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Nothing describes a #Go-Getter better then Pace University’s College of Health Professions (CHP) Lenox Hill Hospital Physician Assistant Program (PA-NYC) graduates.

At Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH) there are 22 advanced clinical providers (ACPs), of which 9 that have graduated from the PA-NYC program! These nine graduates have had some unique experiences and are a great representation of the achievements that students can look forward to in their careers.

Two on the ACP team received nominations for the 2022 ACP Week Awards, including Artur Shlifer ’06, for PA Educator of the Year, and Kristina Soltesz ’20, for Inpatient PA of the Year. Kristina and Artur credit CHP for the incredible learning experiences they received through the clinical rotation opportunities that Pace provides. Artur’s favorite course at Pace was Medical Terminology, paired with his favorite rotation in Neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH). He has learned the importance of patient care, student education, hospital quality, and being a part of healthcare innovation. After Kristina’s experiences in New York Presbyterian’s Medical Intensive Care Unit and at LHH’s Neurosurgery department, she solidified her interest in critical care medicine and love for procedures. “Being a PA, it is critical to help patients and their families understand their diagnoses and treatment plans and assist them in making medical decisions that positively impact their care.”

Kristina provided an insight into the experience that Pace-LHH Program PA students receive on their elective rotations. “Students get to experience all aspects of being a PA on the team – from writing notes, to examining patients, to doing procedures, and to partaking in patient education. Students frequently note that the rotation is unique in the way that the PAs regard students as fellow team members and encourage them to see themselves as providers.” She excitedly announced that the department is growing quickly, – “Two more former students and recent Pace-LHH PA grads from the class of ‘22, Emily Hirowski and Casey Davidson, just joined the team in November!”

“Students frequently note that the rotation is unique in the way that the PAs regard students as fellow team members and encourage them to see themselves as providers.”

Whitney Vaughn ’19 studied abroad to have the unique opportunity of growing her education and experience outside of the United States. “I was fortunate enough to be able to go to South Africa for one of my electives. Seeing the difference in supplies and access to medical equipment that we take for granted in the U.S. gave me a greater understanding of how lucky we are to be PAs in this country. It showed me just how important physical exam findings can be when labs, imaging, and technology aren’t readily available.”

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Ronni Shalem ’17 turned his fascination into real-life experiences. Through his neurosurgery rotation at LHH he assisted in intricate surgeries, learned the complexities of a neurological exam, and saw what real teamwork in medicine is all about.

Lauren McMaster ’16 grew her interest while taking the course Anatomy and Physiology. As an established PA she is passionate about being able to directly impact patients’ lives, including “contributing to overall patient care and patient outcome, while also forming strong personal relationships with patients and their families at a time when they are most vulnerable.”

Erica Pacello, who graduated in 2021 explained that “Being a Pace-LHH grad myself, I think we all have the word “flexibility” engrained into our minds. The ability to be a provider that’s entrusted with taking care of the patient but also having the time to really get to know them makes going into work easy most days.”

Dominique Anselmin ’20 advises future PA-NYC graduates to, “Treat each rotation as if it was a job interview, regardless of your interest in the specialty. Networking is key to forming great relationships, mentors, and even possible future job opportunities!”

Pace takes pride in educating students from diverse backgrounds and CHP offers a rigorous course of study designed to prepare them for roles as compassionate, ethical, primary care providers. Our graduates are critical thinkers committed to professionalism, teamwork, and community engagement, and they advise all current students to be flexible, find a mentor, never stop learning and to work hard.

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This Giving Tuesday, the Pace Community answered the call and helped us surpass our goal of 1,000 gifts and raised an incredible $417,925.

1,204 Alumni, parents, faculty and staff, friends, and students came together to show their support for Pace University. These donors, hailing from 34 states and 3 countries, not only offered gifts, but also shared why they felt inspired to give. Some of those reasons include:

I give to Pace to give opportunity.

—Theodore W. '68

I know that Pace students and alumni have a unique sense of grit about them. We are go-getters, and I want to be able to support current Pace students in achieving their goals!

—Gabriella F. '16

I was a first-generation college student. I want to be sure there are opportunities for other students to have what I did.

—Susan B. '79, staff

I give because our students become alumni who do amazing things in the world.

—Michele C., staff

I'm in a position to give back because of what Pace gave me decades ago...A great education.

—Damian S. '87

Pace is allowing me to pursue my MA/HEA in a University where diversity is celebrated.

—Sarah F., student

Because I love Pace!

—Billy Y. '02

Whether it was because of Pace's “life-changing opportunities,” or the fact that “our students become alumni who do amazing things in the world,” or simply because “I love Pace”, our community has shown just how much the believe in Pace. The $417,925 raised will go on to support innovative programs across all campuses, enhance the student experience, and help our students achieve their dreams.

Missed Giving Tuesday but are still looking for a way to support Pace? Make your gift today.

During Pace’s third annual Social Justice Week, 50 students gathered in Alumni Hall to paint bells inspired by three words Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. repeated over and over during his historic “I Have a Dream” speech—‘let freedom ring.’

The event was conceptualized by Mikaylah Mgbako ’25, second-year nursing student and current Resident Assistant on the Westchester Campus. For a while, something had been missing for Mikaylah—an outlet for her love of advocacy and volunteerism. “My high school was so small I was able to do so much for them,” she explains. “Pace isn’t super big but in comparison I felt so small and like I couldn’t help anyone. When my Honors advisor sent an email out about the Social Justice Week events, it felt like divine inspiration. Here was a way I could get back to helping people.”

When my Honors advisor sent an email out about the Social Justice Week events, it felt like divine inspiration. Here was a way I could get back to helping people.

Soon, an idea took shape. She would facilitate an event where fellow students could paint bells, evoking King’s famous words, and she would put them on display for Pace Community. But she wanted to do more than create a static exhibit, she wanted to dig deeper. “My event allowed people to come and discuss topics related to race, ethnicity, and social injustice and inequality in a common space, while painting bells and enjoying light refreshments,” she says.

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Advisors for Social Justice Week were concerned that she did not have the backing of a student club or org, but that wasn’t what worried her. “I knew I could do it on my own,” says Mikaylah. It wasn’t the event itself that pushed her out of her comfort zone, but the conversations had while she and nearly 50 other students painted bells and spoke on sensitive topics of race and inequality.

“I’ve done more ‘backseat advocacy’ through marches or fundraising, so I was never the type of person to sit in a room and have conversations with people. And I was actually really uncomfortable,” she admits. “As an RA, many of my residents look up to me. But as a woman of color, many of my residents don’t have my experience facing the same injustices, either based on race or gender. Both facts made me feel nervous about participating. Then I realized if I was uncomfortable, I can only imagine how the people who just stopped by might feel.”

Why not have these conversations and understand where your peers and friends come from?”

She explains that the discomfort seemed to come from the wide mix of students present, and the uncertainty of how people might respond to difficult topics. On one hand, she said she found this challenging, and a little sad. “I feel that if I was speaking with peers who looked like me, other people of color, I’d feel like I was in a safe space to share. It showed me that we’re not having these conversations as often, and experiences like this need to happen more.” On the other hand, despite the discomfort, students stuck around for the painting, and for the conversations. “Everyone was really respectful. My friend who came with me shared a lot of her feelings. Sharing in a student-setting kept it casual and very respectful.”

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Mikaylah purchased 50 bells for the event (with funding granted by the Social Justice Week Committee) and all 50 were painted and are now proudly displayed in the Kessel Student Center, alongside a large bell students can ring. “The message when people see it is that all these people from the Pace Community were able to come together and do something where they bonded, where they could listen and have these conversations,” Mikaylah explains. And even though the conversations were difficult, she hopes for more of them. “It’s how we can understand our neighbors. At Pace, we’re living in these communal-style homes and residence halls. Why not have these conversations and understand where your peers and friends come from?”

It’s a loud reminder—don’t forget about this!”

As for that large bell next to the exhibit, Mikaylah wants you to ring it, and ring it loud. “I hope when people ring the bell it’s really loud,” she says with a laugh. “I hope it makes people wonder what the noise is, so they come look at the exhibit. They can think about how far we’ve come, and hopefully it’ll inspire the next person. It’s a loud reminder—don’t forget about this!”

The Lubin Link Podcast

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Ashia Thompson '18 details why the Lubin School of Business was the perfect fit for graduate school, what it was like working at two of the biggest accounting firms in the world, and why she decided to leave a Big Four to start her own successful firm.

This episode was recorded on December 1, 2022

• Listen to Ashia on Spotify
• Listen to Ashia on Apple Podcasts
• Listen to Ashia on Anchor

Tune into the Lubin Link podcast to hear how guests went from go-getting Lubin students to successful entrepreneurs, social media mavens, directors, CEOs, and beyond. They offer their best tips to students and share how you can make the most out of your #LubinLife.

After graduating from Queens College with a Bachelor’s Degree in history, Vito Arango decided to pursue a paralegal certificate and explore a career in the law. Vito spent over three years working as a legal secretary/paralegal before deciding it was time to pursue law school. “I am very much happy with my decision to attend law school and specifically Haub Law. I have always very much been a team player, so finding those values at a law school as important to me. In my time here I have been very much blown away by the dedication and effort that my colleagues put forward and the sense of community surrounding the professors, staff, and classmates.”

During his time at Haub Law, Vito found a passion for employment and labor law. In his 2L year, he participated in the Legal Services Externship and this past summer he worked as an intern for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, General Counsel-Employment Unit. Vito noted, “This summer, my focus was employment law through the context of the government/administrative body. I found it very interesting and was able to learn a lot from a different perspective.”

Now, as a 3L, Vito is enrolled in the Equal Justice America-Disability Rights Clinic. He is also serving as the productions editor for the Pace International Law Review and as a 3L representative for the Public Interest Law Student Organization. After law school, Vito hopes to continue his passion for employment and labor law and gain employment in a non-profit or government agency. “There is an innate sense of fairness within the areas of employment and labor law and that goes along with the importance I put on being a team player and having a sense of community. I look forward to bringing this perspective into my future career as an attorney.”

A first-generation US Citizen, Pamela Guerrero entered law school with a passion for social justice and immigration law. Throughout law school, she followed that passion by participating in Haub Law’s Access to Justice Seminar, the Access to Justice Lab, and the Immigration Justice Clinic. As a 3L, Pamela was awarded a prestigious Immigrant Justice Corps Fellowship post-graduation. Today, she is following her dreams as she works with the Refugee & Immigrant Program of The Advocates for Human Rights.

“I am a first-gen US citizen from Dominican parents who originally moved to Washington Heights, Bronx, New York, but then settled in Westchester. I came to law school because I learned of many socioeconomic inequities in the US while attending undergraduate school and wanted to be in an advocacy position to be able to address these issues. I was especially concerned with the immigration system in this country and wanted to become an immigration lawyer to provide newly arrived children and adolescents with the protection they need to thrive in the US. Geographically, Haub Law was the perfect place for me and academically I was impressed with the variety of diverse learning opportunities. The Immigration Justice Clinic and both the Access to Justice Seminar and Access to Justice Lab at Haub Law were integral in fostering my passion for immigration law and social justice.”

Pamela was an inaugural student participant in the curricular components of the Pace Access to Justice Project (Pace A2J), which is housed and coordinated within Haub Law’s Public Interest Law Center. Pace A2J serves as a hub for community collaborations, programs, scholarship, policy initiatives, and hands-on innovative academic and non-credit bearing experiential law student and alumni opportunities. The A2J Seminar provides students with an opportunity to hone in on their critical thinking, research, writing, and editing skills required for legal practice – all as related to an access to justice/social justice issue of the student’s choice. Whereas, the A2J Lab provides law and computer science and design students an opportunity to collaborate on a social justice/access to justice concerns and provide a real life solution to these issues. Pace A2J is designed to more actively engage students in learning about and contributing to real-world efforts to address the access to justice gap and Pamela feels that it does just that. “Participating in both the Access to Justice Seminar and Access to Justice Lab improved my educational experience, because it gave me a way to tangibly utilize the law for the general betterment of society,” said Pamela. “A lot of academic work in law school is very theoretical, which creates a disconnect between what is being taught and actual legal problems that exist outside of the academic setting. Both the A2J Seminar and A2J Lab bridged that gap by having participants use the law to create an application that could potentially be used by actual people in the future, having a tangible benefit to them.”

“A lot of academic work in law school is very theoretical, which creates a disconnect between what is being taught and actual legal problems that exist outside of the academic setting. Both the A2J Seminar and A2J Lab bridged that gap by having participants use the law to create an application that could potentially be used by actual people in the future, having a tangible benefit to them.”

In addition to the hands-on educational experience that Pamela feels Pace A2J provided, she notes that the interdisciplinary Lab, where students designed a tool to address low-income tenant habitability rights, was a notable curricular innovation. The Lab was co-taught by Professor Elyse Diamond at Haub Law and Andreea Cotoranu, Clinical Professor and Director of the NYC Design Factory in Pace University’s Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. Pamela notes, “I learned from collaborating with computer science and design students from Seidenberg students that it's not enough to simply have an idea . . . it is also important to address possible limitations such as tech limitations. It was extremely valuable to have varying expertise and perspectives throughout the Lab and I feel we came up with a better end result because of this.”

Pamela remains committed to social justice issues today and credits Pace A2J with cementing that commitment. “My participation in the Access to Justice Seminar and Access to Justice Lab reconfirmed my commitment to interdisciplinary social justice work by reminding me that many social issues are interconnected. Housing problems are very relevant to my current position as an IJC Fellow, because a lot of court notification is reliant on if a client has a stable address and a lot of client's worry about housing first before anything related to immigration work. Addressing injustice in housing is a huge step in immigration work since it gives clients a chance to thrive in a stable environment as they prepare for their ongoing immigration case.”

The need for nurses is greater than ever. In these historic times, nurses are still the most trusted profession. With a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Pace’s College of Health Professions, you will make a difference in your life and the patients and families you serve.

"You have to find that passion every day," says College of Health Professions alumna Tyra Prophete, RN. "I always knew I wanted to advocate for people."