Digital Commons Network^™

Teach Me How, Asmy Fayad

Capstones

In Teach Me How, director Asmy Fayad shows how the new generation are being educated on gender identity. Some parents believe that their kids should learn about gender identity at an early age either at school or at home. These parents take their kids to events such as the Drag Story Hour at the libraries or parks, for them to learn about gender identity and interact with Drag Queens. However, other parents are against this type of education because of their own beliefs that would be explored.

Bad Bunny, Un Fenómeno Imparable Sin Etiquetas, Lucy M. Cabrera

Capstones

Bad Bunny es la estrella del momento y este artículo investigativo busca encontrar la raíz de su fama y el porqué se ha ganado al público tan rápido sin importar género, raza o edad. El profesor Rojo Robles. Ph.D., escritor, dramaturgo y cineasta puertorriqueño y profesor de Black and Latino Studies en Baruch College nos explica algunas razones por las cuales la gente de Puerto Rico lo ama y como ha sido su evolución musical mientras se ha inspirado en artistas como Tego Calderon o Arcangel.

La Tiktoker Angela Diatiano Luna, que cuenta con 32.5K de seguidores en esta plataforma …

New York City Lacks The Resources To Keep Cyclists Happy (Or Safe) But Help Is On The Way, Richard Heaton

Capstones

Across New York City, the disparity in bike resources has been on the rise, leaving many New Yorkers without access to dedicated bike lanes or other resources. This is especially prevalent in the outer boroughs, but thankfully there are organizations that look to remedy this in the future.

https://richard-heaton.medium.com/new-york-city-lacks-the-resources-to-keep-cyclists-happy-or-safe-but-help-is-on-the-way-15235462f199

To Destroy Or Transform? Two Fossil Fuel Transitions Offer Glimpse Into Industry’S Future, Chloe Bennett, Sarah Kerson

Capstones

In 2019, the Philadelphia Energy Solutions oil refinery closed after a dangerous explosion. But for years before the accident, members of the local environmental justice organization Philly Thrive had been advocating for its closure. Neighborhood residents who live near the refinery site had been complaining for years of health problems, ranging from asthma to cancer. “Enough is enough,” says Sylvia Bennett, 79, who lives in the Grays Ferry neighborhood near where the refinery is located. Her two daughters have both been diagnosed with cancer.

What will become of the refinery site remains to be seen as conversations between Hilco and …

Coming Together: The Street Vendors Of Corona Plaza, Hannah Bottum

Capstones

Of New York City’s 20,000 street vendors, nearly all of them are immigrants, and most are unlicensed. This makes them vulnerable to harassment, fines, and even arrest. In Corona Plaza in Queens, vendors are coming together to push for change. This is their story.

De los 20,000 vendedores ambulantes de la ciudad de Nueva York, casi todos son inmigrantes y la mayoría no tienen licencia ni permiso. Esto los hace vulnerables al acoso, multas e incluso la detención. En Corona Plaza, en Queens, los vendedores se están organizando para impulsar el cambio. Esta es su historia.

Mad About Late Buses Or Broken Trains? Blame Your Governor, Peter Tomao

Capstones

President Biden's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act promised to "expand public transit options across every state" and reduce greenhouse gas emissions while modernizing America's transit systems. But a series of hurdles ranging from recalcitrant local officials to entrenched car culture mean the bill may simply reinforce the status quo.

Here is link to capstone: https://falliblenumbers.substack.com/p/mad-about-late-buses-or-broken-trains

Solos Y Juntos: Dos Al Tres Por Ciento De La Población En Los Estados Unidos Tienen Escoliosis. Muy Pocos De Ellos Están Preparados Para Las Tensiones Emocionales Que Trae La Condición., Anacaona Y. Rodriguez Martinez

Capstones

Dos al tres por ciento de la población en los Estados Unidos tiene escoliosis. Muy pocos de ellos están preparados para las tensiones emocionales que trae la condición. Estas son las historias de pacientes que tienen escoliosis y sus viajes en encontrar salud propio (físico y mental) en sus comunidades

Nyfw Can't Handle Texture On The Runway, Yvette M. Brown, Treashure Lewis

Capstones

During NYFW, a model went viral after exposing the fact that the stylist did not understand how to style her hair. This is very common in the fashion world, where there are no proper hairstylists to care for natural curls and coils.

https://brownlewiscapstone.wordpress.com/

The Experiences Of Nyc's Social Equity Cannabis Initiative, Jimmie J. Mckinney Ii

Capstones

This capstone is a photo essay documenting the experiences of a few recreational cannabis dispensary applicants. These stores will be some of the first legal dispensaries in NYS and owned by those once arrested for cannabis-- and their families. Photography, text, and videography are incorporated in the project.

Here is a link to my capstone website: https://readymag.com/u2050520461/4094571/

Limpieza De Asbestos En La Ciudad De Nueva York, Ariana G. Perez-Castells

Capstones

This is the story of how asbestos is removed in New York City, and who carries out the work. It's unclear how much more asbestos abatement is left in the county, and the U.S. has not completely banned the dangerous material, unlike over 50 other countries across the world. Both of these things could change soon. A new study that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will carry out by December 2024 would give us a better picture of how much asbestos there is still in buildings and how much more removal work is to be done. At the same time, …

New York City Homeless Queer Youth Face Harsh Realities; Advocates Fight For Change, Randi R. Love

Capstones

New York City unhoused youth face years of harsh realities because the lack of knowledge and policies that exist to aid them don't provide the protections and outreach to assure they don't live on the streets or in bad situations for years to come. These youths experiences are exacerbated when sexuality or gender are included.

https://randilove.github.io/capstone-2022/

El Valle Del Río Grande Siempre Ha Sido Bilingüe. ¿Por Qué Sus Escuelas No?, Karina Guerrero, Jesus Chapa-Malacara

Capstones

Months before the pandemic began its wrath on education in the U.S., highlighting inequities that disproportionately impact English Language Learners, the Texas Legislature passed legislation (HB3) that created a funding incentive for starting dual language programs – a type of bilingual education found to be the most beneficial for English learners. As schools presumably “return to normal” and at an inflection point that could define the future of multilingual education in the United States, we catch up with several district’s in the country’s most bilingual region as it wrestles with and fights for how to preserve and promote bilingualism. English …

Some In Corporate America Have Followed Through On Their Commitments To The Black Lives Matter Movement, But The Black Community Has Yet To Be Convinced., Brianna M. Monsanto

Capstones

Nearly three years following George Floyd's murder back in 2020, corporations are continuing to follow up on their commitments to the Black community. However, the Black community has yet to be impressed.

Link to Project: https://briannamonsanto64.wixsite.com/cuny

Human Composting Is Changing The Landscape Of Death Care (Literally) — And It Could Be Legal In New York State As Soon As Next Year, Rachael Robertson

Capstones

Soon New Yorkers might have a new option for end of life care: Natural Organic Reduction, or human composting. Rather than being buried or cremated, New Yorkres might have the option of having their body composted and turned into soil as an environmentally friendly burial alternative. A bill legalizing Natural Organic Reduction in NYS and setting regulations similar to cremation is sitting on Governor Hochul's desk. Death, remembrance, and disposition are especially difficult in New York City, where there is not enough cemetery space for the number of people who die annually. Through audio, data, and print, I explore how …

Unpure: Serving The Purity Culture Deconstruction Community, Julia Capizzi

Capstones

Unpure: Serving the Purity Culture Deconstruction Community is an in-depth understanding of how engagement journalism can serve those who are deconstructing, or unlearning, harmful religious beliefs around sex and sexuality.

The Science And Practice Of Coping With Pet Loss, Michayla Savitt

Capstones

Losing a pet can have a huge impact on a household - including humans and pets alike. This mixed multimedia project works to capture this multimedia project exploring how loss manifests in the home after a pet’s passing — and how we remember our pets after they’re gone. It’s done through short non-narrative documentaries from multiple pet owners, along with insight from a mental health expert, and animal behaviorists. I’ve incorporated research around pets having grief-like reactions to a companion animal, in addition to why grieving a pet is so painful, and how pet grief often doesn’t fit in with …

Eavesdropping On Animals: Can Bioacoustics Help Save Species?, Zoe Grueskin

Capstones

Around the world, scientists are using sound to study the natural world in a growing field called bioacoustics. Researchers are eavesdropping on frogs and fish, elephants and earthworms, and many hope what they hear can inform and inspire conservation action around the world. From the field’s auspicious beginning with accidentally-recorded whales, to researchers today listening to locations as diverse as the Arctic seafloor and India’s Western Ghats mountain range, this capstone project explores the potential — and limitations — of conservation bioacoustics. Read the story, see photos and listen to audio pieces featuring three bioacousticians and their field recordings here: …

Nyfw Can't Handle Texture On The Runway, Treashure Lewis

Capstones

NYFW has seemingly made great strides over the years regarding inclusivity and diversity within its runway. But how are they accommodating the models of color that they are hiring? This year, unfortunately, black models are still showing up to runway sets in which the hair stylists hired do not know how to do their hair. This issue dates back to the reign of Naomi Campbell and still has yet to be resolved.

Link: https://brownlewiscapstone.wordpress.com/

West 219 Show: Bail Reform, Anslem Michael Joseph

Capstones

Should freedom have a cost? Bail is an amount of money judges order defendants to pay in order to await trial out of jail. The bail system was designed to ensure that defendants would return to court to face their charges. However, criminal justice advocates argued that bail became a form of pretrial punishment as defendants, mostly black and brown people, are ordered to pay high bail costs without being convicted of any crimes. This led to New York legislators taking action in creating a new bail reform law in 2019 which eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and some …

Football Can Save America, Francisco Attie

Capstones

Looking to cure the malaise of our day, I went to the football game, and, in the dying breaths of the match, found something much greater. https://medium.com/@Fran_Attie/football-can-save-america-2bb918f19a97

New York Running, Kellen Bulger

Capstones

My community is the New York City running community. This includes everyone from casual joggers to high school track athletes to folks training for an ultramarathon. The community also encompasses all five boroughs. For my community practicum project, I plan to host my second event/run in the community, where we will discuss the overall state of the running community in NYC. The successes, shortcomings, frustrations, and whatever else is on our minds. As I did with the last event, the discussion that takes place after our run will be loosely structured around this community-wide callout I distributed in the spring …

Engagement Journalism In Action: Supporting New Yorkers With Long Covid, Sarah Luft

Capstones

What do asthma and long COVID have in common? 1 in 13 U.S. adults are living with them. This report is a recap of my efforts to address the information needs of New Yorkers with long COVID as a student in CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism engagement program. For my final project, I partnered with THE CITY, a nonprofit news outlet serving New Yorkers, to expand the MISSING THEM project. The report details the what, why, and how of my engagement reporting process, including a community engagement framework, a service journalism series, and lessons to carry forward. You …

Preservando La Playa Del Pueblo, Tasha A. Sandoval

Capstones

After more than 80 years, the only queer beach in New York City, the People’s Beach at Jacob Riis, is in danger. In 2022, the city announced the demolition of the Neponsit Hospital, a long-abandoned structure that shelters the beach from the street, creating a sense of privacy and safety. Can Riis Beach live on as a safe and joyous utopia for queer communities without the presence of the hospital buildings? Some beach-goers are campaigning to ensure that whatever replaces the hospital space centers the queer community and preserves the beach’s queer history, including the legacy of Ms. Colombia, a …

Estás En La Sintonía De La Gozadera: En Vivo Desde Cumbiayork, El Movimiento Sonidero Del Futuro, Vita Dadoo

Capstones

For 30 years, New York's sonideros have been making noise on the central avenues of the city's Mexican and Latino ecosystems. The movement, made up of the sonidero (translated literally as "soundman"), his assistants, promoters, fans and dancers, has created a subculture that for a long time defined the relationship between the migrant and his native home in Mexico. Thirty years later, I explore how the movement has evolved, the traits that have distinguished it from the Mexican sonidero movement, and how it continues to flourish under a new generation of deejays.

Nyc Vendor Voices - Highlighting The Voices Of Nyc Street Vendors, Hafeezat A. Bishi

Capstones

NYC Vendor Voices is an amalgamation of the reporting and content creation work I've done over the past 8 months about street vendors of NYC. The street vendor community of New York City is vast with over 20,000 members. There are vendors in all five boroughs, and they range from a variety of backgrounds from West Africa to North Africa to India. My work includes links to my reporting, data/content creation I've done in my coding class, as well as the social media content I've done and continue to work on.

Marginalized Communities Are Facing The Brunt Of Student Homelessness, Alicia Gajraj S. Gajraj

Capstones

Headline: Marginalized communities are facing the brunt of student homelessness.

My capstone is a news article focusing on the rising number of students who are homeless in New York City. It explores how advocacy groups and active community members are working to help those in marginalized communities experiencing homelessness at higher rates.

Data: Data collection on the number of students unhoused in the past 11 years was done on Datawrapper. The numbers were found on NYSTEACHS.ORG.

Keywords: Student homelessness, Shelter system, Unhoused, Advocates for Children, Mckinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Schools, Education

Here is the link to my capstone: https://gajrajalicia57.wixsite.com/website/general-8

A Lifetime Of Heroin Addiction: Jose Hernandez's Story, Pumla Kalipa

Capstones

Jose Hernandez is a 55 year old Hispanic man who has been battling with heroin and other illicit-drug abuse for over 30 years. In this story we spend time with him to understand what his daily struggles are and how he uses heroin to cope with certain life stressors. This mini-documentary and short story is also meant to inform the public about substance abuse and how to get help if needed. https://pumlakalipa01.exposure.co/a-lifetime-of-heroin-addiction?source=share-pumlakalipa01

Cookies, Pop-Ups And Commercials: How Tech Companies' Privacy Promises Are Preserving Their Data Dominance, Cailley Lapara

Capstones

As antitrust sentiment focused on Big Tech from regulators and consumers grows, companies like Google and Apple and more have announced plans to move away from the behavioral ad business model that brought the companies to the size they are today. This trend is marketed to customers as a way to address their growing concerns over privacy and data collection. It also comes as the companies face sweeping antitrust litigation and legislation that would break up the firms. But the companies' claims of moving towards privacy are sketchy at best, and appear to serve as a way for the companies …

The Tale Of Two Leagues: Is There A Wage Gap Between The Nba & Wnba, Isaiah D. Johnson

Capstones

This capstone takes a look at the differences between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The capstone looks to find any similarities and looks to see if there's truly a wage gap between the two professional leagues.

Secondhand Shopping Is Now The Coolest Way To Get Your Clothes, Camryn Quick

Capstones

Shopping secondhand has experienced an uptick in popularity in the past few years. There are a few reasons for this, all of which are examined in the project. One reason for the increase in secondhand shoppers is the daunting news about the state of our environment. Another reason, perhaps even more powerful than the fear of environmental collapse, is that thrifting has become a fashion phenomenon showcased and distributed throughout social media apps like TikTok. Essentially, shopping secondhand has become cool. This project explores these driving forces behind the thrifting boom, as well as the possible impacts, including "thrift store …