Tucked into the corner of a hectic semester was a nourishing and informing event put together in collaboration with the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC). It was a showcase and block party that brought together several distinguished, yet connected programs housed at the CUNY Graduate Center: the TLC, which prepares graduate students as college instructors; the Futures Initiative (FI), which focuses on equity and innovation in education; and the CUNY Peer Leaders program, which supports undergraduates across CUNY campuses.
The two hours were split evenly, with the TLC showcasing first some of their creative teaching approaches. Workshops such as “AI Prompting in Praxis” help students navigate emerging technologies, while sessions on Equity-Oriented Teaching Strategies and Freedom Dreaming and Abolitionist Pedagogies provide frameworks for creating more inclusive and transformative classroom environments. The topics also fostered interdisciplinary thinking through programs like Connecting the Dots: Mapping Environmental Justice and Imagining the Humanities at the GC, which encourage students to explore connections between their scholarship and broader social issues. Additionally, the Reading Corner provided a chill space for reflection and community building among peers. The lo-fi beats were a nice touch!
The second hour shifted to FI’s showcase in a casual, party-like environment. We were all in one room, including several CPLs who were there to represent for the FI’s undergraduate program. Some leaders brought their body maps—visual representations of their personal experiences and identities—as artifacts, and others were just ready to chat with anyone who came by. As people circulated the room, CPLs engaged other graduate students in conversation about their experiences from the school year. Some overheard highlights include: presenting at the CUNY TLC Conference in March, attending Broadway shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Buena Vista Social Club, as well as learning about immigration and rights. If it wasn’t obvious before, our CPLs are engaged, dynamic, and active learners! We are so proud to host the only undergraduate program at the GC.
FI also showcased our work with HASTAC, the world’s largest academic social network, offered insight on being a Research Assistant, and the talented Peter took headshots for anyone that was willing and ready. Hint: a lot of us were! Around this time, pizza arrived and the party was on in full force.
While many of us were exhausted from the week’s events, the showcase and block party was a meaningful way to spend a Friday afternoon. What made the event particularly special was its intergenerational and interdisciplinary nature—bringing together undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty across different fields of study. For the CPLs especially, it was an opportunity to mingle with graduate students, share their own experiences, and glimpse potential trajectories in graduate studies, creating connections that bridge the undergraduate and graduate experiences at CUNY.
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