In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we asked John Jay students an important question: What are you thankful for? As you read their thoughts, you might find yourself agreeing with their feelings of gratitude, or you might find yourself learning more about another person’s thankful experience. We’re thankful for everyone in the John Jay community. Thank you for sharing your stories with us. Thank you for your commitment to public service. And thank you for being fierce advocates for justice. Happy Thanksgiving.
Zoe Dela Cruz,
Class of 2019,
Major: Political Science
“I’m thankful… to be alive. I'm a veteran and I got out in 2014. I’m currently in the reserves. My first deployment was Afghanistan, and I'm lucky to be home to celebrate every Thanksgiving and every holiday. I appreciate being alive, not giving up, having great resources, an outlet, and support. I'm thankful for the military. I wouldn't be graduating from John Jay without the benefits of the armed forces.”
George Marmolejos,
Class of 2020,
Major: Criminal Justice Institutional Theory and Practices
“I'm thankful… for my mother, Carmen, and everything she's done for me and sacrificed just to get me to where I'm at right now. She has worked two jobs and given me everything that I need to succeed and become the strongest version of myself.”
Samantha Yurkow,
Class of 2019,
Masters: Public Administration, Inspection and Oversight; Advanced Certificate in Forensic Accounting
“I'm thankful… that I became a yoga teacher. I'm going to start teaching next month and I’m working out how I’m going to run my class. Everyone has been incredibly supportive. I'm really excited to start.”
Hao Chen,
Class of 2019,
Major: International Criminal Justice
“I’m thankful… for the professors at John Jay. They are so nice and help me a lot, both within the classroom and outside the classroom. My professors use their personal time to email me information and resources to help write papers and do my homework.”
Lizeth Barbosa,
Class of 2020,
Major: Forensic Psychology
“I'm thankful… for my friends, their support, their love, and their guidance. My friends support my studies and my mental health. They support me by accepting me and it’s hard finding acceptance these days. My friends have always appreciated me regardless of my flaws. They love me unconditionally.”
Richard Bravo,
Class of 2020,
Major: Political Science
“I'm thankful… for my job because I'm able to feed myself and pay for my expenses. I work for a junk removal company, and this job is helping to build my customer service skills. It's also helping to build my self-esteem which has allowed me to handle tasks that I normally would not have been able to do.”
Krysti Stern-Rodriguez,
Class of 2020,
Major: Law and Society
“I’m thankful… for my family, especially my daughter Myra Rose, who makes me strive even harder. My daughter is eight. She has autism and she motivates me to work hard to show that you can do anything.”
Michael Mars,
Class of 2020,
Major: Criminal Justice
“I'm thankful… for the ability to be able to return to John Jay soon and finish my education. I'm also thankful for the NYPD, that's what I want my career to be in. I have always wanted to be a cop and I feel like I'm right for the job.”
Cruz Ixcoy,
Class of 2020,
Major: Forensic Psychology
“I’m thankful… for my family that’s always supporting me, my academic achievement, and my job. I’m grateful for getting good grades, graduating soon, and hopefully becoming a criminal profiler.”
Christopher Spell,
Class of 2020,
Major: Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics
“I'm thankful… that I can come to such a great school, get an excellent education, and give myself the opportunity to succeed in the future.”
