May 7, 2018 — Meet some members of the class of 2018 who were included in this year’sFor the Record, a student-led initiative that highlights everyday Marist students with inspiring and compelling stories.

 

Jonathan Blake
Ballston Spa, NY
Double major: Business Administration and Applied Mathematics

Jonathan Blake loves a challenge. He’s aiming to be a “46-er” by climbing all 46 Adirondack High Peaks and believes life’s demands are comparable to climbing a mountain. His ambition and persistence are evident in his passion for hiking and his achievements as an Eagle Scout—which he feels allowed him to excel in mathematics.

“A major reason I’ve been able to be successful in finance is because I understand the math behind it,” Blake said. “There’s always a mathematical justification at the core of any financial concept...it’s just a perfect marriage of my two interests.” After graduation, Blake will take these interests to Goldman Sachs, where he will be an analyst.

Read more here.

 

Isaiah Lamb
Cockeysville, MD
Major: Business Administration

Isaiah Lamb did not have a typical childhood. His family was homeless during his high school years, living out of their car and in a hotel. The spiral towards homelessness began when his father suffered a heart attack and could not return to his job as a maintenance man. “By him not being able to work and provide, my mom had to do it all. It was just overwhelming and things started happening. We were moving from house to house—still going to school and acting like nothing was happening.”

Despite the obstacles, he persevered, and received more than 20 offers to play Division I collegiate basketball. When an injury sidelined him, he lost many offers—but not Marist’s. Lamb credits the College’s basketball coaches for “keeping faith” in him.

After graduation Lamb hopes to continue playing basketball and to prepare to enter a nursing program.

Read more here.

 

Kulvinder Lotay
Kampala, Uganda
Major: Computer Science

Kulvinder Lotay has had a passion for technology since he was a young boy growing up in Uganda. He put that to excellent use at Marist, majoring in computer science with a minor in cybersecurity.

“His enthusiasm for how blockchain might change the world is infectious,” said Assistant Professor of Computer Science Casimer DeCusatis, who has worked with Lotay. “His interest in developing blockchain for alternative solar energy farms in Brooklyn goes far beyond what I would expect from a typical undergraduate student.”

“I don’t want to go into entrepreneurship just for making money. I want to go into entrepreneurship because I feel that technology entrepreneurship has the most potential to make an impact on any sort of problem you’re trying to solve globally,” said Lotay.

After graduation Lotay is launching a crypto hedge fund called Peregrine Block and will pursue a Master's in Computer Science at Cornell University.

Read more here.

 

Eliza Patterson
Storrs Mansfield, CT
Major: Political Science

Eliza Patterson has been serving as a role model for teenagers in the Hudson Valley through her internship and work experience with Mental Health America of Dutchess County, where she assisted teens and young adults with life skills training, socialization, and other activities to promote positive mental health. Patterson's studies in political science have honed her interest in public policy, specifically in the areas of health and education.

This summer,Patterson will be a public affairs and political intern at SKDKnickerbocker, a public affairs agency located in Albany, New York. Eventually she also hopes to pursue a Master's Degree in Public Administration or Public Policy.

Read more here.

 

Akosua Atuah
Accra, Ghana
Major: Criminal Justice

Akosua Atuah may be the only member of the class of 2018 who published a book while a student at Marist. Her memoir,Outburst: The Things We Don’t Say,is about the process of healing and coping. The idea for the book came about as Atuah navigated her grief about her mother, who passed away when she was just 13.“The book is me getting up and saying, 'I see other people that are struggling with the same things I have struggled with, so what can I do to make it better?'”she explained.

A criminal justice major, Atuah is committed to helping others. Among her future plans is a desire to collaborate with charities that work with mental illness. She is planning to attend BPP University Law School in London and then return home to Ghana.

Read more here.

 

Claudia Weiskittel
Walden, NY
Major: Biomedical Sciences

Claudia Weiskittel is a member of ROTC at Marist. She is passionate about ROTC, having participated in the program in high school. “My dad was in the Navy, and I have always respected him for that,” she said.

After Weiskittel’s first semester of her freshman year, she was offered a contract with the Army and a scholarship. This month, she will graduate and be commissioned into the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant in the Transportation Corps. She’ll begin her Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC) in July and will then be stationed in Fort Bragg, NC with the 82nd Airborne Division.

Read more here.