天美传媒

by Cecil Harris

During six Wednesdays in the Fall 2014 semester, five students from accompanied Diana Feige, Ph.D., a clinical associate professor in the , to the for a creative writing project that served to strengthen an already solid partnership between the schools.

QHST, in Bellerose, Queens, is where many Adelphi teaching candidates gain valuable classroom experience and where several Adelphi graduates now teach. QHST students and faculty also visit Adelphi for campus tours and other events.

As partners in prose, Dr. Feige and her students joined with nine QHST students and QHST English teacher Lori Mayo to form a group in a memoir-writing project.

鈥淭his partnership is special because both schools have such a strong sense of community,鈥� Dr. Feige said. 鈥淓veryone in our writers鈥� group has been very supportive of one another.鈥�

Each writer鈥檚 selection addressed the question: What would people learn about you if they met you for the first time? The workshop culminated with 15 writers reading their works at an event called Youth Writing for Justice at QHST on December 10, 2014.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great experience for my kids to meet the Adelphi students because it shows my kids what they鈥檙e working toward鈥攁 college education,鈥� Mayo said in a library filled with students, teachers and other invited guests. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great for our students to hear stories from Adelphi students who come from other countries because it broadens their perspective.鈥�

Each of the Adelphi students鈥擱uizi 鈥淓mma鈥� Wang, Tingting Cui, Jacqueline Perez, Jenny Turcios and Anu Rameshan鈥攁nd Dr. Feige read selections.

Emma and Tingting are master鈥檚 degree candidates from China in the . They were encouraged to join the workshop by Daryl Gordon, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Ammon School. Tingting wrote of feeling ostracized as a second child in China, where the government allows one child per family. Emma wrote of her success finding an apartment on Long Island, where she had known no one.

鈥淭his was the first time I presented my story in front of other people鈥攊t felt amazing,鈥� Emma said with a smile. 鈥淚 liked this program because I could hear different voices and different stories.鈥�

Turcios, a native of El Salvador, wrote about trying to assimilate in America as one who speaks Spanish-accented English and English-accented Spanish. 鈥淪o who can I be?鈥� she wrote. 鈥淚 know I can鈥檛 be neither [English nor Salvadoran]. But can I be both?鈥�

The next writers鈥� workshop in the successful Adelphi-QHST partnership will begin in March 2015.