NYU Gallatin: Alumni in The World

Gallatin Alumni in the World

Gallatin alumni from a range of disciplines, including those who attended law and PhD programs, speak about the rich and diverse career paths they created after leaving 1 Washington Place.

Where Are They Now ?

“Above all else, a Gallatin education will teach you how to think differently—and the importance of that in the workplace can’t be understated.”

—Gabrielle Korn (BA ’11), digital editor in chief at NYLON Media; Concentration: Queer and Feminist Theories, Activism, and Writing

“Learning to work hard, think creatively, and seek out my own opportunities without waiting for others to offer them to me are skills I learned at Gallatin that are applicable to any career path.”

—Michelle Gedney (BA ’07), director of merchandising and planning at Credo Beauty; Concentration: Femininity: Discourses and Representations

“My time at Gallatin pursuing a master’s degree allowed me the traction to design a plan of action that has taken me to where I am today.”

—Courtney C. Young (MA ’04), writer and founder at Think Young Media Group and Cofounder of Heartmob; Concentration: Entertainment Business, Africana, and Performance Studies

“Gallatin liberated me from the expectation that my future should fit a specific mold. The interdisciplinary lens helped relieve the anxiety of having to choose one path. I knew that no matter where I ended up, it wouldn’t necessarily mean giving up on my other passions. I don’t see my options as set in stone; I’m constantly working to redefine them.”

—Gabriela Garcia (BA ’15), MFA candidate in Poetry at Columbia University and founder of the On Poetry podcast; Concentration: History and Culture of the Atlantic World

“I came to Gallatin, where the program allowed me to study while still working. I am an actress but wanted to expand my career and become also a writer and director.”

—Isabella Rossellini (BA ’12), Actress and Activist, MA candidate at Hunter College for Animal Behavior and Conservation; Concentration: The Psychology of Animal Behavior

“Gallatin trained me to think in an interdisciplinary way, which is a strength in any career you choose. It means you can learn and speak the language of any function, connect the dots across functions to define a clear strategy, and effectively lead cross-functional teams toward a shared goal.”

—Nina Yiamsamatha (BA ’10), Product Marketing Manager at Instagram; Concentration: New Media and Re-Imagining Communities

“Gallatin allows and encourages students to connect to organizations in the city that interest them—sometimes future employers—very easily.”

—Michael Ryan (BA ’14), TEDx partnerships associate at TED Conferences; Concentration: The Politics and Design of Public Space

“With the knowledge that doctors, hospitals, and larger health systems are influenced by the sociocultural environments in which they are embedded, I often participate in conversations that are overlooked in medicine. The education I received at Gallatin has motivated me to ask hard questions about health care: the ones that impact health policy, patient education, and medical training.”

—Dipika Gaur (BA ’14), MD candidate at Rush Medical College; Concentration: Global Health Equity with a minor in Public Health and Policy

“In my job, I am constantly in flux— shifting from digital strategy to print strategy, or from contouring tips to the politics of the refugee crisis. Gallatin opened my mind and prepared me to always see the bigger picture.”

—Phillip Picardi (BA ’12), Editor in Chief at OUT Magazine; Concentration: The Philosophy of Beauty

“I’m able to integrate my performance experience, educational theater background, and yoga training into a group teaching space for the healing arts. Without the multidisciplinary and individualized guidance received at Gallatin, none of this would make sense to me.”

—Cornelius Jones Jr. (MA ’10), Broadway and TV Actor, Poet, Performer; creative arts and healing facilitator at MUSE Treatment and Recovery Center; Concentration: Educational Theater, Dramatic Writing, and Performance

“Studying at Gallatin gave me the freedom to explore many different subjects and ideas. I’ve been fortunate to be able to bring that same sense of exploration to my work as a Broadway producer. Current students should use their time at Gallatin as a chance to try new things and challenge themselves.”

—Barbara Whitman (BA ’88), Tony Award–winning theatrical producer at Barbara Whitman Productions, the company behind Fun Home, War Paint, and The Humans

“My best work comes from an interdisciplinary approach—augmenting my scientific research with an understanding of the history, preconceptions, and assumptions of my field to ask and answer questions no one else has thought of.”

—Daniel Seara (BA ’14), Physics PhD candidate at Yale University, studying mechanisms of force generation in cells using theoretical and computational tools in the Laboratory of Living Matter; Concentration: The Human in Science

“I really appreciated the chance to take both quantitative finance classes and interdisciplinary sociology seminars at Gallatin—these classes equipped me with the skills necessary to manage the analytical rigor of my current role and also to take an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving.”

—Emelyn Chew (BA ’14), senior analyst in capital markets at Funding Circle Finance and Society; Concentration: The Promise and Pitfalls of Debt

“Gallatin prepared me to be pragmatically and intellectually nimble in how I market myself, my skills, and my passions.”

—Ella Saunders-Crivello (BA ’12), senior analyst in capital markets at TED; Concentration: The Politics of the NGO

“At Gallatin, I found a place to study that honored my individuality, and this has affected me to this day.”

—Jennifer Clement (BA ’82), Award-Winning Author, Guggenheim Fellow, President at PEN International; MFA in Literature, University of Southern Maine; Concentration: English Literature and Anthropology

“Gallatin gave me the freedom to explore my interests in nationalism, visual culture, and the fine arts without constraints. This proved to be invaluable as I found my niche early on and could hone in on the real-world opportunities quickly.”

—Mike Tan (BA ’12), Owner and Director at the Contemporary Art Gallery Rubber Factory; Concentration: The Intersection of Fact and Fiction in Photography

“Gallatin taught me the quality of my education was my responsibility, not my teacher’s. I took that into the workforce as an understanding that I was owed only what I earned and that it was up to me to go find opportunities and make them happen.”

—Chris Nee (BA ’93), creator and executive producer of Doc McStuffins, executive producer of Vampirina at Disney Junior; Concentration: Theater Management

“I have no regrets about choosing to pursue a liberal arts BA rather than a BFA in photography, because the literature and theory I was exposed to at Gallatin formed the foundation for my longtime preoccupation as a visual artist.”

—Frances Denny (BA ’07), artist/photographer, MFA in Photography, Rhode Island School of Design; Concentration: Representation of Women in Art History and Literature

“Gallatin showed me the best way to think and be different. It never told me no, and embraced all my ideas of what an education should be. There’s no better preparation to be a citizen in today’s world.”

—David Burstein (BA ’12), founder and CEO at Run for America, author of Fast Future: How the Millennial Generation Is Changing Our World ; Concentration: Intersection of Film, Technology, and Politics with an Emphasis on Youth and Social Change

“Gallatin prepares the future leaders and changemakers of the world by exposing them to interdisciplinary learning. Interdisciplinary is the way the world thinks, works, creates, and innovates today. It’s no longer about just being a deep expert in one area—it’s about how you combine different fields together creatively to solve problems.”

—Neetu Sidhu (MA ’12), senior manager at ATB Financial; Concentration: Social Entrepreneurship

“By taking of advantage of Gallatin’s many resources and its study abroad program, all of which encouraged growth in an interdisciplinary manner, I learned how to approach complex problems in my workplace in a creative and hands-on manner.”

—Maya Adamczyk (BA ’14), compliance research associate at Dealogic and freelance illustrator; Concentration: The Role of Translation in the Evolution of Language and the Formation of the “Self”

“My time at Gallatin taught me that I didn’t need to compromise my interests in order to fit into one job or career and that the things I loved could be combined— first, into a unique concentration, and now into an interdisciplinary career that combines literature, performance, teaching, activism, and editing.”

—Safia Elhillo (BA ’13), poet, author of The January Children, teaching artist at Split This Rock, and tutorial instructor at Gallatin; MFA in Poetry, The New School; Concentration: Poetry as a Tool for Therapy with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies

“Gallatin’s interdisciplinary approach makes sense in a world where the boundaries of identity are dissolving into fluid networks of relation. It taught me how to navigate a multifaceted conversation, how to think and speak critically.”

—Sarah Chow (BA ’10), MFA candidate in Photography at Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts of Bard College; Concentration: Digital New Media and Imagery

“Gallatin gave me the tools to understand better the workings of the world in a way that allowed me the self-confidence to express my individuality and to use my skills for the benefit of others.”

—Mona Kreaden (BA ’90; MA GSAS ’93), strategic adviser and former board member of The Transition Network; Concentration: The Great Books—Focusing on Comparative Religions, Early Christianity, and Politics

“Arriving at Gallatin was tremendously invigorating. It’s hard to overstate the incredibly positive difference it made for me: suddenly I was allowed to pilot my own ship, so to speak, and with brilliant professors—whom I now had an opportunity to know personally—serving as guides.”

—Will Creeley (BA ’03; JD, NYU Law ’06), vice president of legal and public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education; Concentration: Political Memory and the Burden of History

“Mirrors reflect. Prisms refract. Practice both. But serve light always.”

—Justin Kazmark (BA ’02), Vice President of Communications at Kickstarter; M S’0? in Early Childhood Education and Teaching, Hunter College; Concentration: Semiotics and Craft of Meaning

“If you leave Gallatin a specialist of any kind, it should be as one who sees the linkages between all things.”

—Marc Dones (BA ’11), associate in equity initiatives and diversity at Center for Social Innovation; Concentration: Psychiatric Anthropology

“The world is changing fast. Gallatin uniquely prepares you to take in and assess tons of information, draw unexpected connections, and act on them critically. Exercise those muscles!”

—Kristoffer Diaz (BA ’99; TSOA MFA ’02), award-winning playwright, Guggenheim Fellow, clinical associate professor at Gallatin, associate arts professor at NYU’s Rita and Burton Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing; Concentration: Dramatic and Cultural Studies

“What you wanted to do when you started your college journey won’t be the same as what you want to do at the end. Embrace ‘I’ve failed’ or ‘I’ve changed,’ because you will not be you otherwise.”

—Rachel Wang (BA ’16), development and production assistant in accessories at Alexander Wang; Concentration: How Goes the Boogeyman? Monster Studies through Art, History, and Literature

“My advice to an undergraduate student is to surround yourself with people you respect who have different political, religious, and ideological beliefs or worldviews, and allow them to challenge you. That is the only way you will grow and become more certain about who you are, what you believe, and who you want to become.”

—Andrea Mufarreh (BA ’14), supervisor of the counterterrorism Unit at the New York County District Attorney’s Office; PhD candidate at CUNY Graduate Center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, master of science in Criminology at the University of Pennsylvania; Concentration: Justice, Religion, and Counterterrorism

“Use every class you take as an opportunity to rethink your understanding of your concentration, interests, and how you want to spend your time at Gallatin. And consult with your teachers and advisers often!”

—Nadege Giraudet (BA ’16), MA candidate in Architecture at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University; Concentration: Neuroscience, Aesthetics, and the Experience of Space

“Take full advantage of each unique opportunity and the amazingly talented faculty and students of Gallatin. I rely on the lessons I learned and the broader perspective I gained through my experiences at Gallatin to be successful in my career.”

—Nakeena Covington Taylor (BA ’03, MA Steinhardt), corporate counsel at Pandora; JD, Northwestern University School of Law; Concentration: Resisting Through Performance

“Don’t be afraid to take risks!”

—Maryrose Wood (BA ’96), writer, author of the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, part-time faculty at NYU Gallatin; Concentration: Dramatic Writing

Advice from Alumni

“New York City is a resource as much as the university is; take advantage of that.”

—Adam Mosseri (BA ’05), Head of Instagram; Concentration: Information Design and Media Studies

“Use internships to figure out what you don’t want to do as much as what you do want to do.”

—Eliot Glazer (BA ’05), writer/actor in Broad City at Comedy Central; Concentration: Representation in the Media

“As you continue learning and eventually move beyond Gallatin, don’t forget that barriers and walls are always in motion. There is no ‘one way’ to accomplish your goal.”

—David Beiner (BA ’12), digital and user experience strategist at Vaudeville Ventures; Concentration: Social Entrepreneurship and Economic History

“Life isn’t so focused and obvious in its path, and Gallatin allows you to become a well-rounded individual in whatever it is you are passionate about while giving you the highest education possible.”

—Alex Pall (BA ’08), half of the Grammy Award–winning duo The Chainsmokers; Concentration: The Commoditization of Art throughout History

FROM COLLOQUIUM TO DISSERTATION

Gallatin PhD Alumni

Isabella Alexander

BA ’07, Gallatin; MFA, Film, the Speos Institute in France; MA, Social Sciences, the University of Chicago; MA and PhD, Anthropology, Emory University, with a focus on the global migrant and refugee crisis; immigration, refugee, and asylum law; critical race theory; and international human rights Gallatin Concentration: Borders, Migration, and International Human Rights

“The innovative structure of my personalized major combined disciplines ranging from immigration law to African history, which ultimately contributed to a deeper understanding of anthropology. Today, I’m motivated by the belief that storytelling has the power to humanize complex global issues. I combine my work as a writer, documentary filmmaker, and professor in the social sciences to raise awareness, incite action, and create positive change for marginalized populations. After completing my PhD, I accepted a visiting assistant professorship in the Departments of Anthropology and Film and Media Studies at Emory University, where I’m currently teaching courses ranging from a seminar on the migrant and refugee crisis to a practicum on documentary filmmaking. I’ve also recently finished revisions on my first book, Burning at

Europe’s Borders: Migration in the Age of Border Externalization, and am in the final stages of production on my first feature-length documentary film, The Burning, which was scheduled for release in the summer of 2018.”

Anne Mishkind

BA ’10, Gallatin; MPhil, Political Thought and Intellectual History, University of Cambridge; currently enrolled in PhD program in Political Theory at Yale University

Gallatin Concentration: Philosophy

Concentration:

“Gallatin’s focus on critical thinking and breaking down the barriers between disciplines to solve a problem has been immensely helpful to me. My time at Gallatin solidified my desire to seek intellectual, academic opportunities at the highest level. After I graduated, I forced myself not to leap directly into a doctoral program, but instead engaged in direct action support work for seven years until I finally had the revelation that I wanted to devote the rest of my life to supporting people of all ages in developing consenting, desire-affirming sexual lives.”

“Gallatin taught me to pursue complex questions across disciplinary boundaries, such as history, critical pedagogy, education policy, and now political science. My work is motivated by both substantive and methodological concerns that draw from varying conceptual frameworks, vocabularies, and imaginative processes.”

Alexander Denker

BA ’13, Gallatin ; MA in Psychology, Emory University; currently enrolled in Neuroscience and Animal Behavior PhD program at Emory University

Gallatin Concentration: The Neuroscience of Art

“Gallatin enabled me to think translationally and critically about the connections between my research and its

broader implications and was crucial to nurturing my interest in the inherently multidisciplinary field of neuroscience. My research led me to a two-year research fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health, on child and adolescent development, my continued interest in which led me to pursue a doctoral degree in neuroscience and animal behavior with a specific focus on adolescent decision making and risk taking.”

Daniel S. Seara

BA ’14, Gallatin; currently enrolled in PhD program in Physics at Yale University, with a focus on Theoretical Biophysics

Gallatin Concentration: The Human in Science

“At Gallatin I was encouraged to first explore what the wider university had to offer. I took an acoustics class in my first semester on a whim. That introduction to the physics of sound captivated me and made me realize that I have both a talent for and an interest in physics. I’ve been riding that wave ever since.”

Jonathan L. Stahl

BA ’12, Gallatin; PhD in Social Psychology, Ohio State University

Gallatin Concentration: Human Relationships and Attraction Theory

“So often in the social sciences, people approach a problem from their singular perspective, without seeing how methods or ideas from other fields can inform them. Gallatin let me examine research questions through multiple lenses, an approach I maintain in my doctoral research today.”

BA ’07, Gallatin; MA, EdM, Columbia University Teachers College; PhD, the Gordon F. Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University

Gallatin Concentration: The Emergence of the Unconscious: A Historical and Critical Study of Mental Health

“I was inspired at Gallatin by Bradley Lewis’s course ‘Mad Science Mad Pride.’ The notion that we have the power to shape our lives in a multitude of ways through the kinds of narratives we tell compelled me to consider the profound potential of psychotherapy— as offering a space to develop new and freeing narratives—and I ultimately decided that I wanted to become a therapist to help facilitate this. During my doctoral study, I was able to use what I learned at Gallatin as a cornerstone of my unprecedentedly interdisciplinary dissertation research. Over the years, Brad and I have collaborated on several projects, most recently in starting a practice called the Poiesis Institute for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy.”

Michael J. Abraham

BA ’17, Gallatin; currently enrolled in PhD program in Literature at Yale University, with a focus on modern poetics; race, gender, and sexuality studies; post-Enlightenment formulations of reason and irrationality

Gallatin Concentration: Gender Theory and Modern Poetics

“I came to Gallatin with the intention of studying creative writing, and I left having studied gender and sexuality, literary nationalisms and world literary systems, phenomenology, affect, and poetics. Gallatin offered me the level of support and careful supervision that was necessary for me to begin to develop my own style, taste, and outlook as a literary critic.”

Orly Moshell Arviv

BA ’00, Gallatin; MS and PhD in Clinical Psychology, Nova Southeastern Universit y Occupation: Advanced practitioner in sensorimotor psychotherapy

“I have always been deeply curious about the human mind and our emotions and have enjoyed connecting with people on a deeply personal level. I recall feeling respected by my teachers at Gallatin, which deepened my curiosity and desire to learn. I now work in private practice with a specialization in trauma and somatic psychotherapy.”

Rachel Cantave

BA ’08, Gallatin; MA in Public Anthropology and PhD in Anthropology, American University

Gallatin Concentration: Interdisciplinary Studies of the New World

“I transferred to Gallatin in order to focus on colonial and postcolonial theorists as well as issues of race, gender, and power in Latin America and the Caribbean. The texts I read and classes I took provided a base for what would eventually turn into seven years of anthropological research on comparative religion, racial politics, and civic action in northeastern Brazil. I think of my coursework and experience studying abroad as the beginning of my dissertation work. My adviser was Antonio Lauria-Perricelli; he introduced me to ethnographies of Latin America and the Caribbean. Dan Dawson enhanced my interest in African-derived spiritualities. Millery Polyné encouraged me to study the historical developments of the region, and Kamau Brathwaite reinforced in me the poetics of postcolonial struggles for liberation. My colloquium was titled ‘A Literary Approach to the New World,’ but I knew that it was just the first of many steps toward attaining a PhD.”

Peter Beattie

BA ’03, Gallatin; JD, MA, and PhD in Political Psychology, University of California, Irvine Gallatin Concentration: Psychology and Law Occupation:

Teaches global political economy at Chinese University of Hong Kong

“My undergraduate thesis at Gallatin formed the backbone of my PhD thesis. I had happened upon a useful theory to explain how politics works in democracies: essentially, why we believe what we believe about politics, and how the media influences our beliefs.”

Liora Connor

BA ’11, Gallatin; currently enrolled in PhD program in English Literature at Princeton University, with a focus on 18th- and 19thCentury British Literature, Poetry, and Poetics, and the History of Childhood and Education Gallatin Concentration: Ideas of the Limits of Language in Literature

“My concentration at Gallatin was really the beginning of what has become my dissertation topic. My study was guided by an interest that was essential to what I cared about and thought about: problems of communication and moments when language seems to have limits. The environment of motivated inquiry that I found at Gallatin, as well as the deeply invested support and expert guidance from my professors, made me feel that a career in academia was something I could envision. In many ways, the structure of Gallatin’s program mirrors that of a PhD program—by the time I took my qualifying exam, an oral exam covering a book list with a three-professor committee, I felt like I’d already had a trial run of it in my Gallatin colloquium.”

BA ’09, Gallatin; MA Comparative Literature, The Graduate Center, CUNY; Currently enrolled in PhD program in Comparative Literature at The Graduate Center, CUNY

Gallatin Concentration:

Changes in Narrative through the Evolution of Technology

“It wasn’t until I began graduate school that I became of aware of the extent to which Gallatin is, in some ways, graduate school on a smaller scale. The kind of rigor and interdisciplinary thinking I learned at Gallatin gave me a unique and effective methodology that has served me well as a researcher and as an educator in my graduate career. My combined education in film, postcolonial theory, political philosophy, and creative writing at Gallatin led me to a PhD program in Comparative Literature. I am now writing my dissertation on Anglophone and Italophone literatures and film on black migration to Europe post-1965.”

Derek William Vallès

BA ’08, Gallatin; MSc in Political Theory and MPhil/PhD in Political Science & Political Economy, The London School of Economics & Political Science

Gallatin Concentration: Economics, Political Science & Philosophy

“Gallatin offers an exceptional training ground for advanced researchers and an unparalleled opportunity to explore the boundaries between disciplines while learning the art of smart research design. Most importantly, advising and planning holds students accountable through a process that encourages reflective learning, an experience that pays dividends well beyond graduation. Gallatin graduates are well equipped for the challenge and prepared hit the ground running on day one.”

BA

Gallatin Concentration: Cinematic Philosophy

“I took cinema and philosophy classes at Gallatin, considering connections between cinema, philosophy, aesthetic, and critical theory. This PhD continues the academic project I began at Gallatin. My program is resolutely and proudly interdisciplinary, with students studying intersections of film and philosophy, architecture, ecology, space, media theory, histories of technology and more.”

Alphonso F. Saville IV

BA ’02, Gallatin; MA in Religion, Memphis Theological Seminary; PhD in Religious Studies, Emory University

Gallatin Concentration: Africana Studies and Creative Writing

“After taking courses with Angela Dillard that explored how messianic identities had historically been assigned to black political leaders, I wanted to deepen my understanding of the relationship between religious discourse and social movements within black communities. With the help of my adviser, Michael Dinwiddie, I arranged an independent study with a faculty member from New York Theological Seminary to study African American religious rhetoric during the colonial period of American history. The benefits of that study have been far-reaching and profound. In the spring of 2017, I defended my dissertation, ‘The Gospel According to John Marrant: Religious Consciousness in the Black Atlantic, 1755–1791,’ the first full-length study of North America’s first ordained black minister. Since completing my PhD in the spring of 2017, I have worked as a special liaison to historically black seminaries and schools of theology with the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute in Washington, DC. In the

spring of 2018, I will join the teaching faculty of the Department of History at Howard University, where I will teach a course in the history of the African diaspora.”

MA ’15, Gallatin; currently enrolled in a PhD program in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a minor in Economics

Gallatin Concentration: Economics and Sociology

“While at Gallatin, I got to work with prominent economists and sociologists who oriented me with the field, including my adviser, Professor Ali Mirsepassi, who took me under his wing and provided much moral and intellectual support. I was also able to publish my work in top journals of the field, including Harvard Economics Review, Harvard International Review, Yale Journal of International Affairs as well as Foreign Affairs and Al Jazeera English.”

Hannah Troxel

BA ’13, Gallatin ; currently enrolled in PhD program in Sociology at Rutgers University

Gallatin Concentration: Social Structures and Social Change

“At Gallatin I was able to continue to develop my artistic capacity and to connect it to theories of social control and activism. I refined my foreign language skills by taking advanced German classes and studying abroad in Berlin. By participating in the Gallatin Americas Scholars, I formed lasting friendships and (importantly) learned to critique my own Eurocentric perspective by learning about colonialism.

“Throughout my time at Gallatin, I was interested in social justice and the social world. Sociology, my current field, takes the latter as its object and, in many cases, the former as its goal. With the support of my adviser, Pat McCreery, and the encouragement of

Kim DaCosta, I critically analyzed the materials of then-First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, focusing on the pathologization and abjectification of fat/‘overweight’ children. My PhD work follows this thread, looking at the (bio)medicalization of fatness across racial and gender lines, as well as the discrimination, stigma, and social control faced by larger people.”

BA ’16, Gallatin; currently enrolled in a PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Palo Alto University, specializing in LGBTQ+, meditation, and mindfulness, as well as health psychology

Gallatin Concentration: The Impact of Childhood Trauma on Identity Formation, Resilience, and Mental Health in Adolescence and Adulthood

“Gallatin made possible my exploration of individualized interests within the domain of psychology. It allowed me to craft my coursework to best suit my aims of providing traumainformed care and psychotherapy as a future clinical psychologist. I was not limited to the rigidity of the schedule of a psychology major. Instead, I was able to take several classes from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Studies program at the NYU Child Study Center, which was taught by practicing clinical psychologists and psychiatrists who provided invaluable professional advice and guidance.”

MA ’12, Gallatin; currently enrolled in the PhD program at the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham, with a focus on Shakespeare and creativity

Gallatin Concentration: Arts, Politics, and Postcolonial Theory

“At Gallatin I was able to combine arts and politics coursework at Tisch with postcolonial theory coursework in the other schools, enabling me to develop language vital for combating the existing issues with indigenous repre

sentation onstage in the American theater. With other Gallatin students, I also co-founded the Mad & Merry Theater Company, which was dedicated to reimagining the classics and was my first experience with directing and with leading an arts organization. My MA at Gallatin was in Arts, Politics, and Postcolonial Theory, and my thesis at Gallatin combined directing a Mohegan version of The Tempes t, examining how it could be used as a model for decolonization.”

BA ’03, Gallatin; MA in Elementary Education at Pace University; PhD in Curriculum and Instruction, University of Wisconsin-Madison Gallatin Concentration: Race, Inequity, and the Myth of the American Dream

“My BA at Gallatin focused on race, inequity, and the myth of the American dream. After college, I taught kindergarten in the South Bronx through Teach for America (TFA). My Gallatin lens helped me begin to make sense of my critiques of TFA. A desire to connect teaching and community engagement to a larger analysis of structures and policies led me to the doctoral program in Curriculum and Instruction at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Much of my research has involved taking a critical lens to neoliberal education reform, including TFA. For example, I’ve used policy network analysis to illustrate and interrogate the relationships between TFA and educational reform in order to demonstrate how educational policy decisions are shaped by networks of individuals, organizations, and private corporations, in which TFA is a central node. I’m an associate professor of Education at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I love the variety of my work. I teach future educators, collaborate with K-12 teachers, schools, and districts, and continue to do research.”

Alumni in Law

Fatoumata Waggeh

African Political Development and Colonial History (BA ’13) University of Pennsylvania Law School (JD expected ’20)

At Gallatin, I was able to further my passion for activism and dissect how historical processes and systems continue to shape power and oppression.

“I was provided the resources, community, and intellectual experience to better understand how the law can be a powerful advocacy tool for change. Because of Gallatin, I foresee myself advocating for marginalized communities in inner-city America and developing Africa.”

Favorite Course at NYU

I took an African development course with Professor Rosalind Fredericks. It was one of my favorite courses because it truly gave me a new perspective about African underdevelopment and colonial history.

Isaac Bate

Political Reform through Ethical Business (BA ’14)

Harvard Law School (JD ’18)

Associate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

“Everything is related to Gallatin, because Gallatin develops your ability to synthesize. Four years of bringing together disparate strands into a coherent whole was tremendously good practice for real life, where most problems worth solving are interdisciplinary.”

Favorite Course at NYU

“Discourses of Love” with Bella Mirabella and “First-Year Writing Seminar” with June Foley

Kate Fritz

Environmental Studies, Chinese, Politics (BA ’10)

New York University School of Law (JD expected ’20)

I am pursuing my JD so that I can continue doing environmental advocacy work with greater impact.

“Gallatin helped knit together my commitment to environmental activism with my academic studies, and to see the interdisciplinary connections between social issues of race, economics, law, and the environment. My law school education is a continuation of that exploration, and at the end I will have a law degree that will position me to do environmental impact litigation in a nonprofit setting.”

Favorite Course at NYU

“Politics After 9/11: Empire, Race, and Democracy” with George Shulman, and “Narrative Investigations: Don Quixote” with Stacy Pies

Beth George

Activism: Its History and Practice (BA ’01)

NYU School of Law, focus on national security (JD ’10) Counsel, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

My practice is inherently interdisciplinary. Cybersecurity and crisis response requires understanding computer science, how to conduct an investigation, how to communicate with the public, and how to manage teams with different interests.

“I can’t think of a better undergraduate experience to help prepare students to think critically and creatively about how to solve complex problems.”

Favorite Course at NYU

Any course taught by George Shulman or Karen Hornick. Teachers are so much more important than the subject, and they always challenged me to see different perspectives and how to articulate my own thoughts.

Hira

Ahmed

Political Theory and Literature (BA ’13)

NYU School of Law (JD expected ’19)

Michael Casertano Political Theory (BA ’06)

UCLA Law School (JD ’14) Associate, Jones Day

Gallatin’s focus on both seminar and realworld learning prepared me immeasurably in terms of critical thinking and practical skills for both my first career in government and politics and my career now as an attorney.

My Gallatin education inspired me to seek out critical legal perspectives on my own and form a community at school around that shared desire to learn beyond the black-letter law. Gallatin’s emphasis on interdisciplinary education has also shaped me. I am interested in pursuing nonlegal strategies along with traditionally legal ones in the fight for racial and economic justice.

“So much amazing grassroots work is done when lawyers collaborate with workers, community activists, and organizers to engage in advocacy strategies that lead not just to short-term legal victories, but more systemic change.”

Bailey

Woolfstead

Terrorism and National Security (BA ’07)

William & Mary School of Law (JD ’12)

Assistant district attorney, State of Alaska

My studies at Gallatin helped me to better understand human behavior and the way people and organizations of people think and act. I have been a prosecutor for five years; my first four years in Alaska were in a Yu’pik village, Bethel, in the YukonKuskokwim Delta, four hundred miles off the road system, where I focused primarily on sexual assaults and the sexual abuse of children. Understanding the ways people engage with society and each other while living with secrets has been invaluable in understanding better how to investigate and prosecute these heinous crimes.

Stone MacBeth

Politics through Political Theory and Literature (BA ’17)

University of Colorado School of Law - International Law and Criminal Defense (JD expected ’20)

My concentration focused heavily on American novels and race in America, therefore, I spent a lot of my time at Gallatin studying the relationship between people in poverty, people of color, politics, and the criminal justice system. I took classes like “American Narratives I and II” with George Shulman, “The Politics of Work” with Rosanne Kennedy, and “Race and Criminal Law” with Tony Thompson. Those studies further instilled within me a passion and desire to help people, and was something that translated directly to my law school experience.

Shana F. Oppenheim

Political Theatre (BA ’11)

William and Mary School of Law with a focus on election law (JD ’16) Associate, Clyde & Co, Washington, DC office

At Gallatin I learned to cull through and organize seemingly unrelated pieces of data to put together the story I wanted to tell. I refined that skill in law school and use it every day.

Favorite Course at NYU

It’s a tie between “Writing Sem II: Food Culture and Food Writing” with Scott Korb and a “Seminar on Solving Foreign Crises” with Bruce Bueno de Mesquita.

Jesse-Justin Cuevas

Sex and Social Control: The Hegemony of Morality (BA ’09) Northwestern University School of Law (JD ’15) Law clerk, US District Court for the Central District of California (through August 2018); associate, Susman Godfrey, LLP (starting November 2018)

In a sense, my studies at Gallatin paved the way for my success in law school and, now, my legal career because they trained me to think about issues from all perspectives, and to approach a problem horizontally as well as successively.

“Rather than shy away from complex matters that cross over into legal practices with which I’m unfamiliar, I lean in, eager to see how the whole body of law works together—neatly or otherwise. I seem to thrive in the tension, and I have Gallatin to thank for that.”

Favorite Course at NYU

“Birth Control: Population, Politics, and Power” with Lauren Kaminsky; every class with George Shulman

Will Creeley

Political Memory and the Burden of History (BA ’03)

NYU School of Law (JD ’06)

Senior vice president of legal and public advocacy, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education

I now work to defend student and faculty rights at colleges and universities nationwide, and it’s rewarding to me because I remember how much is at stake for the students discovering the world’s possibilities and the professors who have walked with them along the way.

“Gallatin was revelatory for me because my professors emphasized the importance, utility, and beauty of discovering and building connections between superficially disparate bodies of knowledge. What a thrill it was to discover a school dedicated to such a practice, and how useful the education I received has been to me ever since!”

Elizabeth Gyori

Naming the System: Integrating Social Justice, Journalism, and Environmental Science (BA ’13)

Harvard Law School, focusing on public interest law; civil rights; immigration, housing, and racial justice (JD expected ’19)

“My time at Gallatin taught me that the law cannot be our singular path toward liberation, but that storytelling, science, art, and many other fields have an integral role to play in building and ensuring equity.”

Henry Topper

Urban Studies and Philosophy (BA ’15) Cornell Law School, focus on litigation (JD expected ’19) Summer associate at law offices of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Will join as a full-time associate in fall 2019 after graduating and taking the bar

Gallatin made everything possible for me. The interdisciplinary nature of the program allowed me to see that seemingly disparate interests—capitalism, democracy, ethics, urbanism, American history, sociology, politics, etc.—in fact share a unifying theme.

“Encouraged to think more deeply by Gallatin’s outstanding faculty, I eventually realized that what drives me is a fascination with the way our society is organized and how it can be better (if we could even figure out what ‘better’ means).”

Peter Borenstein

Critical Theory and Pedagogy (BA ’05)

Loyola Law School, Los Angeles (JD ’14) President, Restorative Justice Fund, specializing in helping incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people protect their assets

I wasn’t really considering becoming a lawyer when I was at Gallatin. But now that I am, and largely making my own path, I think the freedom I had at Gallatin to dig into subjects that interested me and then synthesize them in a way that reflected who I was/am inspires my career path in a lot of different ways. For example, I think my entrepreneurial spirit can be traced back to choosing my classes and pinpointing my concentration at Gallatin.

Kathryn Randolph

Theories of Change (BA ’16) Georgetown University Law Center, Public Interest Law (JD expected ’21) Community Organizer, Clean Water Action

Favorite Courses at NYU

Between the courses I took in public policy (“How to Change the World”), those I took in law (“Administrative Law,” “Constitutional Law”) and the Gallatin Interdisciplinary Seminars (“Law and Legal Thought,” “The Politics of Culture and the Culture of Politics”), I was extremely well prepared to approach organizing with a unique lens, looking at the social, political, and policy factors that shaped the fights in which we participated for clean drinking water statewide.

Laura Schaefer

The Ethics of Human Responsibility (BA ’08)

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law; focus on immigration, human rights, and criminal defense (JD ’13) MSc ’10 in Human Rights at London School of Economics and Political Science Staff attorney and capital clemency counsel, Death Penalty Representation Project, American Bar Association

My concentration involved trying to unite two vastly different thinkers—Kant and Foucault—to find a “middle ground” for ethical and moral behavior that both acknowledged the fundamental unknowability of what is “right,” while still advancing an obligation to pursue a just and ethical life. My work as a death penalty defense attorney raises many of these same questions, forcing me on a daily basis to acknowledge the tremendous gray area between right and wrong and examine how limited our understanding of the relationship between justice and morality can be.

Favorite Course at NYU “Moral Diversity” with Steven Lukes

Nakeena (Covington) Taylor

Performance as Resistance (BA ’03)

NYU Steinhardt Media, Culture & Communication (MA ’08) Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (JD ’11) Counsel, Atrium

My Gallatin courses and experiences helped me hone my ability to think holistically about the interactions within and between various fields of study and industries. I’ve leveraged that ability as an asset in the development of my legal practice focused on media and technology and the business-focused advice I strive to provide to my clients.

Kiran Nasir Gore

Muslims, Identity, and Diasporic Community (BA ’06) Brooklyn Law School (JD ’09) Independent attorney focused on international disputes, and adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School

I focus my work on transnational litigation and international arbitration. My written and oral advocacy has been presented to judges and tribunals all over the world, and many of the disputes I have worked on arose in the context of politically loaded, and sometimes controversial, international events. At Gallatin I learned how to put ideas and events into context and also how to become an effective storyteller. These tools help me unpack the stories underlying legal disputes and effectively present facts and legal theories to lawyers and nonlawyers alike.

Favorite Course at NYU Jack Tchen’s course “Chinatown and the American Imagination” was a highlight during my Gallatin studies.

Anita Rojas Carroll Identity as Narrative in Latin America (BA ’14) Fordham University School of Law, concentration in information and privacy law and public interest (JD ’18) Shaub, Ahmuty, Citrin and Spratt LLP associate, appellate practice

Gallatin led the way in exploring my passion for human rights and social justice internationally, from being editor in chief of the Journal of Global Affairs, to participating in Americas Scholars, to the courses I took. Gallatin also shaped my desire to advocate for others by using my talents. I learned we all have some manner of contributing to our world and improving life for others. That is what I hope to do as an attorney. Gallatin planted the seeds I needed to become a thoughtful, critical, and disciplined attorney and law student.

Brittany Kate Melone

Law, Literature, and Performance (BA ’10)

NYU School of Law (JD ’15) General counsel, the New York Botanical Garden

As a generalist, I need to be able to work on several distinct legal matters every day. Just one day can include tax, employment, copyright, estates, and governance matters (to name a few). My studies at Gallatin allowed me to pursue my many different interests in a wide range of topics that has continued to help me with my career today.

Favorite Courses at NYU “I have to go with a top five; I cannot pick just one! ‘Comparative Literature’ with Gabriela Bastera; ‘Re-Imagining Latin America’ with Alejandro Velasco; ‘The Art of the Personal Essay’ with Sharon Friedman; ‘Topics in Cuba/Brazil’ with Tisch Open Arts. They all taught me about the importance of thinking critically, writing with both heart and reason, and opened my world to new ideas and modes of expression.”

Brad Powell Political Theory (BA ’10) Georgetown University Law Center, special interest in space law and policy (JD ’15)

Associate attorney, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Favorite Course at NYU

“Theorizing Politics” with George Shulman. This was the course that really opened up my mind to political thought. We covered authors all across the spectrum of intellectual history. George’s pedagogical approach and attention to situating everything into a larger context made the texts accessible, the class discussions lively, and the work genuinely enjoyable for me.

Reed Showalter

Politics Through Cultural and Economic Lenses (BA ’14) Columbia Law (JD expected ’20)

The core skills of studying and practicing law are easy to learn, but the ability to crossconnect a legal argument with a classical French philosopher or to see the echoes of a Greek tragedy in opposing counsel’s argument has made the law dynamic, human, and infinitely more accessible. The breadth of thought that Gallatin taught me to draw from unlocked entirely new levels of understanding in the field of law for me.

Favorite Course at NYU “Political Economy of Development” with Rosalind Fredericks

Amanda Levendowski Publishing, Copyright and Technology (BA ’11)

NYU School of Law, Intellectual Property and Technology (JD ’14)

In 2018, finishing a clinical teaching fellowship with NYU’s Technology Law and Policy Clinic; In 2019, joining the faculty at Georgetown Law as an associate professor of law and starting a new intellectual property clinic.

I wouldn’t be taking this next step in my career without Gallatin. I created an undergraduate concentration that closely matches my legal practice, current work, and future clinic with the support of Gallatin faculty.

Favorite Courses at NYU

My copyright courses. I had the opportunity to take two: one with Professor Gail Drakes at Gallatin, where I co-created the Redactive Poetry Project, and one with Professor Evan Hill-Ries at Steinhardt, where I learned how to edit Wikipedia. Both Professors Drakes and Hill-Ries served on my colloquium committee, and I’m so grateful for the enthusiasm and encouragement they offered me as a student and a future colleague.

The Politics of Resistance in Black Culture (MA ’99)

Harvard Law (JD ’01)

Associate professor, UCLA , World Arts and Culture/Dance Departments

Former visiting associate faculty at Gallatin and former director for public affairs of NYU’s Prison Education Program

Bain’s widely known theater productions, Lyrics From Lockdown and What It Iz, critique what race, prisons, poverty, and privilege mean in America today and the increasingly visible injustices in the US criminal system. Both were performed at NYU while Bain was a visiting faculty member at Gallatin.

Tyler Stypinski

Political Theory & Creative Writing (BA ’08)

University of Pennsylvania Law School (JD ’12)

The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania (MA ’12) Corporate counsel, Campari America

At my current job, it’s hard to say there’s a relationship beyond this basic truth: political philosophy, creative writing, and liquor have a long history of collaboration. After graduation, I spent six years at a law firm covering a wide range of transactions, the majority of which were based out of Latin America.

“The multidisciplinary approach that is at Gallatin’s core stuck with me in my graduate studies. While studying law, I also pursued a master’s degree in international studies, all with a goal of working in a legal capacity with a focus on Latin America ”

Nora Benavidez

Political Theory and Historiography (BA ’08)

Emory University School of Law, special focus areas: constitutional litigation (JD ’14)

Civil and human rights lawyer, private practice

My cases involve representing victims of police misconduct, unlawful First Amendment restrictions, voting rights infringements, and the right to counsel in criminal cases. I am also a co-founder of the Women’s March in Georgia and work regularly with community coalitions as well as city and state officials on legislative reforms. It’s all related to my time at Gallatin.

“My work is really about helping my clients live with dignity and agency. Gallatin encouraged me to believe in my own voice and the possibility of applying myself to this task in an independent, interdisciplinary way.”

Alexis Bramhall

Public Policy and Human Rights (BA ’14) Berkeley Law (JD expected ’20)

Favorite Courses at NYU

I can’t pick just one! I loved Bill Caspary’s “Creative Democracy” seminar because I learned about real, exciting examples of people actually putting their philosophical values into practice, and because Bill is an enthusiastic, deeply engaging professor.

“I also loved Sara Murphy’s ‘Guilty Subjects’ class because it exposed me to so much important writing that I still think about years later— Foucault, Nietzsche, and Hannah Arendt, to name a few favorites. It’s probably the class that most directly influenced my decision to go to law school and my view of the law’s role in society. Sara is also an excellent professor and pushes her students to think deeply about the material.”