Through his journey, Thomas exemplifies the lasting bonds between alumni and their alma mater and inspires others to stay connected and give back.

Clayton Jones, Robert DeLeon ’21S (MBA), Tochukwu Iyke-Nzeocha ’25, Katherine Thomas ’22, Eugene Nichols III ’20, Courtney Thomas, Jr. ’18

Courtney Thomas, Jr. ’18 knows the power of giving back. As a student at the URochester, he immersed himself in campus leadership, serving as a Student Alumni Ambassador (SAA) and a member of the Senior Giving Committee. Today, as an alumnus, Thomas continues to make an impact, demonstrating a steadfast commitment to supporting the university that shaped his path.

Thomas’s journey to Rochester began with the Posse Foundation, a program that provides full-tuition scholarships to students from select cities. From his first campus visit, he was captivated by the university’s dynamic environment and open curriculum, which allowed him to craft a unique academic experience.

Arriving in the winter of 2014, Thomas quickly sought ways to stay engaged indoors (and in the warmth). This led him to explore student leadership roles, working in Wilson Commons, getting involved in student government, and joining key organizations like the Minority Male Leadership Association and the Douglass Leadership House. These experiences taught him valuable lessons about university operations, funding structures, and the critical role that alumni support plays in sustaining student initiatives.

Passion for staying connected

For Thomas, graduation was not a farewell—it was a transition into a new chapter of involvement. Recognizing that his own success was built on the generosity and dedication of others before him, he felt a deep responsibility to continue the cycle.

Courtney Thomas, Jr. ’18

Since graduating, he has remained actively involved in multiple alumni organizations, including the Young Alumni Council and the Black Alumni Network. He also mentors the Minority Male Leadership Association, helping to guide students. His dedication extends to the Posse Foundation, where he continues to support and engage with new cohorts of scholars.

A career rooted in service

Thomas’ commitment to public service is evident in his professional life as well. Currently serving as a key aide to the mayor of Rochester, he works at the intersection of community engagement, policy, and advocacy. His path to city government was unexpected but serendipitous. A chance encounter with then-City Council Member Malik Evans ’02, now Rochester’s mayor, at a URochester event led to an opportunity to become a City Council aide. That experience ignited a passion for civic engagement, and today, Thomas plays an integral role in city leadership, embodying the university’s motto, Meliora—ever better.

Encouraging others to give back

Thomas is a firm believer that every contribution to the university—whether time, resources, or mentorship—makes a meaningful difference. His advice to fellow alumni and students? Start small.

Liam Kirsch ’23, Franklin Hong ’23, Ben Schwartz ’23, Mayor Malik Evans ’02, Professor Gerald Gamm, Ari Drotch ’23, Blaine Doyle ’23, James Bentayou ’23, Courtney Thomas Jr. ’18

He emphasizes that giving back is not just about sustaining the university but also about creating opportunities for future generations. From participating in panels and speaking engagements to supporting fundraising initiatives, he encourages all alumni to find ways to stay engaged.

When Thomas reflects on the legacy he hopes to leave behind, he envisions a thriving, interconnected community of alumni who continue to uplift and empower students. He wants to see more students embrace study-abroad opportunities, take advantage of the university’s fifth-year programs, create their own majors, and immerse themselves in the city of Rochester’s cultural and professional offerings.

“Don’t just come here—stay connected,” he urges. “The Ģ����ý is a lifelong community, and staying involved is one of the best ways to make the most of that connection.”

Through his unwavering dedication, Courtney Thomas, Jr. exemplifies the best of what it means to be a URochester alumnus. His story is one of gratitude, service, and a commitment to ensuring that the doors of opportunity remain open for those who follow. In doing so, he continues to make both his alma mater and his community ever better.

Meet Chicago Black Alumni Network Member, Philanthropy Committee Member, and Class of 2020 Reunion Volunteer Eugene Nichols III ’20

What Eugene is up to now and reflecting on his time at the University

Share a bit about yourself and what you’ve been up to since graduating from the URochester.

Since graduating from Rochester, I’ve been heavily involved in the compliance industry, working as an investment compliance analyst at Northern Trust in Chicago. I believe that the compliance industry is a great segway into law which I hope to pursue in the future as a securities attorney. Moreover, I’d love to pursue pro bono work in the civil rights sector as well.

In my spare time, I’ve been enjoying Stranger Things! I never truly watched the series and spent the entirety of my time off during the holidays binging it. I also love hanging out with family and friends in my spare time as well.

What are your most cherished memories from your time at the University? Are there specific moments or people that stand out?

My most cherished memory from Rochester would certainly be the Early Connection Opportunity Program (ECO). ECO allowed me the opportunity to come to Rochester a month early, assimilate to campus life, and meet so many friends early on. The experience was a catalyst for my success as a student. Additionally, without the support of individuals like Thomas Crews, Sasha Eloi ’05, ’17W (EdD), and Dean Norman Burgett, I would not have exponentially grown both professionally and personally as a student.

How did your time at Rochester shape your personal and professional growth?

My experiences as a student leader, as well as my experiences socially, shaped my personal and professional growth. Managing an array of different responsibilities for student clubs, on campus jobs, and academics taught me how to manage my time more effectively, make an impact, and lead others with compassion. My most rewarding experiences at Rochester would definitely be the Meridian Society, Student Alumni Ambassadors Program, Minority Male Leadership Association, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. All of these experiences shaped me throughout my time at Rochester, and I couldn’t be more thankful for all the skills I sharpened and gained.

Volunteerism and making an impact

What inspired you to get involved with the Black Alumni Network, and how has that experience been for you?

I would not be a part of the Black Alumni Network (BAN) had it not been for Vice President of Alumni and Constituent Engagement Karen Chance Mercurius motivating me to do so! She has always been a source of guidance for me at Rochester, and her push for me to pursue leadership in the BAN is why I am indebted to it today. It’s been amazing connecting with so many African American alumni, while intentionally making strides to better bridge the connection between our undergraduate and alumni African American community as well.

How do you see your role as a volunteer contributing to strengthening the sense of community among Black alumni?

Hopefully, my engagement as a Reunion volunteer will strengthen the amount of African American alumni who return for Meliora Weekend. This is my first year being a part of Reunion planning! This is my class year’s 5th year reunion, so I’m excited to reunite with my classmates this fall. I believe that Rochester has so many resources as an institution and coming to Meliora Weekend is a great way to reconnect with one another, gain insights on how the University could be of assistance to your personal and professional endeavors while reliving your college memories all over again!

Reconnecting with classmates is always rewarding because you can see how much you all have changed over the years. Meeting alumni is amazing because you oftentimes find similarities between the both of you rather quickly. I believe that Rochester students and alumni all have the same spark—there’s a strong desire to win and achieve that we all possess. Also, most of the time, we’re quite eclectic! Finding those similarities can be both funny and satisfying all at the same time.

Celebrating a Reunion this year or want to see what you can look forward to in the future? Check out the Reunion website!

Are there any specific goals or projects you’re passionate about advancing through your involvement with the Black Alumni Network?

The Black Alumni Network granted two to students last year which I really was happy about! Strengthening the connection between Black undergraduates and Black alumni is something I also look forward to as well. With groups like the Black Students’ Union and Douglass Leadership House, both of which I was a part of as a student, I think that there is a lot of opportunity for alumni to give back and pour into our current students.

Are there specific alumni events or initiatives in Chicago that you’ve enjoyed or feel have strengthened the local University network?

Attending Regional Alumni events is a great start to getting active as an alumnus of Rochester! Whether you are in a city with a large or small number of alumni, there is always someone from Rochester who you can connect with; leveraging those connections and showing up I believe is the first step.

Events I really enjoyed would be the Boundless Possibility Event in April of last year! I was fortunate enough to speak on my Rochester experience at the event and meet so many Chicago Regional Network alumni. The experience was really rewarding, and I’m looking forward to more events on that scale in the future! Our is also very active! I love the events that they put on and attend them frequently.

Check out volunteer opportunities with the University today!

Natalie Lewis ’22N and Evelyn Santos ’23N (MS) are nursing champions for their communities.

Natalie Lewis ’22N

Nurses have always been at the forefront of addressing health disparities and that’s a role Natalie Lewis ’22N and Evelyn C. Santos ’23N (MS), RN, PMHN-BC have never shied away from. They’ve both committed to making a difference as nurses by caring for the mental health and well-being of their communities.

Since finishing her bachelor’s degree in 2022, Lewis has been passionate about contributing to her community through psychiatric and mental health nursing—it’s her way of staying connected to her city. In addition to her studies, she is a per-diem member of the City of Rochester’s Person in Crisis Team, a group who accompanies police on mental health calls. She also previously worked as a nurse at the Monroe County Children’s Detention Center.

Lewis spends most of her week either at school or her two jobs as a nurse and emergency response social worker. Recently, she returned to the Ģ����ý Medical Center as part of the .

Natalie Lewis ’22N

“It’s always been mental health for me. That’s my niche,” said Lewis, who is currently pursuing her master’s degree in the family psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner specialty. “It’s so important, especially for African American families. Most people will tell you— ‘you’re not depressed,’ or ‘you’re not stressed.’”

Growing up, Lewis said she experienced “old-school” beliefs about mental health in the Black community, but she has also seen attitudes start to shift. Her interest in mental health, combined with a natural gift for math and science, led Lewis to pursue her first bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University at Buffalo.

Afterward, Lewis knew she would need an advanced degree if she wanted to work in a clinical setting. She had considered pursuing a master’s in mental health counseling, but she also felt drawn to nursing. A job as a crisis specialist at Strong Memorial Hospital, where Lewis worked alongside the various members of a behavioral health team, helped confirm her interest in psychiatric nursing.

That has also been one of the most rewarding parts of her work as a nurse so far, at both the Monroe County Children’s Detention Center and the hospital. “I’m able to make an impact on the youth and have conversations with them about their current situation and how they can make changes in the future,” she said.

Continuing her education is one of Lewis’ proudest achievements. She is the youngest of six siblings, and the first to go to college. She is grateful not only for the chance to build a better future for herself, but to make her family proud as well.

“Seeing my mom happy and proud is the most important thing to me,” Lewis said. “I want to make her life easier and be able to take care of her. I like knowing she doesn’t have to worry about me.”

Evelyn C. Santos ’23N (MS), RN, PMHN-BC

When Santos joined the School of Nursing’s (LHCS) master’s program, she had already built a reputation at the URochester Medical Center as a fierce advocate for underserved populations.

Her years of experience in psychiatric and mental health nursing have inspired her work. Santos is the former lead nurse of , Upstate New York’s only bilingual outpatient mental health clinic. It’s a role that she developed and implemented herself, leveraging the ability of nurses to build strong ties with the communities they serve.

“Working with the Latino community was personally important to me. I knew my work made a significant impact on patient outcomes,” Santos said.

Rochester’s Latino population has more than tripled since the 1980s, . Nationally, Hispanic and Latino communities in the U.S. to mental health care, such as a lack of cultural competence among providers, immigration status, stigma, or language barriers.

Her LHCS capstone project focused on optimizing depression screenings among the local Latino community.

“The most rewarding part of the role is being an advocate for cultural awareness and providing equitable health care services,” she added. “I completed a needs assessment through a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens and implemented the utilization of iPads at my working site to capture depression screens electronically in Spanish,” she explained.

“This project provided an opportunity to improve depression screening rates among our Latino patient population, and also helped improve our collaborative decision-making strategies within the program I support.”

Santos’ graduate capstone is the latest highlight of a career defined by breaking barriers for this growing population. In addition to her role at the Lazos Fuertes Clinic, she served as a consultant to help expand UR Medicine’s Spanish-language neurology clinic, and created a guide dedicated to helping English-speaking nurses overcome language barriers that often interfere with care.

During her time at the School of Nursing, Santos was honored with the Paul J. Burgett Nursing Student Life Award, which recognizes a graduating student who enriches the School’s environment and serves as a positive catalyst for change.

Evelyn C. Santos ’23N (MS), RN, PMHN-BC

Just a few months after finishing the LHCS degree, Santos accepted a promotion within the Department of Psychiatry to a new role as a quality and education nurse. She looks forward to utilizing her nurse educator role to bring diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, trauma-informed care, and the impact of adverse childhood events (ACEs) to the forefront of the department’s educational curriculum.

Both Lewis and Santos knew they were in the right place at the URochester School of Nursing.

Eager to widen her scope of practice as a nurse, Lewis already felt a strong sense of belonging during her time as an accelerated bachelor’s student. Santos knew she could advance her work as an advocate for health equity.

“I enjoy the community within the school,” Lewis said. “I have developed friendships in nursing school that I feel I will have for a lifetime.

“What stood out to me as I explored opportunities for my master’s degree was the UR School of Nursing’s mission to be an inclusive environment,” Santos recalled. “The School of Nursing makes diversity, equity and inclusion efforts a priority. As a minority student, this was important to me.”

Meet cardiologist, community builder, and Black Alumni Network member Dr. Sanul Corrielus ’98M (MD)

Share a bit about yourself!

Growing up as the youngest in a family of 9 siblings with limited resources, survivor instincts came easily to me. In retrospect, it looks like I was been trained for war except that I did not know it would be a war against heart disease. . When I was three years old, my father took a job in the U.S. that would allow him to better provide for his family. Throughout my childhood, I spoke with my father strictly by phone and dreamed of reuniting with him in the U.S. someday. Until then, I worked hard and persevered in school.

At 17, I moved to Brooklyn; it was a dream come true to be reunited with my father. I was elated. I completed my high school and enrolled at Brooklyn College. That’s when my dream fell apart. I watched heart disease consume my father and I vividly recall how little he knew about his condition. It was as though he was fighting in a war without any basic understanding of how to defend himself. At night, he would sleep in a chair. His legs were so swollen, and he could not breathe lying down due to congestive heart failure. My father died within the first year of our reunion. Losing my father to heart disease inspired me to become a cardiologist. My passion is to empower people with the knowledge and tools to take care of their health and safeguard their hearts against heart disease.

Rochester prepared me to practice medicine in a way that’s fulfilling. The medical school founded the and taught us, as medical students, that our relationships with our patients—our fellow community members and neighbors—are paramount. It underscored the importance of getting to know our patients and understanding how they live and what’s important to them.

Today, I am a cardiologist, best-selling author, and CEO of Corrielus Cardiology in Philadelphia which has been delivering cardiac care to the community for the past decade. I focus on three key areas in the community: outreach, empowerment through education, and connecting people to culturally competent care. I’m a board-certified cardiologist by training, but I see myself more as a “heartist, ” meaning I strive to truly connect to the heart of the community so they can be empowered, take better care of themselves, and lead more fulfilled lives.

When did you get first get involved as an alumni volunteer? What role(s)?

I started to get involved as an alumni volunteer about four years ago when I served as a regional program committee leader with the University’s Black Alumni Network. I have also been involved in many regional events and participated in the Virtual Book Club.

What inspired you to get connected and get active, and continue to stay involved?

I really feel blessed and find a great deal of joy and satisfaction in the work that I do every day in the lives of my patients. When I reflect on how I got to be where I am with all the success that I have been able to achieve in my career, it all goes back to my years and training at the URochester. The school has made such an indelible mark on who I am today, I feel a sense of responsibility to give back and contribute to enriching the experience for those going through the process now and the many to come.

My book, , provides a breakthrough plan for heart health and longevity. In it, I delve into how we all have a gift, a mission, and a purpose in life. Often, we put all we have into achieving our goals and dreams, but often we do so the detriment of our health. To me, Spartans are people who put others before themselves, and focus on the betterment of humanity. The book explores the importance of mind, body, and spirit balance to achieve our best, healthiest selves while serving others. My passion for educating and uplifting others is truly what is fueling my involvement in our alumni community which will hopefully translate to happier, healthier, and longer lives for all.

What advice do you have for fellow alumni and friends who may be interested in taking a more active role in our alumni and friends community?

My advice to my fellow alumni who may be interested in taking a more active role in our alumni community is to “just do it”. In the process of getting involved, I would encourage you to start with a gratitude journal. Start your day with a list of the things you are grateful for. Do that daily and it will change your life. The joy, satisfaction, and health benefits you will gain are immeasurable but also will fuel your drive to pour into others.

Commencement Keynote Speaker Reflects on Challenges along the Way

Physician-scientist Michelle A. Albert ’94M (MD) is the first person in history to serve concurrently as president of the American Heart Association, the Association of University Cardiologists, and the Association of Black Cardiologists. She’s also the first woman of color and Black woman to be president of the AHA and AUC (where she is now past president).

To be the “first” is noteworthy, but as Albert has found, it can also mean you must find ways to thrive when you feel alone.

While humbled and grateful to be asked to deliver the commencement keynote at her alma mater, Albert’s time in medical school was no cakewalk. She recalls being one of only three Black students in her class of 90 students. Cardiology is also a field historically dominated by males, mostly white.

Luckily, she says that good mentors don’t need to be exactly like you. They just need to be able to help you visualize a future that you can’t see for yourself.

But at first, she had to visualize on her own. Albert was born and raised in Guyana, where she atnd her younger sister, Maxine, lived with their grandparents in a working-class community. Her father, Michael Albert, had received a government scholarship to study in England, where he and her mother, Carmen Albert, studied and worked to help support the family.

When Albert was 14, her grandfather collapsed from cardiac arrest. Where they lived, people didn’t know CPR or have access to a portable defibrillator. Her grandfather died that day. It was a painful way for Albert to experience the impact of socioeconomics on historically under-resourced communities. But it lit the spark that set her career into motion.

At the National Academy of Medicine, of which Albert is an elected member, with husband, Edward Brown.

Developing True Selves

Now, as a practicing clinician, researcher, and epidemiologist at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), she is in the position to mentor directly. She also serves as the dean of admissions for the UCSF School of Medicine and director of its NURTURE Center (CeNter for the StUdy of AdveRsiTy and CardiovascUlaR DiseasE).

Both roles have brought her full circle in many ways. She has chosen to recruit and retain a workforce that can address the unmet needs in health care. Part of her commitment is drawing more people of color into the field of cardiology. In 2022, Forbes magazine named her to its “50 Over 50” list for the impact she has made.

“Mentorship is a priority for me because I absolutely know that we all need mentors and sponsors to develop our true selves and have successful careers with authenticity,” said Albert. “I know the sense of isolation that I felt early on, and I don’t want to see the same thing perpetuated for others like me. Mentors allow us to stretch ourselves—because oftentimes we want to sit in the comfort zone. They help us see a different version of ourselves.”

“She Just Opens Doors”

Those who have had Albert as a mentor point to the example she sets and the remarkable level of care she offers people.

“The cardiovascular workforce lacks representation of Black physicians, especially Black women, and can be very isolating,” said Jonathan Butler, PhD, a social epidemiologist and minister at the NURTURE Center. He says watching Albert overcome many obstacles has inspired him. “I’ve never seen somebody so focused on work, no matter how many obstacles come her way.”

The School of Medicine and Dentistry class of 1994. Albert is pictured in the middle, toward the left.

Butler first met Albert when he was a postdoctoral fellow. He applied to the position after a mutual colleague suggested she would be a good fit with his research interests (social determinants of health and cardiovascular disease, to name just two). Albert, he said, embraced him with open arms.

She is more than a professional mentor; she is a trusted friend. Every major holiday or birthday, he receives a personalized gift from her, and he still has one of the first—a set of customized gold pencils.

“Frequently, we would celebrate a NURTURE team member’s birthday,” said Butler. “Michelle planned every detail, down to the seating chart; menu; and personalized, hand-wrapped gifts for each person who came.” As he put it, “That’s the caring and detail-oriented person Michelle is.”

Melissa Burroughs, MD, credits Albert with guiding her on a long and winding road. They met when Burroughs was a medical student at Harvard and on track to become a cardiologist. For big career decisions, from choosing a residency program to getting her first job at UCSF, Burroughs, who left academics five years ago to become a noninvasive cardiologist in private practice, says Albert has been a constant source of support.

Burroughs was a resident at UCSF and returned to join the cardiology faculty in 2015. At the time, she and Albert had been only the first and second Black cardiologists on faculty.

“She’s the only reason I took that job,” Burroughs said, noting that the diversity of faculty and fellows has improved since then. She credits this to Albert’s leadership and example. “She just opens doors. We all have obstacles we need to face, especially in medicine, but it’s so much better when you have a more senior person opening doors for you.”

Burroughs said she has learned from Albert how to combine rigor with creativity. The field of cardiology is based on exciting data, but the work doesn’t stop there. “I learned from her that it’s not always about the content; it’s the approach,” Burroughs said. “I think she brings all the best qualities we want in a physician and teaches them so well. All the skills she has, you can apply to whatever you do.”

One of these skills includes compassion—both for your patients and the people you work alongside. Most important, for yourself. Burroughs says the rigor of medical training has a way of beating the compassion out of you, making it easy to fall into a trap of abandoning self-care in the process. Albert provided a voice of clarity when it was needed most.

“I called her when my father died,” said Burroughs. Her advice was simple: Work is secondary. Send an email to work and book a flight home the next day. In those moments when you know what’s most important, Burroughs reflects, “Sometimes you just need someone to give you permission.”

Dr. Albert in 2022, when she was named to the Forbes “50 Over 50” list.

Why Rochester?

It’s no surprise that Albert, whose interest in social determinants of health inspired her to go into medicine, was drawn to the University’s School of Medicine and Dentistry and its biopsychosocial model, which takes a holistic approach to health and looks beyond scientific presentation. Today, her research as a physician-scientist-epidemiologist explores those very questions.

“The medical school that you attend does have a significant influence on where you go in the future— through its perspectives that help shape you as a person,” said Albert. “Rochester helped crystallize that for me over time. I’ve come to realize the impact that it has had on me. It’s a process of being divinely drawn to certain things over time, resulting in my building a career around those building blocks, and Rochester was the place where the chips started falling into place.”

Albert, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Edward Brown, hasn’t been back in more than two decades, despite spending years in the Northeast: She was chief medical resident at Columbia University and went on to complete a master’s degree in public health at Harvard School of Public Health as well as fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she became a rising star.

She has won numerous awards and serves on national boards and committees through her affiliation with the AHA and American College of Cardiology (ACC). Her research has been featured on international media outlets, and she is an often-quoted expert on cardiovascular health, maternal health, and health equity. She is also an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, one of the highest honors in medicine.

But she never set out to land leadership positions in the nation’s most prestigious cardiology associations. Albert says she simply followed her interests and worked hard to seize opportunities that aligned with her desire to make a difference—on a large scale.

“I think, honestly, you’re defeating yourself to start with a goal of being the president of an organization,” she said. “Your goal should be about having an impact in things that are important to developing people, including the health of the population.”

When it comes to images of Black people, viewers have expectations, says Bridget Cooks ’02 (PhD). Her aim is to disrupt them.

SCHOLAR AND CURATOR: Cooks is an alumnus of the Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies.

A few years ago, Bridget Cooks ’02 (PhD)—an expert on visual culture, a curator, and a professor of art history and African American studies at the University of California, Irvine—posed a difficult question, first to herself as a Black American and then to several contemporary Black artists.

It was sometime after a white supremacist’s murder of eight congregants and their pastor at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church; after the fatal beating of Freddie Gray by Baltimore police officers, and the shooting death of motorist Philandro Castile by police in Minnesota; but still well before the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the deaths of Breonna Taylor in Louisville and Daniel Prude in Rochester, all at the hands of police, during the spring and summer of 2020.

She asked: “How can we acknowledge that death; how can we acknowledge that threat and find some kind of will to go on?”

Her aim, she says, was to acknowledge personal and collective trauma, and then “to look at how artists, as creative problem solvers, are trying to survive and resist and create in a moment of spectacular Black death and anti-Blackness.”

Cooks selected artists who responded to her call and mounted an exhibit. The Black Index, which received its lead funding from the Ford Foundation, opened on the Irvine campus and traveled nationally for a year. It won national acclaim in the art world and, for Cooks, a 2022 Award for Excellence from the Association of Art Museum Curators.

ARTIFICIAL AI: The Black Index includes a series of works by Dennis Delgado ’97, whom Cooks met while at Rochester. In Do the Right Thing, Delgado, uses facial recognition software to create a composite image of faces from the landmark 1989 film by director Spike Lee. The composite, which draws from a database of all facial images the software can recognize, underscores the software’s omission from the database of many Black faces. Research has indeed shown that widely used facial recognition software does a poor job recognizing darker skin tones. Delgado majored in film studies at Rochester, and later earned an MFA from City College of New York.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Delgado

In part because the exhibit coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, it had an especially robust website, and at , viewers can still navigate it along with recordings of several accompanying conversations and lectures.

These latter images, far more pervasive in American life than ones created by Black people, compromise the full humanity of their Black subjects in favor of categorizations, she argues. To see the works in The Black Index is, for most viewers, to confront the unexpected.

A series of drawings by Lava Thomas, for example, transforms mug shots of Black women arrested for participation in the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott into dignified portraits. Dennis Delgado ’97, whom Cooks met at Rochester, uses facial recognition software to create composite images in a series he calls “The Dark Database.” Delgado constructed the composites from a database of facial images taken from films such as Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing and Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther. The resulting images are lighter than one might expect, given the preponderance of Black actors in the films. That’s precisely because, as research and tests have confirmed, the technology is ill-suited to recognizing darker skin tones. Many Black faces are simply not included in the vast datasets on which facial recognition software relies.

When Cooks entered the Graduate Program in Visual and Cultural Studies in the fall of 1993, Rochester was the only university in the country offering a graduate degree in the field. While art history tended to focus on an evolving canon of masterpieces, visual and cultural studies was dedicated to the study of images with reference to the social and cultural contexts of their creation and consumption. The program aligned well with Cooks’s approach to the study of art.

Her dissertation became the basis for her 2011 book Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Art Museum (University of Massachusetts Press). In it she traced the efforts of major museums to exhibit work by Black artists, beginning with the Art Institute of Chicago in 1927 right up to the early 21st century. Those efforts, intended to be forward looking, revealed a preoccupation with situating Black artists in reference to a white norm or in correcting past omissions. Neither context considered Black artists on their own terms.

The Black Index does. Cooks points to 100 ink drawings by Kenyatta A. C. Hinkle inspired by records of Black women who are murdered or disappear every year in the United States with little attention. Hinkle calls them “unportraits.” They’re not representative, in the traditional sense.

“She makes these impossible bodies,” says Cooks. “Women with six breasts, with five legs, with multiple heads. They’re moving; they’re doing things. There’s something magical and witchy about them.” Like the depictions of Black subjects by the other artists, they invite viewers to notice the gap between their expectations and what they see before them. They compel us “to be aware of how much we don’t know about these women, to be disoriented a bit, to become curious about who they are.”

The Black Index suggests a path forward for museums that have articulated the goal of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their exhibitions, collections, and programming. Cooks sees some bright spots, citing the University’s Memorial Art Gallery, which has taken significant steps toward those ends in the past decade. “I was impressed,” says Cooks, recalling a visit to the museum. “I loved the labels. I loved the selection of artwork.”

But for many, much larger museums, she has seen little progress. “I think the problems are many,” she says. Major museums tend to be hierarchical, run and largely funded by boards whose members are often at odds with their younger, more progressive curatorial staffs. Until there is widespread change in the composition of boards, she concludes, “we’re not going to see systematic change.”

This first-year, first-generation student was drawn to Rochester’s mission: to make the world ever better

Malaika Perkins ’26

Malaika Perkins—a first-generation, first-year student at Rochester and the Women’s Network’s third-ever scholarship recipient—has always loved learning. In her first year of high school, she signed up for Chinese because she thought it sounded interesting. In her senior year, she became captain of her debate team and was even her region’s runner-up debater of the year in 2022. In the summer before starting college, Perkins interned with the Economics Awareness Council of Chicago, an opportunity she sought out for herself.

Perkins is also a self-described bookworm. When she was younger, she soaked up Nancy Drew books. She’d often lose track of time in the library, too, sometimes hiding books on the shelves with the pages marked so she could return to them the next day. Her mother recognized her middle child’s academic inclination and nurtured it. She even moved the family from Chicago to a suburb when Perkins was seven years old so that she and her siblings could have more access to and opportunities for academic success.

“Elementary school was tough,” says Perkins. “The teachers and students were mostly white, and I was almost always the only Black person in the room. Often, people were surprised I was as smart as I was.”

In high school, Perkins joined the program, which provides a dedicated support team and free resources to high-achieving underrepresented, first-generation students and helps prepare them for college success.

Finding Rochester

When it came time to find a college, Perkins wanted to go where she could excel academically while feeling supported as a person of color. She heard about Rochester from her Schuler Scholar program advisor. “I was drawn to Rochester’s open curriculum and the variety of support available, for instance, through the Office of Minority Students Affairs [OMSA],” she says. “Rochester’s commitment to Meliora and making the world ‘ever better’ also resonated with me and aligned with my values.”

Right now, Perkins plans to major in economics. She’s particularly interested in the relationship between economics, philosophy, and political science. She wants to use her degree to make her communities stronger, especially underrepresented ones. “Someday, I imagine going back to Chicago, not as a financial advisor at a big firm working with wealthy clients, but at a not-for-profit that serves people from the kinds of neighborhoods I grew up in,” she adds.

Her college experience

At Rochester, Perkins is discovering new academic areas of interest, too, for instance, she’s learning American Sign Language, which she thinks she’ll minor in. When she’s not in class, Perkins is likely in one of the River Campus study areas or working through assignments in the Barbara J. Burger iZone, where she enjoys collaborating with friends.

Perkins wakes early (especially for a college student), often before 8 a.m. so she can attend an in-person or virtual Koru mindfulness session before classes. Then, throughout the day, Perkins goes to classes and visits her professors during their office hours. “They have all been so willing to further explain concepts and share their knowledge,” she says. “I love that I am making connections with them.”

Perkins has participated in a variety of student groups, too, including the Financial Consulting Club, the ASL Club, and the on-campus Christian fellowship. The Black Students Union has also been a great source of support, as has her OMSA advisor, who happens to be from Chicago.

During her first week on campus, Perkins attended an event to introduce students to Black River Campus staff. That’s when she met , a post-doctoral fellow with joint appointments at the Warner School and the Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African American Studies. “Professor Brown researches and teaches about building an inclusive environment,” she says. “For instance, his classes explore important topics such as critical race theory, an area I am particularly interested in.”

Aspirations and gratitude

During her college years, Perkins aspires to get an internship every summer. She wants to study abroad, too, and has found an ASL program in France for next spring that she’s eyeing. Although she’s taking in every opportunity she can, she does miss home—especially her 10-year old black lab, Sheba. “Luckily though, every week, therapy dogs come to campus through the Paws for Stress Relief program,” she adds. “I just love that.”

Perkins is honored to be the Women’s Network’s third-ever scholarship recipient. “It feels good to be supported by alumni whose experiences here prompted them to invest in students like me,” she says. “I’m very thankful.”

Photo: Matt Wittmeyer

Learn about the Women’s Network’s first two scholars: Raina Plaisir ’25 and Angelica Persaud ’25.

From computer science to the Korean language, this first-year Black Alumni Network scholarship student is exploring it all

Mervyn Winn ’26

A few years ago at the height of the pandemic, Mervyn Winn ’26—one of the Black Alumni Network’s first two scholarship recipients—was a high school sophomore with some time on his hands. That’s when he started watching Korean prank videos, which are popular on YouTube and social media.

Winn thought these videos were really funny and well done. His appreciation for them prompted a curiosity about the Korean language and culture, one that became so strong that he decided to learn Korean, which he’s been doing completely on his own through self-study.

“The Korean language made sense to me from the beginning,” says Winn, who started piecing together sentences very quickly. “I’m drawn to systems and patterns, like the ones I see in the Korean language. Learning Korean isn’t like studying for me either—it’s just fun.

Language fascination

Winn’s continued learning Korean as a first-year Ģ����ý student. He took one class in the fall and is taking another one right now. He also spends a lot of time at the Language Center within Frederick Douglass Commons, where he practices his Korean with a peer tutor. Some evenings, Winn participates in an online conversation exchange with English and Korean speakers from around the world. Together, they practice their conversational language skills while learning about each other and their cultures.

Winn is fascinated by all sorts of languages, too, including computer language. “There’s a huge intersection between computers and language, and I’m excited to be here at Rochester where I can explore both,” he adds, noting that he’s interested in taking a computational linguistics class. Before starting to learn Korean, Winn even taught himself computer programming, an interest that grew out of a youthful enthusiasm for video games. He’s even considering majoring in it.

Growing up

Winn grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and started gaming when he was about eight years old. “I grew up pretty poor and my neighborhood wasn’t the safest,” he says. “My sister, brother, and I didn’t play outside much. Because of that, my brother and I got really close playing video games together, which is what launched my interest in computer science.”

Everything about gaming fascinated Winn. “When I was 10 years old, I begged my mom to take me to the Barnes & Noble near where she worked,” he says. “I wanted to get this one particular 2D game design book so I could teach myself how to make my own computer games.” Fortunately for Winn, his mom got him that book. After reading it, he made his first mini 2D game, which featured flat graphics, which means that players can typically just move up and down as well as left and right. Winn loved it and wanted to learn more.

As a junior in high school, Winn was accepted into a summer coding program for underrepresented youth hosted by Goldman Sachs, the investment banking company. He and a small group of young, knowledge-hungry, self-motivated students spent five weeks building an expense management app together. “That was such a cool experience,” he says. “And, even though I hadn’t taken any formal classes in coding or computer science up until then,, my interest continued to grow.”

His Rochester experience

When Winn started thinking about college, he knew he wanted to go somewhere that had a strong computer science program. His high school counselor told him about the URochester. Winn liked what he learned about Rochester. He was drawn to its strong computer science program, the variety of language classes offered, the open curriculum, and the number of international students on campus. He wanted to meet people from diverse backgrounds and, now that he’s here, he’s been doing just that. Some of his best friends are from Germany, China, Africa, and, not surprisingly, Korea.

Winn is excited for his future at Rochester. He hopes to pursue undergraduate research, get an internship, and study abroad. In the meantime, he’s taking it all in. When he isn’t in class, studying, online, or honing his Korean, he can be found at the Goergen Athletic Center working out, enjoying a sub from Rocky’s in the Pitt, or doing something fun with friends off-campus. He is also part of the Korean Student Association, a group with whom he enjoys Korean food nights, playing games, and singing karaoke.

With gratitude

Winn is grateful to the Black Alumni Network for its support. “This scholarship is an honor, and it helps make the cost of college less of a burden for me and my mom,” he says. “It’s the first time I’ve been given something like this, too, which is really humbling.” Winn is also grateful to his mother for working hard to make college possible for him. During school breaks, he takes the eight-hour Amtrak train ride home to visit and, every week, he FaceTime’s his mom. “She misses me a lot but is proud and really happy I’m here,” he adds. “So am I.”

Photo: Matt Wittmeyer

Learn about the Black Alumni Network’s other scholarship recipient, Nadia Niyogushima ’26.

This first-year, first-generation student is one of the Black Alumni Network’s first scholarship recipients

Nadia Niyogushima ’26

Nadia Niyogushima’s story begins in the Congo. Her mother, Khadija Ntahoruri, is from this East African country—though she fled her homeland more than 25 years ago, during the First Congo War. Between that and the Second Congo War a few years later, more than 5.4 million people died and another 240,000 became refugees, including Ntahoruri who found safety in Tanzania. Niyogushima and her five siblings were born there a few years later.

In 2007, when Niyogushima was just three years old, a refugee program placed the family in Rochester, NY. She grew up in the city, where she stayed close to her family and her roots, excelled in academics, and in life. Today, Niyogushima is a first-year, first-generation student at the URochester. She is also one of the Black Alumni Network’s first two scholarship recipients.

Growing up

Niyogushima’s mother did everything she could to make sure her children knew about and were proud of their heritage and identity. For instance, they all took African dancing and drumming lessons from a neighbor. Ntahoruri also encouraged her children to work hard, keep an open mind, seize every opportunity they could, and be grateful.

Niyogushima has. She attended the Rochester City School District’s School of the Arts where she was a vocal major. She loved singing and science and was involved in many community engagement activities, including the school’s Black Lives Matter (BLM) organization. School administrators saw Niyogushima’s leadership potential and even asked her to help a cohort of her suburban peers start a BLM group at Penfield High School.

A familiar place

The Ģ����ý is a familiar place for Niyogushima. In the summer before her junior year, she participated in a STEM program offered through OMSA’s Early Connections Opportunity (ECO) Program. That’s when she learned about biomedical engineering. She loved it. Then, in the summer before her senior year, Niyogushima took an ECO ethics course. She loved that, too.

Around the same time, Niyogushima participated in STEP, a program offered through the University’s Office of Equity and Inclusion, which is designed for middle and high school students. Medical students run the course, provide the instruction, and talk to city school participants about careers in science, medicine, and technology. Niyogushima liked that program so much that she’s been working there as an assistant for a few years, including on the weekends now.

Taking it all in

So far at Rochester, Niyogushima has taken chemistry, calculus, writing, math, a public health class, West African drumming and dancing, and a course through the David T. Kearns Center on navigating college life. When Niyogushima isn’t in class, she’s often with her friends, enjoying a meal in Douglass or Hillside or studying in the Barbara J. Burger iZone, a favorite spot of hers.

Niyogushima is taking it all in and isn’t sure what she’ll major in or where life will take her after graduation. Right now, she is thinking about majoring in bioethics, but she’s curious about so much. “For years, I’ve thought about medicine, and then when I learned about engineering, I considered that,” she says. “I’m getting introduced to all sorts of new things and seeing ways to combine my interests—it’s all very exciting so we will see how the next few years go.”

College is teaching Niyogushima a lot more than academics, too. She’s learning about independence, handling stress, and time management. “Transitioning to college life can be hard but the University offers so much support,” she says. “The Kearns Center and OMSA have been so helpful. Through them, I’ve met many students from different backgrounds who share similar life experiences. It’s been great getting to know them, discovering new things together, and going through the same kinds of challenges. I’m figuring it all out, which feels great.”

Gratitude and pride

Niyogushima is thankful for the support from the Black Alumni Network and proud to be a scholarship recipient. She’s looking forward to meeting members of the network to learn about them, their college experiences, their career paths, the challenges they’ve overcome, and the opportunities they’ve embraced.

“It’s humbling to know the people at the University who didn’t even know me read my profile, saw something in me, and believed that I deserved this,” she says. “I’m honored and it makes me really happy.”

Photo: Matt Wittmeyer

Learn about the Black Alumni Network’s other scholarship recipient, Mervyn Winn ’26.

Olivia Hooker ’62 (PhD) recently honored with building dedication

HISTORY MAKER: The late Olivia Hooker ’62 (PhD) made history as the first Black woman to join the United States Coast Guard. Shown here in uniform in 1945, Hooker had survived the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre as a youngster before her family moved to Ohio. She made her career as a psychologist and educator as well as an advocate for Tulsa survivors, helping to form what became the Tulsa Race Massacre Commission.

The first African American woman to serve in the US Coast Guard was honored this summer with a building dedication in Ohio, where her family moved after surviving the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The Dr. Olivia Hooker Building, part of the Coast Guard’s Cleveland Marine Safety Unit, was officially renamed for Olivia Hooker ’62 (PhD) during a ceremony in August. The facility is the third in the service to bear Hooker’s name, joining a dining hall at the Coast Guard’s station on Staten Island and a training facility in guard’s headquarters in Washington, DC.

Hooker grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where her father owned a clothing store in a prosperous African American neighborhood that was sometimes called “Black Wall Street.”

In 1921, when Hooker was six years old, an accusation that a Black man had assaulted a white woman led to an attack by a mob of white men on the neighborhood. The 24-hour assault led to the deaths of an estimated 300, mostly Black, Tulsans and leveled more than 1,000 homes and Black businesses—including the Hookers’ store.

Following the massacre, Hooker’s family moved to Columbus, Ohio. As a college student at Ohio State University, Hooker became an activist in a campaign to secure for Black women the same opportunities in the military that World War II was opening up for white women.

She wanted to join the Navy, but her application was denied multiple times. A friendly Coast Guard recruiter convinced her to join that branch under its women’s reserve program, SPAR (“Semper Paratus, Always Ready”).

At Rochester, she was one of the first Black women to receive a PhD, earning the degree in psychology and embarking on a career as a psychologist and educator.

In the late 1990s, she helped form the Tulsa Race Riot Commission, which made a case for reparations. While that goal has eluded the group, Hooker achieved one of her lifelong goals posthumously: a week after her death in 2018, the group, gearing up for the centennial anniversary of the tragedy, renamed itself the Tulsa Race Massacre Commission.