“Excellence in Action: How Bronx Eats Builds a Healthier Community through Food Access and Education”
Presenter(s): Gail Schorsch, Founder/Director - Bronx Eats, Inc.
Abstract: : In a borough where 55% of residents experience food insecurity—the highest rate in NYC—Bronx Eats demonstrates excellence in community impact through its innovative combination of fresh food access and hands-on cooking education. As founders of the Fordham Farmers Market, we've created a vital community hub serving 150-200 weekly customers, processing over $6,000 in EBT sales, and providing culturally relevant cooking demonstrations reaching 200 participants monthly. Our unique approach integrates professional chef demonstrations with market access, achieving 30% higher engagement rates than traditional programs. Looking ahead to 2025, we're expanding our impact through a subsidized food bag program paired with weekly cooking demonstrations, ensuring participants can recreate healthy meals at home. By bringing together local farmers, professional chefs, and community members, we're building lasting infrastructure for community health while providing a replicable model for combining food access with education. This presentation will highlight our key achievements, showcase our innovative approach to community health, and outline our vision for expanding impact in the Bronx.
Key Terms: Food insecurity, Community health, Food access, Nutrition education, Holistic approach, Farmers markets, EBT & Health Bucks, Cooking demos, Sustainability, Behavior change, Partnerships, Community impact
“One Book One Bronx: Building Equity in Literacy through Community Space”
Presenter(s): Ron Kavanaugh, Executive Director - The Literary Freedom Project
Abstract: This session will explore how One Book One Bronx and the Literary Freedom Project foster strengthened literacy equity by creating intentional spaces where literature becomes a tool for dialogue, empowerment, and community building. Attendees will learn about our book club model, which prioritizes literature from underrepresented voices, and how we cultivate social justice, history, and identity discussions.
Key Terms: equity, literary arts, community, culture, critical thinking
“Worries and Whiskey: The Joyful Experience of Traveling with Students”
Presenter(s): Teresita Levy, Chair and Associate Professor, Latin American and Latino Studies and Executive Director, IPCE (moderator) - Department of Latin American and Latino Studies
Abstract: Traveling with students can be challenging. We worry about everything from getting to the airport on time, to packing enough clothes, to their health and safety. It is also one of the most joyful experiences a faculty member can have, like a good whiskey at the end of a hard day. This workshop will demystify the process of creating a faculty-led study abroad experience for our students, familiarize the faculty with the basic template for planning, and share stories of real-life challenges and opportunities during study abroad programs.
Key Terms: Faculty-led study abroad, engaged learning, transformative learning
“Job Tension in Academic Staff: Early Findings”
Presenter(s): Cynthia Cruger, Lehman Graduate Student - Organizational Leadership, Development and Change Program, School of Education
Abstract: Academic support staff (such as professional academic advisors) face conflicting information and expectations in the workplace. This can lead to job-related tension and may impact their ability to serve their students. This presentation will provide an overview of existing research on job-related tension and role ambiguity, share preliminary findings from a survey of 600 professional academic advisors (including analysis by race and gender), and discuss implications for leaders.
Key Terms: Leadership, community, student support, equity
“Listening to Learn / Learning to Listen: Using Sonic Media for Transformative Learning”
Presenter(s): Agustina Checa, Assistant Professor - Department of Mathematics
Abstract: : Instructors often privilege visual means to communicate content to students and to assess their understanding in return. Sound fundamentally shapes how we connect with our students, our campus, and the world beyond, yet we rarely consider it a tool for fostering engagement, critical inquiry, and inclusive, transformative learning. This presentation explores how sound-based assignments can serve as both an alternative and a complement to conventional texts and lectures, fostering equity, inclusion, and new modes of student expression. In examining sound as a pedagogical tool, I show how assignments based on sonic media—such as podcasts, soundwalks, and soundscapes—can create more accessible, multimodal learning experiences that meet diverse student needs. Listening is not just a passive act but an active, embodied, practice that fosters critical thinking and a deeper connection to course material. By listening to learn and learning to listen, we can cultivate more inclusive and transformative classrooms.
Key Terms: Transformative Learning, Experiential Learning, Embodied Cognition, Critical Listening, Sensory Pedagogy, Active Learning, Equity and Accessibility
“Support for English Language Learners Entering the Healthcare Workforce”
Presenter(s): ): Landon Randolph, Instructor, ESL Teacher - NCLEX Program for Counseling, Leadership, Literacy & Special Education & Office of Campus Life and Siobhan Loughran ESOL Educational Advisor & IELCE Coordinator Workforce Development for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
Abstract: This presentation will outline barriers to learning and participation in the healthcare field for non-native speakers of English, and how providing language learning support can improve outcomes for professionals either seeking to use their existing industry credentials in the United States or earn a professional license for the first time. It will also outline best pedagogical practices in the Queens/Bronx Express Certified Nursing Assistant Program for English Language Learners and the NYC Small Business Services Department (SBS)'s NCLEX-RN English Language Learners Program with examples and demonstrate their efficacy by discussing program outcomes.
Key Terms: Accessibility, Language Learning, Communication and Intercultural Barriers