Al-Noor School College Readiness & Career Exposure Program

Maiyadah Kased, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed major in SLS

Working on this capstone project has been one of the most meaningful experiences for me, both academically and personally. Going into it, I knew I wanted to create something that would help students, especially because I had once been in their position, feeling unsure and unprepared for what comes after high school. Through the process of developing, implementing, and analyzing this program, I realized that its impact went far beyond what I originally expected.

One of the biggest things I learned is how powerful structured support and exposure can be. At the beginning of the program, many students felt overwhelmed, confused, and unsure about college and their future. Seeing the data shift from students feeling “unprepared” to “prepared and confident” showed me that these feelings weren’t permanent, they were the result of a lack of guidance and opportunities. Once students were given access to information, mentorship, and real experiences like college visits and guest speakers, their mindset completely changed. This made me understand that sometimes students don’t lack ability, they just lack access and support.

Another major takeaway for me was the importance of relationships. I initially thought the most impactful parts of the program would be things like college fairs or presentations, but what stood out the most was the connection students built with counselors and alumni. Hearing from guest speakers who were once in their exact position made success feel more real and achievable. More personally, I learned how important it is for students to feel heard. There were moments during interviews that really stayed with me, especially when I saw students begin to open up and express themselves in ways they hadn’t before. That showed me that being a counselor is not just about giving advice, but about creating a space where students feel safe, understood, and supported.

I also learned a lot about research itself. Since I was both the program coordinator and the researcher, it challenged me to step back and look at my work more objectively.  Analyzing surveys, interviews, and field notes helped me see patterns and themes I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. It made me realize how important it is to listen to student voices and use their feedback to improve programs. At the same time, I became more aware of the limitations of my study, especially since it focused on one group of students. This pushed me to think more critically about how research can be expanded and strengthened.

If I were to continue developing this project, there are several ways I would want to build on it. First, I would expand the program to include more interactive and hands-on experiences, such as career simulations or workshops that allow students to actively engage with different fields. I would also want to include a wider variety of career paths so that more students feel represented and can explore options beyond the most commonly discussed professions. In terms of research, I would expand the sample size by including multiple grade levels or even partnering other schools to see if similar results occur in different settings.

Additionally, I would place an even stronger emphasis on one-on-one support and reflection. The data showed that students benefited not just from exposure, but from having time to process what they learned and talk through their thoughts. Creating more structured opportunities for reflection could help deepen the impact of the program even further.

Overall, this project changed how I see both education and my role within it. What started as an effort to improve college readiness turned into something much bigger, a support system that helps students grow academically and emotionally. It showed me that when students are given the right tools, guidance, and environment, they can build confidence and find clarity in their future. This is something I will carry with me moving forward, and it continues to shape how I think about supporting students in meaningful ways.

 

Reimaging Student Helpdesk Communication at CSI

John Adibeli, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed major in Mathematics and minors in Business and Design & Digital Media

This project focused on improving the student experience with the Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) at the College of Staten Island by using student feedback to identify common challenges and propose practical improvements. By using a survey, I collected responses from students about their experiences with IT support, including issues with logging into accounts, connecting to WiFi, and navigating the Help Desk website. Based on this feedback, I developed design ideas such as a simplified support interface, a clearer “Report a Problem” process, a ticket tracking feature, and a more organized FAQ section. Overall, this project highlights how listening to students can lead to more accessible and effective support systems.

What made this project especially meaningful to me was how closely it connected to my own experience. As both a student and a college assistant working within OITS, I have seen firsthand how students struggle to get the help they need, while also understanding the limitations and responsibilities on the staff side. This dual perspective is what led me to choose this topic. I wanted to work on something that not only interested me but also had the potential to make a real difference within a department I am part of.

At the beginning, I expected the capstone to feel like a typical class assignment, but it quickly became clear that it required much more independence and responsibility. Unlike other projects, I had to take initiative in designing the survey, collecting responses, analyzing the data, and consistently communicating with my mentor to stay on track. In many ways, it felt less like an assignment and more like a real-world project, which pushed me to be more accountable for my own progress.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was maintaining motivation and managing my time effectively. Balancing this project alongside my regular coursework, exams, and other responsibilities was not easy. There were times when it was difficult to stay consistent, especially when I had other academic priorities to focus on. Gathering enough data was also a challenge, and looking back, I realize I should have distributed my survey earlier to allow more time for responses. At the same time, I found parts of the process enjoyable, particularly when I was analyzing the feedback and thinking about how to translate those insights into design improvements. It was rewarding to see how real student experiences could directly shape potential solutions.

 If I had the opportunity to continue this research, I would want to take it a step further by sharing my findings with leadership within the OITS department. I would be interested in seeing how realistic these ideas are from an operational standpoint and what changes would be necessary to implement them. I would also expand the survey to include a larger group of students to strengthen the data and better represent the student population.

Overall, this experience is something I take pride in completing. It challenged me in ways that went beyond a typical assignment and helped me develop stronger time management and organizational skills. More importantly, it showed me how research and design can be used together to solve real problems. This project made me think differently about how students interact with campus services and how even small improvements can have a meaningful impact. It is an experience that I will carry with me moving forward, both academically and professionally.

Tea Colored Minds: An in-depth Evaluation on The God of Small Things and Transgressive Love in India’s Caste System

Jillian Handley, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed major in English Literature 

For my thesis, I examined the structure of India’s caste system and how it shapes and forms everyday life, creating tight restrictions on love. I think what primarily motivated this research was my infatuation with the concept of love. It can be found everywhere, within anyone, and lingers for years. It can be shown and represented in so many ways, and everyone deserves that invisible bond that trails amongst us all. It is such a mundane topic, but it impacts us in so many ways, and it's a common ground we can all relate to in one way or another. Almost everyone I am surrounded by has had either a great love, a tragic love, a first one, or even a doomed love.

Arundhati Roy took everything I wanted to focus on and compiled it into an intricate work of art that remains extremely relevant to this day. In her work, she draws on her experience living in India and the effects of caste, post-colonialism, and family dynamics leading up to tragedy and altering lives.

When I went into this paper, I was excited because I had never quite done something like this before. Despite being an English major, I haven’t had to complete something of this caliber. When I was a sophomore, I took a class with Professor Ray, and on the first day, he asked us, “Do you know the caste system?”, and went into great detail about the social system in the country, making for a well-informed conversation throughout the semester. Although we had spoken about it throughout the course, it still didn’t make the topic any less daunting. For me, focusing on love and family bonds was the bridge I needed to feel most at ease with during the conversation.

I found more things to be more hard than easy when working on this, but I feel that is expected and maybe even more appreciated. I love feeling challenged, but I also like adding to conversations, and I was able to do exactly that in my research. I don’t think I’ll ever speak about temporal hybridity or the bildungsroman the way I do now, but who knows!

If I were to ever expand on this topic, I would need something that can provide a new avenue of perspective to enhance the work rather than sounding like I’m repeating the same four sentences. But from my work, I am leaving with the importance of childhood experiences in shaping lives. Prejudice is taught, not born. Love is truly the greatest risk taken and the most rewarding, despite all odds.

Dietary Factors Impact on Oral Microbiome

Emily Eisler-Grynsztajn, Verrazzano Class of 2026, complete major in Biology and minor in Psychology

I chose the focus of my capstone to be the relationship between diet and the oral microbiome. I have always been interested in health, and I never really took the time to realize how much what we eat can affect oral health beyond just cavities. Getting to learn that the things we consume can influence bacteria in the mouth, and even connect to overall health, made me want to explore it further. This topic felt relevant because diet is something people have the ability to control, and understanding its impact could help prevent not only oral diseases, but systemic ones as well.

At the very start of this project, I expected it to mainly focus on basic nutrition and dental hygiene. However, the research ended up being much more complex than I thought. I learned that different dietary patterns, like high-sugar diets versus plant-based or Mediterranean diets, can significantly change the diversity of bacteria in the mouth. For instance, high sugar intake promotes harmful bacteria and reduces microbial diversity. On the other hand, plant-based and Mediterranean diets support beneficial bacteria and reduce inflammation. I did not expect the connection between the oral microbiome and overall health, including diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular conditions, to be so strong.

One of the most challenging parts of this project was organizing all the scientific information and making it understandable. A good amount of the studies had complex terminology, especially when learning about microbial diversity, metabolism, and research methods. Something else that was difficult initially was understanding the methodology, like the two-phase design with both observational and experimental research. To make it easier to follow on my part, I broke it down. The easiest part of the project was connecting the research to real-life examples, especially our choices in diet, because it made the topic feel more relatable.

Impacts of AI on the Fashion Industry: The Future of Fashion

Kaitlyn Cunningham, Verrazzano Class of 2026, completed major in Business Marketing   

I chose my research topic based on my own experience working in the fashion industry as a model over the past few years. I’ve seen a lot of changes happen recently, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence, and it made me curious about what was going on behind the scenes. I started noticing a rise in digital content, data-driven decisions, and even AI-generated models being used in campaigns. Because of that, I was wanted to learn more about how AI is affecting the industry and what it could mean for people like me who are part of it.

Before starting this capstone, I thought it would mostly just be about finding sources and putting information together into different sections. I didn’t expect it to be as in-depth as it was, and I realized there was a lot more to it once I started researching. I had to think about different perspectives, especially when it came to ethical issues like privacy, bias, and job loss. It ended up being more about analyzing and understanding the impact of AI rather than just explaining what it is.

One of my biggest challenges was narrowing down my topic, because AI in fashion covers so many different areas. I wanted to include everything, but I had to figure out what was most important and relevant to me. Another challenge was making sure I was using my sources correctly and connecting them to my ideas. Some parts were easier, especially when I was writing about the modeling industry and AI-generated models, because I could relate it to my own experiences. Something that surprised me was how much AI is already being used in ways people don’t even realize, like predicting trends or managing inventory. I didn’t realize how advanced and common it already is.

If I were to continue this research I would want to focus on how AI is going to affect jobs in the fashion industry long-term, especially for models, designers, and other creative roles. Overall, this project helped me understand that AI is changing the fashion industry in a lot of ways, both good and bad. It can make things more efficient and personalized, but it also raises important issues like privacy, fairness, and authenticity. The biggest thing I am taking away from this is that AI is something that is actively shaping the future of the fashion industry. As someone who is part of it, doing this capstone made me think about how these changes could affect my career and the importance of balancing technology with human creativity.