Giving to RIT News

Entrepreneur David Rodriguez ’92 (MBA) is doing his part to provide new clean energy solutions to the nearly 3.4 million residents of Puerto Rico who live in the constant presence of destructive tropical storms and hurricanes.

When he was in high school, Josh Geise, a fifth-year computing security student, was involved in a program that donated refurbished computers to local families. To continue his work in computer refurbishment and help increase computer accessibility in the Rochester area, Geise and friend Brian Martens ’18 started their own nonprofit organization that donates refurbished computers to people in need.

RIT alumni, students, faculty and staff are using their education and skills to make the world a better place. Here are eight of their stories.

Hamad Ghazle left war-torn Lebanon on a scholarship to Georgetown University in the 1980s. Within a year, he transferred to RIT to study ultrasound. He graduated with his BS in 1988 and returned in 1994 to lead the program. Since then, Ghazle has graduated hundreds of sonography students, helping them navigate the profession that means so much to him.

Launched in 2012, the RIT Venture Fund invests in early-stage, high-growth companies founded by students, faculty, staff, alumni and RIT Venture Creations client companies in fields that complement RIT’s core academic competencies. From block chain and clean-energy technology to telecommunications, manufacturing and game development, the Venture Fund looks to create industry diversity and a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Shortly after Marcy (Thurman) Brenner ’87 (new media marketing) arrived at RIT in the fall of 1984, she caught a glimpse of Chris Brenner ’87 (graphic design) skateboarding down the Quarter Mile. They later learned they lived on the same floor in Community Service Clubhouse. 

When Aaron Bailey and Tigran Vardanyan restyled a shoulder rest for their own violins, little did they know their simple design, made in Bailey’s home workshop, would be sought by musicians around the world.

Ali Vatansever ’08 MFA (film production) screened his film at The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the world’s largest publicly attended film festivals.

What do you get when you combine a love of music with a degree in film and animation and a strong background in internet technology? Gabriel Isserlis ’16 (film and animation) used the combination to create a company called Tutti.

Jackie Bergin ’16 (advertising and public relations) is parlaying a passion for storytelling into a career as an associate product marketing manager at Squarespace, a website builder and hosting company in New York City.

There is an RIT graduate behind the enhanced image quality of movies viewed with Dolby Laboratories’ technology.

RIT alumni and long-time supporters of FIRST Robotics, Dan Schneiderman and Joe Kessler, were recognized as the 2019 Regional as Volunteers of the Year during the FIRST Robotics Finger Lakes Regional competition March 15 and 16. Both were honored for their contributions to the organization and the regional competition, serving in a variety of roles from advocates and team mentors to field judging, set up and match coordination.