Samantha Iervolino finds her path in helping teenagers

Samantha Iervolino is a Verrazano graduate, Class of 2019. She earned an RN and BS in Nursing. 


Throughout my four years at the College of Staten Island and the Verrazano Honors Program, I grew a lot as a person and I challenged myself in many ways I never thought were possible.  Completing the Nursing Program was my biggest challenge and it was there that I was exposed to many different areas of healthcare.  I always felt drawn to obstetrics and gynecology, therefore I began to look for a job in the field.  In September of 2017, I began working in a local OB/GYN office and it was there that I saw my first adolescent pregnancy first hand.  The patient, a 15-year-old, was 24 weeks pregnant and came to the office for her first prenatal visit. She claimed she had just found out she was pregnant.  When I looked at her I saw she was scared and did not know what she could do at this point. Ultimately, she decided to give the baby up for adoption, but I know this is a decision that she will live with for the rest of her life.  It was then that I decided that this was the field for me and that I specifically wanted to target the adolescent population to promote health and decrease risky reproductive behaviors.

Sam at her pinning ceremony!

My research not only discusses adolescent pregnancy, but how we can empower adolescents to seek preventative care.  It also discusses how education plays a vital role in decreasing not only the adolescent pregnancy rate, but also the rate of sexually transmitted disease (STD) and sexually transmitted infection rates (STI).  After conducting the research, I created a pamphlet that offers adolescents answers to their many questions and also grants them resources that they need to help guide them through their new-found curiosity in sexuality.  The research conducted will decrease the risky reproductive behaviors that adolescents often engage in.  

I feel very fortunate to have been in the Verrazano Honors Program because it granted me an opportunity to conduct this type of research.  In my career as a Registered Nurse, I will continue this research and I vow to educate as many adolescents as I possibly can.  In the future, I would like to go on to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP).  As a WHNP, I plan on having a clinic that specifically treats adolescents.  I am forever grateful to have been a part of the Verrazano Honors Program as it granted me a wonderful advisor, Cheryl, who has guided me through many struggles and always offered up motivation when needed, a lovely secretary, Cynthia, who always made sure I was completely prepared and always had everything I needed, friendships that will last a lifetime, and knowledge that will be ever growing.  

Two majors, two cultures

Samantha Brandt is a Verrazano graduate, Class of 2018. She complete majors in International Studies and Political Science.

Sam giving a presentation

My name is Samantha Brandt, and I am a completing my double majors of International Studies and Political Science, with a double minor in Business and Chinese.  I used the inspiration of the wide selection of classes to complete a Capstone that takes this all into account.  I researched Feminism in China, and how political and economic factors have impacted their society.  


This was not an easy topic to come up with, originally I had many ideas that I wanted to work with, and the topic changed as I worked on my essay.  I had to be fluid with what I was working with, as my research, and the information I was coming up with were all related, but I found myself focusing on slightly different things than planned.  It was an opportunity to learn how to go with the flow, let things come naturally, and grow as a person.

Sam working the table!

In today’s society, feminism is widely discussed on whether it is a good or positive influence in our society, but rarely do we hear people discussing its importance in other countries.  

 I wanted to expand my horizons and learn about the difficulties other people face around the world.  In my college career, I’ve focused heavily on international political science, and in my life I’ve worked with the Girl Scouts of a Greater New York in order to improve the lives of girls in my hometown.  This Capstone project enabled me to have insight necessary to continue to move forward with my cause.  Nothing comes about without hard work, and seeing the effort other women are putting in, makes me want to inspire others to do the same. Without having done this research, I wouldn’t have expanded my knowledge and pushed my own boundaries.  

Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling

Moet Askew, Verrazano Class of 2018, earned majors in Business Management and Accounting.

Moet and her mentor Professor Allen

My name is Moet Askew. I am a part of the Verrazano Class of 2018! I am a double major in business management and accounting. In my junior year, I took the HON 301 course with Professor Miller. I know a four-hour class on a Friday isn’t the typical interest for any college student. But, I’m so happy I did it! I truly recommend any Verrazano student to take this in their second semester of junior year. Here’s a secret… you’re basically starting your capstone early and getting all the help you need! In this course, you hear all of your fellow Verrazano members’ ideas spark each time we meet. Me,  having two business majors, I had to decide whether I want to talk about accounting (I’m sure we all know that can get a little boring) or talk about business management. I knew I could find an important issue to discuss within my business management major.

I realized that I will soon be entering the corporate field after graduation. Me, being an African American female, I felt it is important to bring awareness to the marginalization of black females in corporate America. It is as though they have glass ceiling on top of the actual “glass ceiling”.  I knew this was a difficult yet serious issue to discuss but I was up for the challenge. Luckily, I had an amazing mentor to help me through the process, Professor Robert Allen! He was my MGT314 (Small Business Management) professor. I knew he would make my vision come to life. 

The Glass Ceiling Before The Glass Ceiling: How the marginalization of black women in Corporate America presents a barrier to their success became the title of my capstone and I am so proud of myself for getting through this process. Doing this research, gathering data, and bringing awareness to this issue is something I definitely did not see myself doing coming to CSI as a freshman. I am so happy and passionate about this topic and presenting it at the Undergraduate Research Conference. My capstone helped me prepare for my near future and show me how I can overcome the obstacles and barriers that black women face on a daily basis. I am so excited and once again, up for the challenge to pursue my business career!

From Drug Delivery Research to Pharmacy School

Mohammed Bazrouk, Verrazano Class of 2018, earned a degree in Biology with a concentration in Health Science, and minors in Chemistry and Biochemistry.


My first year of college with the Verrazano School was exciting and very active between VELA’s, community service and other events for Verrazzanish students to attend. I was trying to find my inspiration in life by educating myself in different topics. My social and loving nature lead me to the field of medicine. I began taking classes in the basic core but I come to find I really enjoyed my biology courses. At the start of my second year I chose a major in Biology with a minor in biochemistry and chemistry. It was safe to say I would be pursuing a career in the sciences. Many of my peers worked in laboratories as research assistants and I always found their new and interesting discoveries to be really insightful and progressive. I thought that if my friends were capable of such outstanding work and then I should be able to part take in research that not only helps other people but can be used in practical medical applications. So I started research in an all-green (!) lab run by Dr. Krishnaswami Raja. This lab was perfect for me because the lab used only biologically safe materials that can be found in everyday life like curcumin and other plants to make protein polymers for the objective of drug delivery. My capstone project has been a string of experiments over the span of three years. 

Mohammed presenting at the Undergraduate Research Conference

I was hopeful with the help of my mentor Andrew Mancuso that we could attain valuable results that would someday be able to help the community with treatment of diseases like cancer. The importance of a mentor cannot be understated when going through the learning process of bench top research. The beginning of research was a little bit of a bumpy ride and results weren’t be achieved as expected. However I learned that you need to have a lot of patience because nothing is easy! But through hard work you can achieve anything. This is exactly what I did but volunteering several hours in the lab each week. One important lesson I learned is when doing the research we are striving to change the world one slow step at a time and there will always be road bumps. One of my favorite activities during my polymer protein research is the ability to place my work under a microscope and be able to tell the exact shape size and morphology of the particles. This was by far my favorite part of volunteering my research hours because when you look under the microscope you can see all of your hard work revealed in front of you. My research deals with creating a drug delivery system that will hopefully be used in chemotherapy one day to attack cancer tumors at the site of proliferation. 

I am really proud of what I’ve been able to do given the time and classes during my undergraduate program. Along the road I met many friends that have been like family to me and have inspired me to keep pursuing my interests as I further my career. Next semester I will be attending a graduate pharmacy program right here in Brooklyn at the Long Island University of Pharmacy. Hopefully I will be able to bring my acquired skill with me to a research lab in my graduate program. 

On the Forefront of Predictive Policing

Maaz Syed, Verrazano Class of 2018, earned a degree in Computer Science.

Maaz and his partner developing their project

The capstone experience was surely a unique one for me. I still remember taking HON 301 with Prof. Edward Miller in my junior year when I had no idea what I was going to explore. The class taught me not only about research but also the whole experience surrounding it; it gave me confidence about working on new research that even my faculty advisor hadn’t started yet. As I finished the class, I started working on my actual research project with Prof. Feng Gu and my research partner, Tatiana Anderson. The project transformed throughout the time span of a year, and communication on each step played a vital role as being on the same page is very important. 

The topic of my research is Predictive Policing. My partner and I separated the jobs of data gathering and machine learning between us and met weekly. One of the first milestones that I covered was when I successfully implemented Google API according to our needs and automated the process of using API for more than 10,000 coordinates. A lot of testing and research went into gathering data. The second source we used for data gathering was Census, which is a great tool when used for a specific area (Census Tract in our case). Their API didn’t have as much documentation as the Google API did, and after a lot of dead-ends we were able to implement that for specific variables too. 
I was always fascinated by crime-related TV shows and movies, because it would portray how different tactics are considered by both sides. Predictive policing is currently in the infancy stages, but it is already becoming a tool to revolutionize policing. Every new technology has its pros and cons, nevertheless predictive policing is being used by police departments in cities such as NYC and Chicago. It was reported that an algorithm using big data analysis resulted in a 80% accuracy about the individuals most likely to get shot on Mother’s Day weekend of 2016 in Chicago, IL. Although the tragic news that nearly all the victims who were predicted did get shot, the confidence in predictive policing has been on the rise as well. A lot more research is still needed but if we can keep digging for the best results, an algorithm that has the potential to save lives isn’t far away.   

During the Fall semester of 2017, an opportunity to socialize and make connections was presented by Prof. Feng Gu. In this social event, I met multiple PhD students and CSC alumni who had worked on research with Prof. Gu. The research experience felt at times as we were coworkers of professor because of the respect that was given to us throughout that evening by other students and professionals. I not only felt comfortable researching but also learned a lot about writing, presenting and interacting with professionals throughout my research experience.
References:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/artificial-intelligence-is-now-used-predict-crime-is-it-biased-180968337/
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