Honoring His Legacy: Two RIT Student Leaders Receive the Isaac L. Jordan Sr. Endowed Scholarship | May 2023
Congratulations to RIT students Cindy Lam and Jessica Shelton, this year’s recipients of the Isaac L. Jordan Sr. Endowed Scholarship. It is named for Jordan, who served as RIT’s first chairperson for the (then) Commission for Promoting Pluralism during the 1990’s. He died in 1994, but his vision and legacy lives on through RIT students who also embrace diversity and inclusion. Pictured above with the students is Cassandra Jordan, wife of the late Mr. Jordan.
Upperclassman Scholarship
“I dream that one day, I will serve as a health provider.” Those words are from 4th-year Physician Assistant student Cindy Lam. Lam has been an active member of the Physician Assistant Student Association (PASA) during her time at RIT, taking part in the Big/Little Sibling program which connects new incoming students with upper-class students to help mentor them through the PA program. Lam is also a leader in the Global Health Association. She served as treasurer and collaborated with other campus groups to create programs to reach a diverse group of students, helping to raise awareness about the Global Health Association.
Lam is well on her way of achieving her dream of serving as a health provider. Her leadership skills and networking abilities already extend well beyond the RIT campus. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she gained professional experience working as a patient care technician at Unity Hospital. She says, “I had the privilege to learn from health professionals and care for people affected by serious illnesses to live out their lives meaningfully. From this, I was compelled to contribute to RIT research conducted by Dr. Jessica Pardee and Dr. Jennifer Schneider, where I analyzed how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted daycare centers in the Greater Rochester Area and participated in survey construction and data collection which was featured at the 2021 IEEE International Symposium on Technologies for Homeland Security”.
Lam says that experience helped her develop a deeper understanding of not only the “socioeconomic gradients of health”, but also the importance of humanistic care. A summer internship at John Hopkins University followed where she worked with an internationally recognized expert in infectious disease, Dr. Arturo Casadevall.
“Under his guidance, I investigated the role of polysaccharide disaggregation in C. neoformans fungal pathogenesis. By means of SEC-MALS, the results provided valuable insight into improving methods for developing vaccines to protect at risk individuals from cryptococcosis. Through collaborating with people from academia and industry, my teamwork ability, problem solving, and critical thinking skills were greatly enhanced. I was able to present my findings at the 2022 CARES Symposium and shared my experiences with fellow health sciences mentees at RIT which ultimately inspired them to engage in biomedical research in cardiology and oral pathology clinics.”
Lam says while it’s important to focus on academics, she stresses that students need to balance that with other activities as well. She enjoys learning about other people and sharing her Fuzhounese culture through storytelling.
“Since the beginning of my time at RIT, I have been a dedicated member of the Asian Culture Society and a participant of the Division of Diversity and Inclusion Summer Bridge Program, where I had the chance to enrich the initial experiences of new students. By acting as a mentor and providing guidance towards my fellow members, I have encouraged others to develop a passion for embracing themselves, meeting new people, learning new things, and enjoying new experiences.”
Freshman Scholarship
Jessica Shelton is a first-year student majoring in Management Information Systems. She hit the ground running when she first arrived on campus and she hasn’t stopped. She worked with Admissions during the final exam period in December, writing congratulatory cards to admitted AALANA early decision students, she is part of the student worker team at Saunders College of Business, offers her help when needed in the Multicultural Center for Academic Success (MCAS) office and she serves as a Brick City Ambassador. She says that role carries a lot of responsibility beyond providing prospective students basic information about RIT.
“As a Brick City Ambassador I am providing prospective students with the information they need to make the decision that will change the course of life. Giving tours, making calls to prospective students and reassuring students of their decision to attend RIT is something I am proud to say I am a part of, especially as one of the few black student ambassadors. I feel I have an added responsibility because whenever a prospective student of color comes for a tour and I am their tour guide or I have the opportunity to talk with them, I feel as if it is my duty to provide them with all the resources they can access whether it be MCAS or student-led clubs.”
She encourages prospective students to learn how to take their own special attributes to “build bridges” with others in and outside of their own cultures.
“I can say that a significant contribution I strive to make at RIT through the improvement of campus life, tradition, pride, and spirit, starts by providing prospective and current students, especially AALANA students, with the information they need about the resources available to them on campus, and direct them to spaces where they can freely be themselves.”
Shelton says as she was encouraging others, she wondered within herself if she could really make a difference on campus. Then she had an eye-opening experience.
“After attending the 2023 Women's Leadership Summit and listening to the workshop about imposter syndrome with Crystal Gallagher, I realized though I am a first-year student, that doesn’t discredit the impact I have on campus through the activities I am involved in.”
She says now she is more determined than ever.
“I believe as I spend more time on campus I will be able to truly see the impact of my work and I hope to contribute to the increase of students from AALANA backgrounds to expand the traditions and create more spaces for us.”