Updated on April 3, 2025 at 3:30 p.m. ET - This article has been updated to reflect the results of the public vote and our Spotlight honorees. Additional coverage to follow. 

When we challenge the status quo and pursue innovative, evidence-based solutions to the world’s greatest challenges, we are working towards a more just future. Each day the TC community is doing just that, but TC Impact Day — happening April 2 — drives critical results for true change each year. 

In honor of our annual day of action, the TC Impact Spotlight recognizes one student and one alum who make an impact in their communities and exemplify our mission to create a more equitable world. 

Learn more about the transformative work of this year’s finalists, vote below through Impact Day (April 2) at 12 pm ET, discover ways that you too can make an impact, and stay tuned for the College’s announcement of the honorees.

Honorees

Vik Joshi (Ph.D. ’25, Philosophy and Education)

Meet Vik, a student in TC’s Philosophy and Education program and researcher on resilience who’s transforming communities.

How Vik makes an impact:

• Supporting the mission of the International Interfaith Research Lab (IIRL) to promote interfaith and cross-cultural connections as Special Advisor to the Executive Director.
• Developing partnerships with organizations to support the work of IIRL as Director of Research, recently attaining Innovation Grants from Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention, Programs, and Partnerships (CP3) for Reimagine Resilience, Project Belonging and Unifying Storytelling.
• Creating a more positive culture at TC as an award-winning community assistant for the Office of Residential Services.
• Increased access to higher education for incarcerated people as a teaching fellow and then member of the faculty at the Bard Prison Initiative, a college-in-prison program affiliated with Bard College.

Yaritza Villegas Campos (M.A. ’22, International and Comparative Education)

Meet Yaritza, who is increasing access to high-quality educational opportunities in Costa Rica and the U.S. 

How Yaritza makes an impact:

• Furthering the mission of La Paz Global, a non-profit organization that supports learning communities that value and promote our shared humanity by expanding access to educational opportunities in Costa Rica, as the Director of Advancement.
• Providing opportunities for preservice teachers from American universities to exchange pedagogies, build cultural competencies and gain teaching experience at her alma mater La Paz Community School, supported by La Paz Global.
• Leading development of a new PreK-12 framework, La Paz Core Humanity Competencies, that prepares students to remain “engaged members of society” in the age of artificial intelligence by focusing on skills such as critical thinking and empathy.
• Securing a major grant to codify the educational models and methodologies of La Paz Community School, improving internal practices and providing other institutions with a proven framework.

Student Finalists

Christina Torres (Ph.D. ’26, Science Education)

Meet Christina, a student in TC’s Science Education program devoted to advancing sustainability through research and advocacy.

How Christina makes an impact:

• Strengthening the research and pedagogy work of the Center for Sustainable Futures (CSF) as the center coordinator and as a research assistant.
• Supporting development of the CSF Summer Institute for Climate Education, in partnership with NYCPS Office of Energy and Sustainability and LEAP, to build capacity for elementary, middle and high school educators.
• Increasing local youth community engagement in climate research and action by creating the Youth at the Center program during her 2020-2022 Zankel Fellowship.
• Advocating and enacting sustainable reforms on TC campus as the co-president of the Sustainability Task Force student organization since 2021. 

Bemsi Nkuo (M.A. ’25, Psychology and Education)

Meet Bemsi, a student in TC’s Psychology and Education committed to improving mental health outcomes.

How Bemsi makes an impact:

• Translating her research on disorders like anorexia, depression and anxiety into real-world solutions as a conference presenter at the Columbia University and New York University Student Affairs Conferences and as a research assistant at TC and the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
• Supporting fellow students through the research process as an intern for TC’s Institutional Review Board by assisting with ethics outreach and providing resources for career development by creating a secondary data analysis toolkit for students.
• Improving the residential experience at TC and creating a more inclusive community as a residential services senator and Residential Services Coordinator.
• Co-founding the Feminist Circle at TC to spark deep discussions on gender equity and justice, building a more supportive community.

Alumni Finalists

Nathan Alexander (Ph.D. ’15, M.Phil. ’14, M.S. ’12, Mathematics Education)

Meet Nathan, a leading scholar exploring the intersection of social justice, computational studies in education and quantitative analysis.

How Nathan makes an impact: 

• Preparing the next generation of educators and data scientists as Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at Howard University and through a joint appointment in the Howard Center for Applied Data Science and Analytics.
• Leveraging data science to examine injustice and futurity as founder and director of the Quantitative Histories Workshop, a computational curriculum & software development collective and learning lab.
• Developing programs to educate communities on data science through experiential learning.
• Providing whatever support students need to succeed in his courses, including helping a student with their baby during a lecture. 

Minkyu Kim (M.A. ’12, English Education)

Meet Minkyu, an educator and scholar building critical literacy skills for his students. 

How Minkyu makes an impact:

• Designing and teaching English courses for more than nine years at Stuyvesant High School, with an emphasis on critical thinking, cultural awareness and deep engagement with texts.
• Providing new perspectives on literacy instruction by examining the habits of high-achieving students and exploring how multilingual students engage with popular culture.
• Shedding light on the experiences of students in test preparation centers and their challenges through his research and upcoming book Hagwon: Asian American Shadow Education in the United States, based on his dissertation.
• Supporting the development of other educators as an adjunct professor at St. John’s University, where he completed a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction.