________ Franklin square/elmont _______
HERALD Vintage finds, lasting impact
New leadership at the library
Market day brings lessons
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VOL. 28 NO. 29
JULY 16 - 22, 2026
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Two crowns and a dream turned reality from York College. Although she did not pursue a traditional journalism career, Elmont native Julissa Duch- Duchatellier remained involved atellier is representing both in media through an online Long Island and New York after television show and online earning the titles of Ms. Long r a d i o p ro g r a m . S h e l at e r Island US Nation and Ms. New entered the airline industry York US Nation, accomplish- before transitioning to cargo in ments she hopes will inspire 2017. Along the way, she started businesses in young women to graphic design and embrace their indisocial media conviduality and purtent creation, orgasue their dreams. nizes pop-up shopMs. New York US ping events across N a t i o n a n d M s. New York City and Long Island US Long Island, and Nation are titles recently launched a within the Miss US JULISSA music career with Nation pageant sys- DUCHATELLIER tem, which empha- US Nation title holder her friend, Akil Alexander, who persizes leadership, forms as Alexander community service and personal development. the Gift. Duchatellier assists AlexanThroughout their reign, titleholders represent their commu- der the Gift with public relanities at public events, support tions and promotion while also charitable initiatives and pro- creating her own original mote causes they have chosen music. She said her favorite song she has written is “Make to champion. Duchatellier, whose family Me Better,” a Haitian-inspired moved to Elmont in 1999, said track that also features Alexangrowing up in the community der the Gift. Her first pageant experience helped shape who she is today. She attended Gotham Avenue came in 2018 when she competSchool and Elmont Memorial ed in the Miss New York USA High School before earning a pageant. While she did not win, degree in broadcast journalism CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
By HAILEY FULMER
hfulmer@liherald.com
Hailey Fulmer/Herald
Franklin Square resident Joseph Fernandez in one of his two home studios, the creative spaces where he has produced many of his detailed illustrations over the years.
Fernandez draws a new path as a retired scientist By HAILEY FULMER hfulmer@liherald.com
Franklin Square resident Joseph Fernandez had worked for decades as a scientist studying life under a microscope before discovering that his next chapter would be spent bringing life to paper. The retired biomedical research scientist transformed his home into a personal gallery, where walls are lined with meticulously detailed graphite drawings inspired by everything from classic literature and rock music to history, science and family memories. Last month, many of those works were featured in an exhibit at the Franklin Square Public Library, where visitors had the chance to experience the depth and precision that have become hallmarks of his
artwork. Fernandez retired about seven years ago after spending more than 30 years conducting biomedical research at The Rockefeller University alongside Nobel Prize-winning scientists studying cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and cell biology. He began dabbling in art at 13. He said he never expected that his scientific career would influence his artistic one. “I’m a chemist,” Fernandez said, “so I always had to view chemical structures.” Years of visualizing three-dimensional molecular structures taught him how to translate depth and perspective onto a flat page, skills that now define his artwork. “You have to actually be able to draw something flat that you know how it’s orientCONTINUED ON PAGE 10
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figured it didn’t hurt to try again.