2025 Powell School Divisional Graduation Celebration

A senior majoring in Political Science and Legal Studies. Raised in her family’s grocery store on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, she saw how a storefront could become a community hub and how acts of service could shape a lifetime of values. She understood early on that food brings people together, but she also saw how it exposed inequalities within the food system itself. These experiences have cultivated in her a passion for agriculture policy and food systems.

Throughout her time at the Powell School, Zingone has laid the foundations for a career in public service through a series of government and non-profit internships including roles with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the Sierra Club, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, and The Farmlink Project. As an Undergraduate Fellow at The Moynihan Center, Jennifer has been trained to be grounded in ethical reasoning and constructive dialogue. After graduation, Jennifer will move to Trentino, Italy, to work on a farm, where she will witness firsthand the intersection of tradition and innovation within global agriculture. Afterwards, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in gastronomy, aiming to work at the United Nations’ World Food Programme.

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Andrew Williams is a second-generation Jamaican-American born and raised in Queens, NY. As a psychology major minoring in chemistry on the pre-med track, Williams has always been fascinated by the complex interactions between various neural structures and the underlying biochemistry that guides them. Such curiosity has encouraged Andrew to pursue various research opportunities ranging from perceptual load theory at the Colin Powell School to pediatric brain tumor research in Perth, Australia. While Williams is certainly science-oriented, he remains aware of the importance of cultural competence which has led him to pursue opportunities related to community outreach and engagement, such as the Jeannette K. Watson fellowship and an internship with the Los Padres Forest Watch in Santa Barbara, California.

These experiences have helped shape Andrew’s resolve to become a physician who seeks to truly understand his patients, remaining aware of the importance of one’s cultural identity. After graduation, Williams seeks to apply to medical school and bring together the insights, perspective, and knowledge he has obtained throughout his time at the Colin Powell School to become a leader and visionary in the field of medicine.

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Sun Wo Kim immigrated from South Korea at the age of five and is graduating with a major in Economics. Through his academic and professional experiences, Sun Wo has developed a deep commitment to legal access and economic justice, shaped by participating in fellowships and honors programs such as the Semester in D.C. Program, Moynihan Public Service Fellowship, Colin Powell School Research Mentors Fellowship, Honors Program in Legal Studies at the Colin Powell School, CUNY Futures in Finance Fellowship, S Jay Levy Fellowship for Future Leaders, Edward T. Rogowsky Government and Public Affairs Program, Ernst & Young Mentorship Program, and the CCNY Honors Program. An engaged member of our campus community, he also serves as Captain of the CCNY Lacrosse Team.

This summer, he will return to Washington, D.C.. as a Summer Scholar with The Century Foundation’s Economics team, contributing to research on unemployment insurance modernization. After graduation, he hopes to pursue paralegal roles and attend law school, with the goal of advancing labor protections and expanding economic opportunity for underserved communities.

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Aislinn “Ash” Bass-Adams was born in Western Australia, and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa before immigrating to the United States in 2011. They are graduating with a BA/MA in Psychology with a research concentration, completing their joint Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis focusing on the mental health effects of climate change on young people. A student of the Macaulay Honors College, Bass-Adams is also a former Resident Assistant of the Towers at CCNY and a Climate Policy Fellow.

Bass-Adams’s own journey shaped their commitment to immigration advocacy in the United States, including their internship at the Casa Alitas shelter on the Southern Border in Arizona, where they worked with asylum-seekers from across the globe fleeing persecution and conflict. Today, Bass-Adams is proud to call New York City home and plans to pursue doctoral studies in Psychology after graduation. In the future, they hope to support fellow immigrants and develop innovative approaches to address climate-related mental health challenges. 

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Samantha Cajamarca is a first-generation Latina student from Queens, New York. As the eldest child in an immigrant household, Samantha developed a strong sense of responsibility and advocacy from an early age, experiences that continue to inform her commitment to service and equity.

At CCNY, Samantha participated in the Colin Powell Fellowship in Leadership and Public Service, where she explored the intersections of health policy, civic engagement, and social justice. She also served in leadership roles within the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA+), and contributed to research initiatives at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, focusing on improving healthcare access for historically underserved populations. 

Samantha is passionate about advancing health equity, addressing systemic barriers in healthcare, and uplifting marginalized communities. She plans to pursue a career in medicine, with the goal of combining clinical care with advocacy to create more inclusive and compassionate healthcare systems.

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Mohammed Hasan is a first-generation college student born in Bangladesh and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Driven by a commitment to address climate challenges, Hasan, a double-major in Political Science and International Studies, has actively sought opportunities to advance climate solutions. His focus on global climate governance took shape during a study abroad experience in Amsterdam. 

Upon returning to New York, Hasan engaged deeply with policy through a Climate Policy Fellowship at the Colin Powell School, where he received mentorship from an industry expert and supported fellow undergraduates. Expanding his expertise, Hasan interned at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) on critical minerals policy, contributing to the green energy transition, and later with the New York League of Conservation Voters, evaluating environmental issues and political endorsements. 

Hasan is currently interning with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, assisting with the implementation of a major carbon reduction initiative. Aspiring to become a legislative analyst for environmental agencies, nonprofits, and NGOs, Hasan plans to pursue a master’s degree in environmental policy, public administration, environmental science, or urban planning.

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