Steven Arriaga (Class of 2017) has just joined the Verrazano School Honors Program. A study abroad experience changed his life and led him to more travel, and to Verrazano. In addition to studying English with a linguistics concentration, Steven will earn a minor in French, and some serious travelling credentials! 

A CSI/Italy Connection

My name is Steven Arriaga, a Verrazano student and Linguistics major at the College of Staten Island, and I’m currently studying abroad in Italy! Enrolled in an Italian Food, Culture, and Society course at Florence University of the Arts, this is officially my second time attending an overseas program (Vive la France!). Before arriving to Italy, I had the pleasure of traveling with my college mentor, Professor Tortora, where she presented our research project at the University of Iceland. Soon after, I enjoyed some time in my home country of Spain, anticipating a huge Barcelona soccer game among the Catalonians (nevertheless, Hala Madrid!). Aiming to visit ten countries before turning 21, I’ve been to Mexico, France, the UK, Belgium, Iceland, Spain, Italy, The Vatican (this totally counts), and will be going to Austria and Denmark before ending my journey in the City of Light. Although I return home in about 3 weeks, this trip has been nothing short of amazing. A unique program, we traveled during our first week throughout Italy before reaching the beautiful Firenze. Having visited various places including Rome, Viterbo, Populonia, and Viareggio, every city helped me appreciate the traditions that Italians so proudly represent. Although I have an utmost passion for French culture, Italy definitely gives them a run for their money and as an avid photographer, I’m making sure that I capture every breathtaking moment. We also cook and taste different Italian food and wine in class, so what’s not to love? I’ve had the pleasure of meeting students from other CUNYs as well as other states including Massachusetts and Tennessee. Best of all, however, is the fact that I’m slowly but surely picking up Italian as my fourth language! It greatly complements my major and goal to become a college professor, so this trip has already been worthwhile to say the least.

Travel is bliss.

      Studying abroad has definitely been the highlight of my college career and after working as a peer advisor at CSI’s Center for International Service for a year, my desire to continue traveling is greater than ever! I can’t begin to explain how much I’ve grown since I’ve begun traveling, but I can definitely say that I’m a more than twice the person I was a year ago. Europe is the place where I grew passionate for soccer, fine art, photography, literature and surprisingly, fashion, so it’s easily been the most influential time in my life. My future goals include winning a Gilman scholarship to return to Europe for a full semester before applying for a Fulbright Teaching Assistantship and there’s no doubt in my mind that these feats are possible! I could continue writing for hours about how life-changing Europe is but I have to start packing now for Vienna before going out for some amazing focaccia and gelato. Ciao!

Undergraduate Research Opens Doors To New Opportunities

Joseph Inigo, a Biochemistry major in the Verrazano Class of 2013, has been conducting neuroscience research with Dr. Banarjee since 2009.  Joseph has co-authored and published two scientific papers, one for the Journal of Neurochemistry and the other for the International Journal of Cancer.  He presented his research at several conferences, and in 2012 he led members of the American Chemical Society club to the Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting at the University of Maryland.    He has served as Treasurer and President of the American Chemical Society on campus.  Below, Joseph shares what he has learned through participation in undergraduate research.


Looking back on my years as an undergraduate student, I can honestly say that the defining moment of my college career occurred when I first stepped into a laboratory at the College of Staten Island. For a while, I had been hearing about all the different types of research that was taking place right on campus, and as someone still striving to find my niche, I decided I wanted to try my hand at this. However, the beginning was the most daunting. I had no idea where to start or whom to speak with. 

Joseph in the lab.

But soon after, I heard about Dr. Probal Banerjee’s neuroscience research lab and several of his projects. I found his areas of interest to be fascinating and simply had to meet with him and inquire about his lab. I was lucky enough to discover that there was a position just waiting to be filled. There was a project involving the study of clozapine, an antipsychotic often used to treat schizophrenia. This project had been put on hold and needed someone to take over. So slowly yet surely, I learned my way around the lab and picked up various techniques to help outline the mechanism of clozapine-evoked electrical activity in the prefrontal cortex and show involvement of the serotonin 1A receptor in this signaling activity. Later on, I moved to a project involving curcumin, investigating its prospect in eliminating brain tumors such as those formed by melanoma and glioblastoma cells.

During my involvement in these projects, I have been able to both increase my knowledge in the sciences and also learn the technical aspects of hands-on research. It has been a treat to apply techniques that previously I had only been reading about in textbooks. And it has been quite the experience to work with animals and various cell lines. With the opportunity to thrive in this learning environment, I have been able to lay the groundwork for establishing myself as a scientist. What began as simple curiosity slowly developed into a true passion for discovering answers which can only be uncovered by scientific experimentation.

One facet of research that I did not expect involved the presenting of our findings at various conferences. This allowed me a platform to exercise my ability to speak in front of an audience and present my work. One of the highlights included my participation with the American Chemical Society chapter at CSI. We attended the 43rd ACS Middle Atlantic Regional meeting at the University of Maryland and during the course of three days, we met fellow researchers from various states and were presented with the latest information at the forefront of chemistry research. We were able to stay at the university’s dorms, free of charge, which even included a meal plan.

Joseph and peers at the American Chemical Society Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting.

Besides the research portion, one of my favorite aspects about working in a lab is having the support of a cast of colleagues who are with me every step of the way, kindly sharing their experiences and expert knowledge. It has come to the point where I can consider them an extension of my family. And I still find it unbelievable how many friends I have met through research. This coming summer, I am thrilled to be able to participate in a neuroscience research program in the Netherlands at Maastricht University. It goes to show that if you are willing to leave your comfort zone and put yourself out there to try new experiences, you will never know who you will meet or what opportunities you will find. So please, if you have even the slightest interest in research, I highly encourage you to give it a try and shoot me an email at joseph.inigo@gmail.com if you are unsure of where to begin!

Joseph will be speaking at an Undergraduate Science Research VELA on Tuesday, April 30th at 2:30 in 5N-112.  If you'd like to attend this workshop and learn more from fellow Verrazano students about how to get involved in undergraduate science and psychology research, please RSVP to the Verrazano office at 718-982-4171.