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Not even a global pandemic can stop great theater, as award-winning producer Iyvon Edebiri can attest. Despite the COVID-19 outbreak limiting public gatherings and events, her nonprofit—the Parsnip Ship—continues to highlight compelling play readings and music via podcasts and social media. “We typically record in front of a live studio audience in Brooklyn,” Ms. Edebiri … Continue reading Making Waves in Theater: Iyvon Edebiri (MA ’17) and the Parsnip Ship
On February 3, 1980, only a few weeks after graduating from Baruch College, Vince Masi began an entry-level job at IBM. Fast forward 40 years and Mr. Masi is still at IBM—a four-decade-long career that he describes as anything but boring. “Though IBM is one company,” explains Masi, “it comprises several unique businesses, all with … Continue reading True to Big Blue: Vince Masi (’80)
Looking back on his decade as president of Baruch College, Mitchel B. Wallerstein, PhD, hopes to be remembered “as a builder who saw and pursued opportunities, especially to create badly needed new facilities; as a highly successful fundraiser; and as a developer of new academic programs. If I can be remembered for these three things, … Continue reading The Wallerstein Decade: 10 Years of Transformative Change
Brandon Procak ('06) and Mashhood Ahmed ('05) forged an incredible friendship while studying at Baruch. Nearly 20 years later, that friendship has led to a business venture: RentCity, a tech platform that aims to disrupt the apartment renting process by providing comprehensive data and firsthand reviews from tenants. The two friends took time to chat … Continue reading Rental Disruptors: Alumni Friends Hope to End Renter’s Remorse
Baruch alumnus Owen Martinetti ('17), cofounder of HempChain Farms and Naturae Oils - one of the first licensed hemp farms and cannabidiol processing plants in New York - teamed up with Baruch friend Christopher Abbenda ('18) to make headlines earlier this year: securing millions of medical masks and donating thousands throughout New York when COVID-19 … Continue reading Three Million Masks: Baruch Friends Donate PPE during COVID-19
In the wake of COVID-19, fashion designer Nana N. Yoshida (’09, MA ’17) quickly pivoted to creating fashionable face coverings for her clients. She chatted with us about the experience. When did you decide to start making face masks as a response to this pandemic? I started making face masks relatively early, in early March. … Continue reading Fashionable Face Coverings with Nana N. Yoshida (’09, MA ’17)
Barry Pitegoff ('71) is a staff chaplain at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, New York. He recently shared his insights with us regarding how COVID-19 has impacted his daily job and his hospital. As a professional hospital chaplain, how has COVID-19 most impacted you professionally? For now, two of the major tools in … Continue reading Observations from a Hospital Chaplain: Barry Pitegoff (’71)
As the Covid-19 crisis continues, new developments seem to emerge every hour, if not every minute. We caught up with alumna Elisha Ortiz (Fieldstadt) ('14), a breaking news reporter at NBC, who discussed the challenges of covering a global pandemic, how she sees the story evolving, and the ways that she honed her craft as … Continue reading The Challenges of Covering Covid-19, with Reporter Elisha Ortiz (Fieldstadt) (’14)
“I’ve worn so many hats,” says Reuven Glezer (’19), a Brooklyn-based artist who recently directed the play The Jewish Question: A Report from the Jewish Deportation as Documented by C.S. Chaplin at the Baruch Performing Arts Center. “I’ve been a stagehand, an assistant director, on crew, a light operator, a dramaturg, and a playwright – which … Continue reading Artistic Rise: Director and Dramaturg Reuven Glezer (’19)
Baruch alumnus Philip Adikimenakis ('14, MS '15) is a full-time tax CPA at a mid-sized accounting firm in Whitestone, Queens. But his interests reach well beyond just taxation. For starters, he is a chair yoga instructor and, as the founder of Relaxation Zensation, is an inspirational voice and advocate for the power of ancient self-preserving practices. … Continue reading The Zen CPA: Philip Adikimenakis (’14, MS ’15)
