] just be continuing to question the work that I’m doing, question what my next step is, while still remaining committed to the values that I learned growing up and that I also picked up at my time at NYU,” Lindenbusch said. This summer, Lindenbusch is participating in the Gallatin Fellowship in Urban Practice, and will be living in Berlin while working with a housing advocacy organization. Specifically, Lindenbusch will be interviewing people who feel their housing rights have been diminished, looking at parallels between Berlin and Williamsburg. “I originally became interested in looking at the ways in which gentrification affects very trendy

areas,” Lindenbusch said. “As someone who lives in Williamsburg, I’ve definitely experienced a lot of that friction first hand, and have felt a lot of guilt about it as someone who is not originally from the neighborhood.” While Lindenbusch acknowledges that the interconnectedness of his endeavors may not be obvious, he said they all strive toward the same end. “At first glance, it may seem difficult to imagine how my interests are related,” Lindenbusch said. “But the policies that determine the nature of urban spaces and the people who occupy them is, to me, the most telling way to analyze our city and our world.” • Sam Del Rowe

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Jake

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“I WRITE IT AND THEN REWRITE IT. WHEN IT’S DONE, I TRY TO HAVE A STAGED READING WITH AN AUDIENCE OF PEOPLE I TRUST.”

ehind the massive, intricate doors of Lillie’s Irish pub, Jake Rosenberg sits in a booth with burgundy velvet seats surrounded by a collection of Victorian-era ornaments and types away on his laptop. He occasionally peers up to reread his ideas on the brightly lit screen, but is otherwise immersed in a world of dialogue, thoughts, characters and plot development. For the playwright, a session at Lillie’s is a familiar routine. “I write it and then rewrite it,” Rosenberg said. “When it’s done, I try to have a staged reading with an audience of people, I trust, and that’s usually pretty small, from 10 to 30 people and I really value their opinion. Then from there, I send it out.” Although only a freshman at Tisch, Rosenberg has already written award-winning plays including “No One Gives a Clap” and “Big Ass Russian Novel,” which have been shown throughout the country, as well as in

Germany and in Canada. Rosenberg said he was introduced to the playwriting after enrolling in a class during high school at the Jewish Community High School of the Bay in Marin County on a whim. The convenience and accessibility of the medium quickly drew Rosenberg in. “You only need a couple of friends and an empty room to do it on its most basic level,” Rosenberg said. Through his involvement in a closely knit Jewish community, Rosenberg realized that although the environment was very compassionate to its members, there was a conservative attitude toward the treatment of certain serious topics. In response to his frustration, Rosenberg developed his dramatic comedy, “Muse of Fire,” based on the history of the Holocaust. “I think that if one thing is off-limits to talk about, then everything is off-limits,” Rosenberg said. “It sets a precedent for not being able to talk about and have an opinion on things — even if the conversation is ugly and heated, as long as the conversation is taking place, that’s the

most important thing.” For this play especially, Rosenberg devoted hours to rummaging through historical accounts on the Holocaust, until he came across a real-life story of two individuals that performed comedy in the concentration camps. “I want to take history and the patterns that emerge within history and the characters and the very human stories in these complicated events and turn them into something that is accessible, something that is not a history textbook, something that is not a lecture, but something that makes you feel not just on an intellectual level but also on an emotional level,” Rosenberg said. By the time he graduated high school, Rosenberg had made a name for himself in the local theater community in San Francisco. Rosenberg said much of his early success came from working with anyone willing to produce his plays and was grateful for anyone willing to devote their time into putting on something he had created. “I have met some of the most interesting and exciting people

that are doing the weirdest, wackiest things and it’s really cool because if I was holding out for a larger production, I would never get anywhere,” Rosenberg said. “I wouldn’t get to see my work, which is the most important thing — seeing it and learning from it and understanding what to do next time.” Lauren Gunderson, a Tisch alumna and Rosenberg’s mentor, sees his dedication to continuously improve his plays as an indication of his potential to become a great playwright. “I have found Jake to be smart and hungry,” Gunderson said. “He dreams big as a theater maker and follows through with his own muscle and wit. He’s curious not just about the art but about the business, which makes him not just a good writer, but a savvy writer.” Rosenberg has also been involved in getting young people more interested in theater. He recently founded an app called Rusher, which provides rush tickets to Broadway shows to encourage more young people to go to these shows.

Rosenberg is now working at Stacey Mindich Productions, and on a few new plays including “Brothers.” Rosenberg believes that writing a couple pages a day on any subject can make a significant difference in producing work, especially for other aspiring playwrights. “I don’t buy into the mentality that you can’t be original because everything’s been said so you can only build on something else,” Rosenberg said. “Just find the things that you’re super nerdy about, that you’re almost embarrassed for other people to know and just roll around in it.” Back in the booth at Lillie’s, Rosenberg continues to work on what he describes as a passion: his struggle to create a balance of dialogue and art. “The greatest playwrights go into detail about very complicated ideas and present them as a story and let the intellectual exercise be the most important part of the story rather than the popcorn entertainment quality,” Rosenberg said. “My goal is to marry the two of them together.” • Nina Jang

WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS | THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015 | NYUNEWS.COM

Emma S

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hree days before the People’s Climate March this past September, Emma Spett stood in a crowd of 400 NYU students at Kimmel to hear the event’s organizer Bill McKibben speak about the “groundbreaking moment” that was about to occur. Spett almost couldn’t believe that she was one of the people who brought McKibben there. As vice president of EarthMatters, the largest and oldest environmental club at NYU, Spett is in charge of organizing club events on campus. While McKibben’s appearance was an accomplishment, Spett wants to set the bar even higher. “We’re trying to get a big-name speaker again,” Spett said. “We were talking about trying to get Al Gore because, you know, we dream big.” Spett, a Gallatin junior, grew up on a farm in Mahwah, New Jersey, where her family had 22 horses and a nature conservatory in their backyard. While this alone could explain Spett’s love for the environment, she said it was not always her main interest. “I came to college wanting to do human rights work and not really thinking about environmentalism,” Spett said. “But as I learned more about human rights work and what it entailed, I realized that the most important human right to me was a well-functioning environment.” This realization led Spett to declare an environment-focused Gallatin major and then to travel the globe in search of solutions to challenges threatening the environment. Her well-rounded education has brought Spett to far-flung corners of the globe in search of solutions to various environmental problems. This summer, for example, she will spend

two months in the northern Indian region of Ladakh to conduct research regarding community-based conservation, which she says is representative of her future goals. “I’m really interested in exploring how small-scale conservation works around the word,” Spett said. “Because in places like the Himalayas, you need local knowledge to interact with the environment.” At the end of the day, what matters the most to Spett is the ability to positively impact the environment, a goal that she feels she can best work toward at home in New York City. “New York City is the only place where you can actually do whatever you want, and the opportunities are huge,” Spett said. With this in mind, Spett began blazing a trail for the environmental community at NYU. As the head of the Washington Square Community Supported Agriculture Program, she organizes an exchange in which a group of students pays the Norwich Meadows Farm in upstate New York to truck-deliver local produce to the Green House at Seventh Street Residence Hall throughout the semester. “It’s an amazing way to bring yourself closer to how you interact with your food and help farmers grapple with the issues that are arising based on new weather patterns,” Spett said. Spett’s involvement with the CSA Program eventually led her to EarthMatters. The two organizations merged last semester, with Spett as the leader of CSA and the vice president of EarthMatters. CAS junior Davis Saltonstall, who works closely with Spett as EarthMatters’ president, praises her as a source of inspiration for younger members. “Emma is an incredibly passionate leader,” Saltonstall said. “She’s always ready to share her

opinion and motivate people to action with a bubbly attitude. Working with her has been an unquestionably exciting experience because she is so motivated to make change.” This semester, Spelt will launch the NYU Environmental Student Times, which will feature a variety of environment-related literary and artistic works submitted by students. “I’ve always thought about starting a journal, and this year I was sitting around with some friends and we were just like, ‘We should do it,’” Spett said. “It’s adding on to our goal of bringing everyone together to acknowledge that there’s a lot of really good work relating to environmentalism happening at NYU.” Coming up with solutions to environmental problems in New York City is far from easy, but Spett is determined to make a difference. Eventually, Spett says she would like to attend Cambridge University and study in their evidencebased conservation program. Until then, she plans to continue to make strides in the environmental world. “I have a really strong responsibility for all the work I do,” Spett said. “I can’t see myself doing anything else because I see environmental work and conservation as ways to foster this respect for the planet in all forms.” • Marina Zheng

“I HAVE A REALLY STRONG RESPONSIBILITY FOR ALL THE WORK I DO. I CAN’T SEE MYSELF DOING ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE I SEE ENVIRONMENTAL WORK AND CONSERVATION AS WAYS TO FOSTER THIS RESPECT FOR THE PLANET IN ALL FORMS.”

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