The Office of Multicultural Affairs will host the 14th Annual WellsLink Transitions Ceremony on Friday, Oct. 20, starting at 4 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel. Campus community members are invited to attend the ceremony to honor the WellsLink Scholars from the previous year who have successfully transitioned through the WellsLink Leadership Program and into their second year at Syracuse University. WellsLink is a nationally recognized academic excellence and leadership program for first-year students of color at Syracuse University.
“This is a special occasion not only for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, but the entire University community. We are able to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of our WellsLink Scholars,” says Huey Hsiao, associate director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs and leader for the program. “The expectation is set high for our WellsLink Scholars and every year they rise to the occasion. Past WellsLink cohort members have gone on to excel in both the classroom and within extracurricular activities, becoming leaders on campus and beyond.”
Negin Farsad
The ceremony will feature a keynote from Negin Farsad with a book signing and reception to follow. Farsad is at the forefront of social justice comedy—a field that she insists totally exists (or should). She is a TED Senior Fellow, author of “How to Make White People Laugh” and is one of few Iranian-American Muslim female comedian/filmmakers. Farsad uses humor—full-scale ridiculousity—to bridge the racial, religious, social and immigrant gap. The Wall Street Journal calls her work “smart, funny and fascinating.”
Farsad was named one of “50 Funniest Women” by Huffington Post and one of the “10 Best Feminist Comedians” by Paste Magazine. In her feature film “The Muslims Are Coming!” she took a group of Muslim-American comedians on the road in Middle America to do shows, meet the locals, and counter Islamophobia through jokes. The film features Jon Stewart, Lewis Black, Janeane Garofalo, David Cross, Rachel Maddow and others. It has won a humanitarian award from the Arab-American Institute.
As a standup comedian, Farsad has performed far and wide, from Town Hall on Broadway to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Most notably, Queen Rania of Jordan commissioned Farsad to make a video as part of a series combating Muslim stereotypes—a series that won the first-ever YouTube Visionary Award.
For more information about the 14th Annual WellsLink Transitions Ceremony, contact Hsiao at huhsiao@syr.edu.
The WellsLink Leadership Program Class of 2020
Alexander O. Aguirre (College of Arts and Sciences)
Nneka E. Akukwe (College of Arts and Sciences)
Adiba Alam (College of Arts and Sciences)
Anthony M. Aldana (College of Arts and Sciences)
Maya M. Alston (School of Information Studies)
Abegail R. Anderson (College of Arts and Sciences)
Cafui Awasu (Whitman School of Management)
Fhebielyn Ballagan (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
Shin Hyuk Bang (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
Jonathan O. Bennett Jr (David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics)
Valeria I. Berdecia (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
Justin Boone (College of Arts and Sciences)
Jayda B. Brown (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications)
Richelle Calderon (College of Arts and Sciences/School of Education)
Inocencia D. Cortez (College of Arts and Sciences)
Vanessa A. Davila (College of Arts and Sciences)
Ohemaa Dixon (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
Cayla Dorsey (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications)
Julia Duarte (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
Karen Fan (Whitman School of Management)
Janine L. Fernandez (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications)
Marielle A. Gomez (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
Amber K. Grant (College of Arts and Sciences)
Christian Green (College of Arts and Sciences)
Kennedy Hagens (College of Arts and Sciences)
Rodcliff Hall (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
Maya A. Hartwell (College of Arts and Sciences)
Ryan Hugh (Whitman School of Management)
Tyra A. Jean (College of Arts and Sciences)
Nicole A. Jenkins (College of Arts and Sciences)
Liquan Jiang (College of Arts and Sciences)
Sehej K. Johar (College of Arts and Sciences)
Brianna Jones (College of Arts and Sciences)
Anya Joseph (College of Arts and Sciences/School of Education)
Julie A. Karabinus (School of Education)
Parris Kelly (College of Arts and Sciences)
Tyler B. Kelly (Whitman School of Management)
Ayana Kerr (School of Information Studies)
Ahone N. Koge (College of Arts and Sciences)
Kiana Y. Lally (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
Jordan K. Landy (College of Arts and Sciences)
Adam C. Lopez (College of Arts and Sciences)
Blair C. McQueen (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
Roxanne A. Menchaca (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications)
Anna Adibah Mohd Khairi (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
Myles Morgan (College of Arts and Sciences)
Jennifer N. Nguyen (College of Arts and Sciences)
Sophia M. Ogot (College of Arts and Sciences)
Deborah Orieta (College of Arts and Sciences)
Zachara Ormsby (College of Arts and Sciences)
Kiana Parrott (School of Education)
Bijal Patel (David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics)
Quoc K. Phan (School of Education)
Niara A. Phoenix (College of Arts and Sciences/College of Engineering and Computer Science)
Gabriel Quintero (David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics)
Rachel M. Rodriguez (David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics)
Nia Shaw (College of Arts and Sciences)
Nathan E. Spurlin (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
Kara Sun (College of Arts and Sciences)
Savannah M. Taylor (College of Arts and Sciences)
Sergio R. Valadez III (Whitman School of Management)
Sarina A. Wallace (College of Arts and Sciences)
Joy L. Wharton (School of Education)
Kristen C. Wong (Whitman School of Management/S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications)
