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When asked about his Haub Law experience so far, the first words Daniel Reyes mentions are "support system." Daniel grew up with a close-knit family who looked to one another for support, so seeking out the same environment for his educational pursuits was paramount. “I am a first-generation college graduate and law student; my parents always preached the importance of education to my brother and me and the importance of having people you can depend on. My brother recently became the first engineer in the family, and I am now working towards becoming the first lawyer in the family. Haub Law showed immense faith in my potential and had a very family-oriented feel to its campus.”

For Daniel, his involvement with the Latin American Law Students Association (LALSA) has been where he found his support system. “The members of LALSA have been mentors for me and have truly guided me throughout my first two years at Haub Law. I am truly grateful for each and every one of them and it was so rewarding to serve as a mentor for the incoming 1L class in return.” Daniel is also a member of the First Generation Law Students Society, which he notes has connected him with so many others who share a similar background and upbringing as him.

As a 2L, Daniel participated in Haub Law’s competitive Federal Judicial Honors Program (FJHP), where he worked in the federal courts for the Southern District of New York for twelve hours a week. “The experience was both challenging and rewarding. Having the opportunity to have your writing and research skills put to the test at a judge’s standard is intimidating, but a very valuable learning experience. The practical and hands on knowledge I gained is amazing.”

While law school wasn’t always at the forefront of Daniel’s mind, today, he can’t imagine another educational pursuit. “For most of my life, I wanted to become a police officer. However, I began studying accounting during undergrad and discovered a new passion. After graduating from Rutgers in 2020, I decided that going to law school would be the best way to merge my two interests in criminal justice and accounting. I try to keep an open mind and think outside of the box. Attending Haub Law has solidified for me that I made the right choice.”

Although Daniel still has another year left of law school, he hopes to work in private practice one day. “Right now, I am interested in corporate, banking, securities, and tax law. However, each new experience I have at Haub Law makes me realize how vast the profession of law is and that there truly is no limit to what you can do with your degree.”

When Daniel isn’t studying, he enjoys playing chess, soccer, and snowboarding. He is also a huge New York Jets fan. His advice for a successful law school experience: “The first step to success is believing in yourself! Once you truly have faith in your capabilities, the only person that can stop you is YOU.”

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, Chris Rabb delivered the 2023 Dyson Distinguished Lecture at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. Chris Rabb is a family historian, author, and thought leader at the intersection of social identity, civic innovation, and equity. His lecture was entitled: “Navigating Identity, Purpose and Belonging in a Society in Flux.”

Haub Law Dean Horace Anderson spoke about the history of the Distinguished Dyson Lecture and thanked Mr. Rabb for delivering this year’s lecture. University Distinguished Professor of Law, Bridget Crawford, followed with a formal introduction of Mr. Rabb, speaking about his background and impressive accomplishments. Professor Crawford attended Yale College at the same time as Mr. Rabb and noted his role in the ultimate renaming of one of Yale’s residential colleges. She described Mr. Rabb as an incredibly hard worker who has dedicated his life to ending institutional, interpersonal, and all other forms of injustice.

Mr. Rabb began his engaging lecture discussing the important difference between “fitting in” and “belonging.” He noted that the two are not synonymous, as “belonging is about connectedness, being accepted for exactly who you are.” Mr. Rabb described his personal journey as a genealogist, which he began over thirty years ago in order, as he describes it, to find out “who his people were.” He discussed at length his lineage and family connections to both enslaved people and their enslavers. This has given him a complex perspective on the intersection of identity, purpose, and civic engagement. He noted that each of us has a social identity that influences our connectedness, community building, and placemaking, especially in divisive times.

As Mr. Rabb continued his lecture, he touched on the important difference between ancestry and heritage and how this played into his own personal journey of discovering his own social identity. “Ancestry is what you are: your pedigree, your parents, grandparents,” he noted. “Genetically that is what makes you up. Heritage is very different. Heritage is about who you choose to become. You have choice over that.” Mr. Rabb has been an outspoken critic of the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard. During his lecture, he discussed the connection between and among opportunity, privilege and social identity, along with the future of affirmative action in higher education.

He rounded out his riveting and personal lecture by discussing the roles to which all are called. “We all have gifts. What do we do with them? That is your exploration,” he encouraged students. Mr. Rabb acknowledged that the role that one may find oneself in at any given moment may require embracing an “inconvenient truth;” it may be an unanticipated role, but each of us must rise to the occasion. “If you can find the community of conscience that you can participate in that role with, it will give you so much wealth. That is the real wealth that matters,” said Mr. Rabb. “Community wealth. The wealth that transcends finances and social status, wealth that brings you joy that gives you a sense of purpose. I implore you to step up.”

Following the lecture, Mr. Rabb was presented with the Dyson Medal by Dean Anderson and Professor Crawford. He then participated in an insightful Q&A session with the audience. In response to a question regarding belonging, Mr. Rabb encouraged the audience to look inward for a sense of belonging. “Wherever you show up, that is where you are supposed to be. I am not going to let anyone tell me that I don’t belong somewhere,” said Mr. Rabb. “You know your own value. When you know your own self-worth, it is really hard to be intimidated.” The conversations continued at a post-lecture reception held at Haub Law.

Chris Rabb is a proud father, author, and public speaker. While a visiting researcher at Princeton University, he wrote the book, Invisible Capital: How Unseen Forces Shape Entrepreneurial Opportunity (2010). He also taught at Temple University's Richard J. Fox School of Business and Management where he was the Social Impact Fellow at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute and taught social entrepreneurship and organizational innovation. He has appeared as a guest with several local and national media outlets, including: The New York Times, The Huffington Post, MSNBC, NPR, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Associated Press. Mr. Rabb is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Pennsylvania.

The Dyson Distinguished Lecture was endowed in 1982 by a gift from the Dyson Foundation and made possible through the generosity of the late Charles H. Dyson, a 1930 graduate, trustee, and long-time benefactor of Pace University. The principal aim and object of the Dyson Distinguished Lecture is to encourage and make possible scholarly legal contributions of very high quality in furtherance of Haub Law's educational mission. Prior Dyson lectures have been delivered by many distinguished guests, including Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, Dr. Cornel West, and more recently Monica Hakimi, William S. Beinecke Professor of Law at Columbia University.

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Kelly Whritenour

Class of 2018

Digital Cinema and Filmmaking, BS

As a media management technical specialist at the Major League Baseball (MLB)/National Hockey League (NHL) Network, Kelly Whritenour was part of a 2019 Emmy-winning broadcast team.

Please tell us more about your role and the experience of winning an Emmy.

My colleagues and I are responsible for ingesting, archiving, restoring, and delivering all content at the MLB Network/NHL Network for live-air and digital use. In my role as a specialist, I also lead new hire training, collaborate with major streaming partners, and work at large events such as the World Series, MLB All-Star Game, and the London Series. Since we are essentially the gatekeepers to all of our media, a significant portion of consumer-facing content runs through my department. This brings me great pride, especially when all our hard work culminated in an Emmy Award for Best Studio Show. I feel very lucky to have been a part of an award-winning production so early in my career; it has truly set a high bar for what I hope to achieve in a career in sports broadcasting.

How did your enrollment as a student in the award-winning PaceDocs travel documentary course offered by the Media, Communications, and Visual Arts department prepare you for your career?

I had the privilege of taking "The Doc" course, also known as Producing the Documentary, and taught by Professor Maria Luskay, twice. The first time, I served as a media manager, cinematographer, and co-lead editor for Ridge to Ranch to River to Reef: Florida's Conservation Connections (2017), through which I first discovered my passion for my work. It was a trial run for the roles that followed as a media manager, lead editor, and post-production manager on Puerto Rico: Hope in the Dark (2018). I was expected to take on a leadership position, which was daunting, given the weight of our topic: to tell the story of one of the largest natural disasters in our lifetimes. Traveling to Puerto Rico to capture footage of the damage and interview people who had lost everything is something I’ll never forget.

The Puerto Rico production allowed me to hone my technical expertise and taught me invaluable workplace skills such as meeting deadlines and managing other creatives. But the more important lessons learned were those of character and professionalism. We covered some emotionally heavy subjects, and balancing how to honor those who were part of our film, while ensuring that we reported all necessary facts, is not something that could be learned in a classroom. In addition to media ethics, I discerned how to navigate artistic differences and work with various personalities, which allowed me to grow into a more confident leader and filmmaker. Having the ability to build on those skills before even entering the "real world" was a significant steppingstone for my career.

Why did you choose to major in the Bachelor of Science in Digital Cinema and Filmmaking?

Growing up, I have always been passionate about movies, and would often delve into behind-the-scenes interviews with cast members and crew, fascinated by how my favorite shows were made. In college, and as my freshman year was nearing an end, my collegiate softball career was cut short by an injury, so I tried out some of the production courses that had caught my eye when I first looked at Pace. I started with Media Production 1 and The Making of the Motion Picture, followed by a screenwriting class during my study abroad program at Bangor University in Wales.

I was fascinated by these courses, but also by my professors who were as captivating as the subjects they taught, and I was enthralled by the endless possibilities of working in the field. With a professional-level studio available to students, all the camera gear we could need, and classes that push us to try new things and visit new places, it was an easy decision to declare my major. Suddenly, I was surrounded by a creative bubble of ideas and happenings, and I knew that this was where I wanted to be.

What other activities and organizations were you involved in as a student?

During my four years at Pace, I worked for Pace Athletics as a sports information assistant, and I was responsible for a number of game-day roles, including recording official stats, scoreboard operation, or camera operation for our live streams, and I had an absolute blast doing that. I believe this experience with Pace Athletics played a significant role in securing my current job at the MLB Network. Additionally, I was a member of Gamma Sigma Sigma National Service Sorority and Lambda Pi Eta Communications Honor Society. Further, I was an active member of the Residence Hall Association, serving as a hall president and council member for several years.

What internships did you have as a student?

During my time at Pace, I had the opportunity to work at a number of internships. In my junior year, I secured my first internship with the Metropolitan Transit Authority in their internal media group as a production intern. I later interned with Departure Films in casting and development, and after that, with Rob Dicena, a Dyson adjunct professor and casting director who kindly opened up some assistant casting positions at his organization to all students in the Media, Communications, and Visual Arts department.

How have Pace or Dyson faculty been instrumental in your journey?

I have received tremendous support from my professors and advisors, who have always been kind and genuinely concerned about their students' welfare. My American Sign Language (ASL) professors, Joshua Loeffel and Emmanuel Azodeh, had a profound influence on my growth. When they discovered that I am deaf, yet not proficient in ASL, they always took extra time to communicate with me, and being in their ASL courses helped me fulfill a childhood need for a community I didn't realize I longed for.

With a professional-level studio available to students, all the camera gear we could need, and classes that push us to try new things and visit new places, it was an easy decision to declare my major in digital cinema and filmmaking.

One of the things I love about Pace is the close-knit environment that exists within both the dorms and in academics. Students have the opportunity to get to know professors even if they are not taking their classes. I would often hang out and chat with Professors Paul Ziek and Michelle Pulaski-Behling about current events, my projects, and the latest happenings around campus. And I still remember the many tips and tricks of the trade from Professors Melanie La Rosa and Lou Guarneri, which I often pass on to my coworkers. Professor Luskay consistently challenged me to produce my best work and helped me build my confidence as a leader and filmmaker, always willing to lend an ear whenever I needed advice.

College is a significant time in a person’s life. In what ways has your time as a Dyson student influenced you to become the person you are today?

My years as a Dyson student were among the most rewarding and introspective moments of my life, and my knowledge of the world has grown tenfold thanks to my experiences both in and out of the classroom. A well-rounded education allowed me to apply knowledge from my core and elective courses to those in media and communications, and so I graduated with a good sense of what it means to be a storyteller and an informant in a media-driven society.

In addition, I lived and learned alongside some of the most interesting people I had ever met, all from different places and socio-economic backgrounds, and today, I have friends who love and support me whether they’re 10 minutes or 3,000 miles away. Thanks to my experiences, I am now a more informed, compassionate, and confident person than I was when I first set foot on campus many years ago.

What advice would you give to our students, as they navigate their college life?

My advice to students is to be open. Because you’re trying to figure things out, there will be missteps and mistakes, and that can be terrifying. But, if you remain open to the possibilities in front of you, one of them may turn out to be the best decision you’ll ever make.