Who We Are
Bethany Fernandez
Bethany Fernandez is a rising junior studying Computer Science at Fordham College at Rose Hill. She serves as one of the interviewers for the Bronx COVID-19 Oral History Project. Not only is she involved with this project, Bethany serves as a Commuter Assistant, a Faculty Advisor Student Assistant, and as the Marketing Coordinator for ASILI-The Black Student Alliance. With all of these endeavors, Bethany wishes to pursue a career in education.
Veronica Quiroga
As a lifetime resident of the Bronx and East Harlem, I can attest to two prominent facts. One, that the Bronx is home to the best music/food and two, that Harlem is by the Mecca of “NYC” culture (by a long shot). The beauty of belonging to two vastly distinct yet parallel worlds is knowing that I am “100% Uptown” as the old aunts and uncles from El Barrio would say. This often means bringing a sense of authenticity, grittiness, and vigor everywhere I go. My perspective is grounded in solidarity, community hospitality, advocacy, and wisdom passed down from several generations of black and Latinx folk. At the Bronx COVID-19 Project, I‘m able to bring my passion for engaging the communities that I am from together with the skills I’ve acquired as a research assistant and student at Fordham University. More importantly, it has become a direct way to amplify the stories and voices of my people.
In the future, I plan to continue working towards building a more just society, and hopefully educating others while I’m at it. My goal is to defy odds on all ends, therefore, after pursuing my PhD, I plan to found a non profit which focuses on reallocating resources for public housing developments, and particularly for youth.
Carlos Rico
Chicago born, Los Angeles raised, New York living, Carlos’ was raised by his parents, a Colombian immigrant and a social worker from central Illinois. With this foundation of perspective and perception, Carlos has been enmeshed with social justice and activism as long as he could remember. At Fordham, Carlos has co-authored a book with a former UN ambassador, served as a senator on student government, and as a student leader through the Pedro Arrupe Volunteer Council. With the Bronx African American History project, Carlos found his life long passions as a tangible reality, and is one of the project leaders on the Bronx COVID-19 Oral History project. Beyond Fordham, he will attend law school post-graduation in aspiration of a career rooted in the ideals of community engagement, activism, and opportunity for all.
Orest Sison
Alison Rini
Alison Rini is a rising senior studying English, Italian and Marketing. She has served on the executive board of the Model United Nations club as both Director of Communications and Programmer, acted as a chair for Fordham's high school level conference, and has competed at eight collegiate level Model UN conferences. Alison has also been a student research assistant for the Bronx African-American History project (BAAHP) and the Bronx Italian-American History Initiative (BIAHI) since her first semester, and was awarded an undergraduate research grant to create an interactive digital map for the two projects that showed places of intersection between the BAAHP and BIAHI. She has also been a New Student Orientation leader and captain for the past three years, and is an alumna of the Manresa Scholars program and West Wing ILC. Alison has interned at the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill, at a political consulting firm, and at two small tech startups. She began a semester abroad at Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy, and can speak Italian and Spanish fluently. She hopes to eventually combine her experience in media, research, languages, and tech, with her passion for social justice, diplomacy, and sustainability to serve the public good.
Grace Schmidt
Grace Schmidt is a rising junior pursuing a double major in Math and Economics and French at Fordham College at Rose Hill. A St. Louis, Missouri native, Grace was excited to move to the Bronx, explaining that the perseverance and resilience of the Bronx drew her to want to be a part of the community. Grace works as a student researcher for the Bronx African American History Project and as an interviewer for the Bronx COVID-19 Oral History Project. At Fordham, she is an active participant on the Mock-Trial team, hoping one day to pursue a career in law.
Doctor Mark Naison
Mark Naison is Professor of History and African American Studies at Fordham University and is the Founder and Director of the Bronx African American History Project, one of the largest community based oral history projects in the nation. The author of 7 books and more than 300 articles on African American History, Labor History, Urban History and the History of Popular Culture, Naison has combined teaching and scholarship at Fordham with community activism, and has founded several national organizations, including the Badass Teachers Association and the National Anti Racism Alliance. A co-founder of the Bronx Berlin Youth Exchange, Naison has published articles about Bronx music and Bronx culture in German, Spanish, Catalan, and Portuguese as well as English, and has given talks about these subjects in Germany, Spain and Italy. However, some think his greatest accomplishment was his appearance on the Dave Chappelle Show, which has been broadcast numerous times on Comedy Central.
