35th Annual ALANA Conference Focuses on Migration Stories

Communication Studies Professor Named Fulbright Specialist

Ongoing work on how corporations use individuals’ personal data in exploitative ways earned communication studies professor Ulises Mejias a prestigious post as a Fulbright Specialist to work on this topic with educators and audiences across the globe.

The program from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and World Learning pairs highly qualified U.S. academics and professionals with host institutions in other countries to share expertise, strengthen institutional links, hone skills, gain international experience and learn about other cultures. It is a multiyear commitment, with Mejias joining the specialist roster from 2021 to 2025.

President’s Awards Honor Outstanding Academic Advisers

Lindsay McCluskey of communication studies and Casey Raymond of chemistry are the 2021 recipients of the SUNY Oswego President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Advising.

Physics Professor Earns International Honor

SUNY Oswego physics professor Carolina Ilie was one of 15 scholars selected as Sigma Xi Fellows, a prestigious honor for continued contribution to the international honor society and the field of scientific research.

35th Annual ALANA Conference Focuses on Migration Stories

This year marked the 35th anniversary of SUNY Oswego’s annual ALANA (Asian, Latino, African and Native American) Student Leadership Conference, which took place Sept. 21–27, 2021. Based on the theme “Migration Stories of Courage,” the ALANA Conference featured a range of presentations, performances, discussions and the 11th Annual Peace Walk.

This year’s program also featured two tributes. One was a page with thank-you messages for President Deborah F. Stanley from the ALANA Planning Committee, the ALANA community and the Student Association, and from Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors members who have been active in ALANA organizations, Thaina Gonzalez ’92 and Rufaro Matombo ’12. Many of the individual events and presentations also included special recognition for President Stanley. The other tribute this year was a page in the program dedicated to a former SUNY Oswego employee Roosevelt Muhammad, who oversaw the ALANA Student Conference from 1991 to 2006 and who died Aug. 23, 2021. Ana Luz ’94 wrote a poem in honor of Roosevelt that was included in the program. Building on this year’s theme of migration and courage, Jessica Hernandez ’18 and Kelsey Gillett ’14, who both work with Oswego’s Education Abroad program, encouraged students to experience an unfamiliar culture and country. In their Sept. 22 presentation about the “5 Big Fs of Study Abroad,” they addressed all five: fear, funds, faculty support, family and fit. Following the 11th Annual Peace Walk on Sept. 26, the City of Buffalo’s first poet laureate, Jillian Hanesworth, performed four original spoken word poems, including “Ashe” written specifically in honor of Oswego’s Peace Walk. She stressed the importance of words and their power to shape the future generations. Closing out the 7-day conference, Claudia D. Hernández, the author of this year’s Oswego Reading Initiative book Knitting the Fog, spoke to a standing-room only crowd in the Sheldon Hall Ballroom.

Hernández, who was raised in Guatemala before immigrating to Los Angeles, discussed how important the women in her life, primarily her great aunt and grandmother, are to her. Hernández explained how her relationship with these two women inspired her works in Knitting the Fog and her photography book, Women, Mujeres, Ixoq: Revolutionary Visions. To read more complete coverage of the conference, check out magazine.oswego.edu.

Media Summit Addresses Emergence, Future of Streaming

The 17th Annual Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit addressed audience expectations and the future of video streaming during the Oct. 27 panel discussion in Tyler Hall’s Waterman Theatre.

With a theme of “On-Demand In Demand: Audiences and the Future of Video Streaming,” the Dr. Lewis B. O’Donnell Media Summit featured an all-star panel presentation in Tyler Hall’s Waterman Theatre. Panelists included Jamie Duemo, the media and entertainment business development leader at Amazon Web Services; award-winning educator and filmmaker Chrissy Guest from Ithaca College; Renard Jenkins, WarnerMedia’s vice president of production integration and creative technology services; and Frank L. Palumbo ’83, vice president/account manager of local television for Nielsen Holdings. Justin Dobrow ’17, manager of partner operations at Peacock, NBCUniversal, served as moderator. The following alumni shared their experience and advice as Career Connectors following the panel: Travis Clark ’15, senior media reporter at Insider; Matt Stone ’15, segment producer at ABC’s Good Morning America; Kalie Hudson Dobrow ’16, senior social strategist at Edelman; Imani Cruz ’17, talent, casting and series development coordinator at MTV Networks; Geselle Martinez ’17, stage manager for CBS Mornings; and Carmen Mendoza ’17, commercial operations coordinator for AMC Networks—Sundance TV.

SUNY OSWEGO

Save the Date: Reunion 2022, June 9-12

While no one can predict the future, plans are underway for an in-person celebration of Reunion on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Is your group or class celebrating a milestone anniversary? Who has already RSVP’d to attend?

Get the latest news about all things Reunion online at alumni.oswego.edu/reunion. Career Connectors:

Geselle Martinez ’17 (left) gives advice to a broadcasting student.

Travis Clark ’15 (left in black mask) discusses print media with members of The Oswegonian.

EVENTS

While planning for these events continues, please check the online events calendar for the most up-to-date information.

Feb. 12 Reunion 2022 Engagement and Philanthropy Committee Meeting Feb. 19 Men’s Basketball Alumni Game March 3 Oswego Alumni Book Club Author Talk March EOP 50th Anniversary Celebration 25–27 Apr. 2 Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting Apr. 23 Reunion 2022 Engagement and Philanthropy Committee Meeting May 13 Commencement Eve Torchlight Ceremony June 9-12 Reunion Weekend 2022 June 30 Fiscal Year Ends Aug. 5–6 Blackfriars Alumni Reunion alumni.oswego.edu