Lehman College Arts & Humanities graduates Emma Sahibjan, Chelsea Portorreal, Chanta Palmer, and Dominique Winters got together on campus to celebrate their admission into Ph.D. programs next year. 

Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, Teresita Levy, spoke about the remarkable achievements of these students saying, “There is nothing more rewarding than to see our students find their intellectual and creative power, cultivate it in their courses, and manifest that power for success. These students' admissions into full funded Ph.D. programs demonstrate the excellence of our Arts and Humanities programs and how seriously we take their development as scholars.” 

Emma Sahibjan, who will graduate with a B.A. in English this year, will be attending CUNY Graduate Center to pursue a Ph.D. in English. 

Chelsea Portorreal, who will also graduate with a B.A. in English this year, will work towards their Ph.D. in English at Rutgers University. 

Chanta Palmer, who received a B.A. in Africana Studies and Political Science in 2019 and an M.A. in Liberal Studies in 2021, is currently an adjunct lecturer at Lehman. Chanta will be attending University of Maryland, Baltimore County, to pursue a Ph.D. in Language, Literacy and Culture. 

Dominique Winters, an adjunct lecturer in Africana Studies at Lehman, will attend George Mason University to pursue a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies. 

When asked what led her to apply to George Mason’s Cultural Studies Ph.D. program, Dominique said, “It was at Lehman that I was offered the opportunity to teach as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Africana Studies. After teaching African American history courses I discovered the transformative power of educating marginalized people about their history. I realized that I could achieve my desired goal through education.”