IC News

In 2018, Clara Montague’s and Eva Kirie’s short film “The Library” won the Coca-Cola and Regal Films “Refreshing Film” contest and screened in cinemas nationwide. This was an impressive accomplishment by any measure, yet as former Roy H. Park School of Communications Dean Diane Gayeski ’74 noted,  “To win this contest is a huge honor for Eva and Clara — but to win it as first-year students in competition with top graduate film programs just sums up what makes the Park School great. We treat our students as young professionals and they rise to the occasion — with much encouragement and coaching to back them up.” 

“The Library” was chosen by a Red Ribbon panel comprising representatives from Coca-Cola, Regal, EFILM Digital Laboratories and others in the entertainment industry based on the creativity, creative fit and entertainment value of the film. The winners of the competition were announced at the CinemaCon film convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Kirie and Montague were in attendance.  “I couldn’t even believe it,” said Kirie. “It’s a dream come true. It means so much to us as aspiring filmmakers.” 

Politics major and IC Board of Trustees student trustee Yetunde Smalls was named a 2020 Newman Civic Fellow for her dedication to the IC community and commitment to advocacy work. Through the fellowship, students are provided with training and resources to help them develop strategies for social change. 

That’s something Smalls has been advocating for since she came to Ithaca College as a Martin Luther King Scholar. Smalls says that through her experiences as an MLK Scholar, she has gained an in-depth understanding of how war, poverty and racism impact inequality in a community. Serving as Community Council President of her residential cluster as part of the college’s First-Year Residential Experience heightened her awareness of inclusive programming and inspired her to create similar initiatives on campus, including “Embrace,” a digital and print magazine that curates authentic narratives of students. 

 Julia Cohen ’21, a speech-language pathology and audiology major, interned with Mariellen VanDyke Brown ’05 at Ithaca.Community, a website that helps individuals and families find resources and activities that meet their needs in the local community. 

As part of her internship, Cohen explored the issue of affordable childcare in Ithaca and the benefits of providing free and low-cost childcare to employees and community members. Cohen conducted research, writing, graphic design, and editing for the website. She also produced a number of marketing pieces including a blog post, PDF toolkit, social media images and a slideshow video. While interning with Ithaca.Community, Cohen simultaneously worked on a research project to improve adolescent adherence to asthma preventer medication funded by the National Health Service in the United Kingdom. 

As a member of BOLD Trilogy, the third cohort of students in Ithaca College’s BOLD Scholar Program, Business Administration major Carolina Jeronimo ’21 and her BOLD Scholar peers implemented a year-long transformation project titled “BOLD Trilogy: Empower.” 

Each spring, the IC and Ithaca communities have the opportunity to enjoy a Commencement Eve Concert courtesy of the School of Music. This year’s concert, to be held Thursday, May 20 , will include an arrangement of Bill Withers’ classic “Lovely Day,” performed by the IC Jazz Ensemble and arranged by Performance and Music Education major Jacob Graham ’21. This performance promises to be especially poignant, as Bill Withers passed away in March 2020.  

The Commencement Concert will air Thursday, May 20 at 8 p.m. and can be viewed on ICTV – local Spectrum cable channel 16 – and online as a YouTube Premiere at: Commencement Concert YouTube Premiere. The concert will also be available to view on the Commencement website after the premiere has aired.