The Bronx shows up strong on CUNY’s 50 Under 50

The City University of New York (CUNY) released in November its second annual who’s who of its massive alumni network with its 50 Under 50 list, and the Bronx was well represented, with honorees from the borough, educated at Bronx CUNY schools or with strong ties to the Boogie Down all making their mark on the world culturally, socially and economically.

The Bronx Times caught up with a few of the list’s esteemed honorees to get their reactions on being recognized, reflections on their journeys so far and their love story with the borough of the Bronx.

Interviews have been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Photo: City University of New York

Amaurys Grullon
Creative Social Entrepreneur, CEO, Bronx Native & Tag Up Music
Bronx Community College ’17

Why he made the list: Grullon has been a driving force in changing the narrative of the Bronx. In 2015 he founded the local clothing brand Bronx Native with his sister Roselyn. Since then, a line of clothing celebrating the culture of the Bronx has evolved into a community hub offering a space for youth programming, open mics, a media center and events like financial literacy workshops and food distributions.

Bronx Times: CUNY has published a profile along with each honoree summarizing their significant achievements and contributions to the city. Ignoring whatever achievements or contributions are written in blurbs about you, what have you contributed to New York City and to the Bronx that has meant the most to you personally?

Grullon: I’m a creative social entrepreneur. All my businesses have a social component. Bronx Native is our main baby. It’s the movement that we’ve created here in the Bronx: a movement of empowerment, a movement of inspiration.

I grew up in the Bronx and all I heard was negative things. But honestly I believe the Bronx is the most beautiful place on earth and I wanted to create a brand, I wanted to create a platform that really represented the Bronx accordingly.

I think my contribution to New York City is the fact that we created an authentic brand. We’ve created a beautiful community here in the Bronx that’s constantly giving back and is re-imagining— is changing the narrative here in the Bronx and making sure that we are being represented accordingly, that our stories are being heard and being seen.

Bronx Times: I want to know about how CUNY specifically and also public education in general enabled you to create that community and begin to change the narrative and propel you to where you are today.

Grullon:  Even though I’ve always had big dreams, I was a little detoured from the journey, and what BCC and the professors there did was really help me tap into my potential. They really saw my talents and my work and said, ‘You do incredible work. Step up, make it happen. You’re gonna do great things.’ So, they kind of put that battery in me and ever since then I never looked back.

Photo: City University of New York

Davi Santos
Actor & Activist
Macaulay Honors College ’16
Lehman College ’16

Why he made the list: Before Santos earned international success, he was a Macaulay Honors Student at Lehman College where he graduated summa cum laude in 2016. Since then he’s gone on to star in a string of hit series like CBS’s “Tell Me a Story,” Nickelodeon’s “Power Rangers Dino Charge,” and Netflix’s “Good Sam.” He’s also earned accolades for co-writing at prestigious film festivals like Cannes and online platforms like The Blacklist. Santos has used his name recognition and following to become an advocate for social and political issues.

Bronx Times: How do you feel? Give us a play by play of your initial reaction of being honored on the 50 Under 50 list.

Santos: It was really sweet.  And the cool peeps at CUNY were awesome with the interview and the photos. They kind of went all out.  It’s neat to have a resurgence of that relationship. It’s part of me. I carry it with me inside. And now it’s suddenly like, ‘Hey, remember us? We just wanna say, great job. We’re proud of you.’ So it’s nice. I think a little bit of recognition from the institution is always welcome.

Bronx Times: If you’d gone to a school that wasn’t a CUNY institution, if you’d gone to a school that wasn’t in the Bronx, do you think that you would be where you are today?

Santos:  I’m a firm believer of the butterfly effect: you change one little thing, everything changes. So, if you change literally where you went to school, I’m sure, major differences. It totally contributes to where I am today and I’m very proud of it.

Photo: City University of New York

Eric Dinowitz
New York City Council Member (D-11)
Hunter College ’09

Why he made the list: City Council Member Eric Dinowitz is a product of and an evangelist for New York City public schools. He spent 13 years as a special education teacher before going into politics, where he has advocated for more resources for the Bronx, public education, New Yorkers with disabilities, aging New Yorkers and Jewish New Yorkers.

Bronx Times: Council Member, you made the  50 Under 50 list. What happens when you’re selected for this kind of list? How do they let you know and what was your reaction?”

Dinowitz: A while back at Lehman College, they used to have these flags above all these famous alumni, friends of mine like, Ruben Diaz Jr., Elliot Engle and my dad was there and you had all these great Bronxites and I said, ‘One day.’ And I guess today’s that day.

Bronx Times: Think back to the students you’ve taught over the years. Tell us about one that stands out to you who you are very proud of.

Dinowitz: The first one that came to mind is because of CUNY. He  struggled in school and had an IEP [individualized education program]. He worked really hard, struggled, and then he came back to the school and worked part-time as a school aide, and then he went back to CUNY. He went to BCC and then Lehman, and started serving on the student advisory council. Now he’s like working at Lehman.

Our public schools not only gave him education, but then gave him his first work opportunity and then he was finally able to go to college. He went to community college and he got involved and he eventually got paid and now has a job at CUNY.

I see all the time with my students, because I live in the community where I taught and so a lot of them do too. So I get to see them grow.

Photo: City University of New York

Kalani Leifer
Founder & CEO, COOP Careers
Lehman College ’10

Why he made the list: Leifer is fighting underemployment through connecting first-generation college graduates to a robust alumni network and emphasizing “head, heart and hustle” as a strategy for job seekers. Launching his career through the Teach for America program as a History teacher at KAPPA International High School in the Bronx, Leifer embodies the modern worker who goes through several career transitions throughout life, becoming a consultant with McKinsey, a project leader at Google and founding COOP Careers to help others navigate the job market successfully.

Bronx Times: “ So, you are not from the Bronx, you’re from the Bay Area. But you chose to get your master’s from Lehman. I’m wondering what went into that decision? How did you choose Lehman? Can you walk me through that?”

Leifer: “ I would say, Lehman chose me and I’m forever grateful for that.  I was really fortunate to be accepted to Teach for America. I was a teacher at a small public school in the Bronx up on Fordham Road called Kappa International High School, and in order to get my teaching credential, I needed to be pursuing a master’s in education in the evening and Lehman was perfect for that.

I would walk there from teaching a couple nights a week, and when you’re a first and second year teacher, the prospect of doing anything on top of that is overwhelming. But I remember getting to Lehman campus at 7 p.m. and being tired and stressed and walking down the hallways and looking into every classroom. Each of those classrooms were full of other tired, stressed adults who had also had a long day themselves, probably parents and caretakers coming to school and pursuing their bachelor’s degree and doing so with focus and grace.

I just remember being so moved by the commitment and dedication of my fellow students at Lehman and feeling really inspired by that and a huge part of what got me through.

Photo: City University of New York

Paule V. Joseph, PhD
Senior Investigator, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Hostos Community College ’05

Why she made the list: Joseph is a nationally recognized nurse-scientist and leader whose career spans clinical care, cutting-edge sensory research, and public health.

Bronx Times: What made you want to become a nurse?

Joseph: I became a nurse because I wanted to serve. My mom is a nurse, and growing up, I watched illness change the rhythm of homes, strip families of certainty, and sometimes steal hope before anyone was ready. I wanted to be the person who stood in that space not as a savior, but as a steady presence. A witness. A partner. Nursing gave me that. It gave me science and humanity in the same breath. It taught me that caring is not soft. And it opened a door I didn’t even know existed: into research, discovery, and questions about the senses that no one was asking yet. Nursing at Hostos was my beginning, my stepping stone. Everything I’ve built started there.

Bronx Times: What words of encouragement do you have for Hostos nursing students — especially women — stepping into this field?

Joseph: To the students walking the halls where I once walked: You are not small. You are not ‘in training’ for greatness, you are already living it. Learn the science fiercely. Protect your curiosity like it’s a precious jewel, because it is. Speak up even when your voice shakes. Ask the questions no one is asking yet. Nursing does not limit you, it breaks doors open. You can be a clinician, a scientist, a policy leader, a founder, or a voice that shapes how the world thinks about health. You can build something that didn’t exist before you imagined it. And when the days feel heavy — because there will be heavy days — remember this: You didn’t choose nursing by accident. This work chose you because you are strong enough for it, even on the days you forget.

Photo: City University of New York

Troy Blackwell Jr.
Distinguished Fellow, Columbia University School of Professional Studies
The City College of New York ’17

Why he made the list: Blackwell accolades extend internationally as he has taken his media and communication expertise to history making roles as the first openly LGBTQ+ person to become the spokesperson for the U.S. Peace Corps and the highest ranking Latino appointee under the Biden-Harris administration as the deputy chief communications officer at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Patent and Trademark Office.

Bronx Times: You’re honored because of your contributions to the city in some sort of social, cultural, economic or public service sphere. If you were to completely erase what. others said or perceived about your accomplishments, when you reflect on your, career, your life and your history, what contributions have you made that have been the most significant to you?

Blackwell: For me, when I think about removing all of the blurbs and everything and getting to brass tacks, it’s about the power of resilience. It’s why I talk about CUNY being such a big part of my journey. Because when I was a CUNY student, I was going to school part-time most of the time because I had to, to work and sustain myself.

There were points in my journey where I was housing insecure. Neither of my parents at the time were college educated, in fact, I openly talk about it a lot, but I was raised by a single mother. My father was incarcerated, and so none of them were college educated. I was a first generation college student and very much had to make a lot of quick and big decisions, early on, on my own. And what I found at CUNY was that I had really good professors who eventually became mentors and looked out for me in more ways than one. Not just academically, but personally, who’ve reached out and said, ‘this is how we can help you in terms of housing situations. Here’s how you can get certain social safety nets. So they looked out for me in a really deep and personal way and so that was a big part of what grounded me, from a personal standpoint.”

Bronx Times: While the CUNY institution you attended wasn’t in the Bronx, you grew up in the Borough. You’ve run for office in the 15th City Council District. Can you talk more about your Bronx ‘love story’?

Blackwell: The Bronx is home for me. Outside of college, I went to school in the Bronx. My stepdad is a small business owner in the Bronx. He owns a clothing store on Gun Hill Road. But for me, the Bronx is home and it goes to that resilience story. I think about someone like my stepfather who is an immigrant and a small business owner. I think about my mom who is a healthcare worker for Bronx Works, which is one of the big nonprofits in the Bronx. My whole family’s definitely deeply rooted in the Bronx.

CUNY’s list also recognized Monique A. Francis, a four time CUNY grad who counts Bronx Community College and Lehman college among her alma maters. Francis is now the interim executive director of CUNY Citizenship Now!, a CUNY based legal assistance program that offers free immigration legal services to CUNY students, faculty and staff, and immigrants across the city.

Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, Melissa Aviles-Ramos also has close ties to the the Bronx and was named on CUNY’s 50 Under 50 list. Aviles-Ramos got her start in education in Bronx schools in 2007 teaching English teacher as a NYC Teaching Fellow at Harry S. Truman High School in Coop City, raising the graduation rate from around 25% to over 80%.

Aviles-Ramos went on to become a deputy superintendent during the pandemic and then acting superintendent for Bronx high schools in District 8, 10 and 11. Along with her CUNY degrees, Aviles-Ramos holds a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University.

Héctor Carvajal, founder and CEO of Don Carvajal Café made a splash with his Dominican coffee popups in the South Bronx and beyond, drawing fans like NYC Mayor Eric Adams and former Yankees players by serving up with EaterNY called the “Strongest Cup of Coffee in NYC.” Although the cafe’s brick and mortar is now in Livingston, NY, its website still notes that Don Carvajal’s committed to building equity and creating opportunity in the Bronx.

Together, the 50 Under 50 honorees reflect the broad range of paths taken by CUNY graduates connected to the Bronx. Their work spans entrepreneurship, the arts, public service, education, health, and technology, and their stories highlight how personal experiences, community ties and public education shaped their careers. While their fields differ, each described the Bronx and CUNY as influential in their development, continuing the borough’s legacy as an incubator for influential thinkers, creators and entrepreneurs in NYC and beyond.

Reach Sadie Brown at sbrown@schnepsmedia.com or (214) 994-6723. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!