At the morning ceremony for master's degree recipients from TC’s Departments of Arts & Humanities, Biobehavioral Sciences, Counseling & Clinical Psychology, Curriculum & Teaching, and Education Policy & Social Analysis, TC President Susan Fuhrman told the stories of two graduates: Chessa Gross, who received a master’s in Social Studies and Education, and Diana Ruiz, who received a master's in Speech and Language Pathology.

Gross did her student teaching at the Young Women’s Leadership School in Astoria, Queens, where, taking a page from TC icon John Dewey, she used issues her students faced daily as springboards for her lessons. With her TC degree in hand, she hopes to teach in a New York City school, which she says offers the challenges and rewards of educating diverse students. 

Ruiz, a first-generation American whose parents came to the United States from the Dominican Republic, has worked since she was a teenager at Columbia University Medical Center’s Sergievsky Center, where she has been mentored by TC alumna Helen Mejia-Santana, the center’s Senior Staff Officer of Research. Ruiz also wants to teach in New York City schools and help her future students attain their dreams, just as Mejia-Santana helped her.  

Following Fuhrman’s remarks, Merryl Tisch  (Ed.D. ’05), Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, was presented with the College’s Medal for Distinguished Service. Tisch, the first woman to hold the post of Chancellor, has served in leadership roles with organizations ranging from The Trust for Cultural Resources of the City of New York to the Mt. Sinai Children's Center Foundation, to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. After paying tribute to the heroic teachers in Moore, Oklahoma, who physically shielded their students from harm during the recent devastating tornado, Tisch spoke about the current  path of education reform and the importance of ensuring that students of all abilities and backgrounds  have access to education opportunity.

Tisch was followed by student speaker Saul Martinez, a graduate in Counseling and Clinical Psychology, who spoke about choosing to come to TC because of his belief that education is the key to economic and social justice.

Published Wednesday, May. 22, 2013