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March 26, 2009
THOMAS J. BUTLER, PLAINTIFF,v.OH N J E. POTTEORS, TPMASTER GENERAL L, U.S. POSTA SERVICE, DEFENDANT.
Pro se plaintiff Thomas J. Butler (hereinafter, "plaintiff" or "Butler") brings this action alleging unlawful retaliation based on past Equal Employment Opportunity ("EEO") and union activity, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. ("Title VII"), against his employer John E. Potter, Postmaster General, U.S. Postal Service (hereinafter, "defendant," "Potter" or "USPS"). Specifically, plaintiff asserts that he was verbally harassed and physically threatened by his supervisors, that the USPS served a proposed notice of termination upon him, and that the USPS failed to process his compensation claim, for the period of June 7, 2005 to November 10, 2005.
Defendant now moves for summary judgment. For the following reasons, defendant's motion for summary judgment is granted in its entirety. There is absolutely no evidence in this case from which a reasonable jury could find unlawful retaliation. First, there is no evidence of temporal proximity. In fact, well over two years elapsed between the final agency decision in March 2002 in Butler's last EEO proceeding and the first act of alleged retaliation in November 2004. Second, there is no other evidence that could even support an inference of retaliation. Plaintiff cites to no similarly situated individuals who suffered retaliation, or any disparate treatment aimed at plaintiff when compared to workers not engaged in protected activity. Plaintiff cites to no statements that suggest retaliation. In short, plaintiff points to no evidence to support his conclusory allegation. In fact, in his deposition, plaintiff acknowledged that, other than his belief of retaliation, he had no evidence to support his claim. Thus, after carefully considering the record in this case, the Court finds no evidence to support a prima facie case of retaliation. Moreover, even assuming arguendo that evidence supporting an inference of retaliation existed, plaintiff has failed to provide any evidence of a materially adverse action upon which a retaliation claim could be based. To the extent that the complaint could be construed as attempting to establish a retaliatory hostile work environment, the allegations of isolated and sporadic unprofessional conduct in the post office asserted by plaintiff are insufficiently pervasive or severe (even if true) to provide a basis for a reasonable factfinder to conclude that a hostile work environment existed. Accordingly, because of the absence of evidence to support plaintiff's conclusory allegation of retaliation, summary judgment in defendant's favor is warranted.
A. The Facts
The facts described below are taken from the parties' depositions, affidavits, exhibits and the defendant's Local Rule 56.1 ("Def.'s 56.1") statement of facts.*fn1 Upon consideration of a motion for summary judgment, the Court shall construe the facts in the light most favorable to plaintiff, the non-moving party. See Capobianco v. City of New York, 422 F.3d 47, 54-55 (2d Cir. 2005). Specifically, below is a summary of the evidence that is based on plaintiff's version of the relevant facts and events.
1. Incidents of Verbal Abuse and Physical Threat
Plaintiff has been employed by the USPS from December 1980 to present. (Def.'s 56.1 ¶ 3.) Since 1984, plaintiff has worked as a window clerk at the Inwood Post Office, where his duties include serving customers, in person and by telephone, selling stamps and money orders, and handling packages for special delivery. (Id. ¶ 4.) The Inwood Post Office is a satellite of the Far Rockaway Post Office, and it has only two or three employees, all of which are window clerks. Neither the Postmaster, George Buonocore, nor any supervisors, work at the Inwood branch. (Id. ¶ 5.) Postmaster Buonocore periodically assigned plaintiff to work temporarily at the Far Rockaway Post Office in 2004 and 2005. (Id. ¶ 6.) According to plaintiff, he was verbally abused on November 12, 15, 16 and 18, 2004 while working in the Far Rockaway Post Office. (Id.) Plaintiff also alleges that, while working at the Inwood Branch, he was verbally abused on April 11, 2004 and June 3 and 7, 2005. (Id.)
Specifically, on November 12, 2004, Postmaster Buonocore told plaintiff that he looked terrible, as plaintiff walked by the Postmaster's office. (Id. ¶ 7.) On November 15, 2004, Scott Klein ("Klein"), one of plaintiff's supervisors, approached plaintiff while he was on the phone and said "Gee, Tom, don't you look comfortable." (Id. ¶ 8.) The next incident took place on November 16, 2008, when plaintiff approached Klein to get his paychecks from the period of July 16 and August 13, 2004. Plaintiff heard that Klein had posted plaintiff's paychecks on a bulletin board, but when plaintiff approached Klein that day, he allegedly got the "run-around." (Butler Dep. at 49-50.) After several weeks of inquiring, plaintiff received his paychecks. (Id. at 51.) Klein explained that the paychecks were misplaced when Klein reorganized his office and that this had caused the delay. (Def.'s 56.1 ¶ 10.)
That same day – November 16, 2004 – plaintiff alleges that Klein "[s]aid to me did you speak to the union today. I said no, I haven't. He said, well, basically we need to sit down on Thursday with a meeting. We'll go over what is expected of me in so far as my job as a window clerk in the Inwood post office. If I'm a good boy I'll be allowed to go back to my job." (Butler Dep. at 54.) Plaintiff alleges that this took place in front of a mail handler, Grace Cobb, and was "humiliating." (Id.) According to plaintiff, Klein then said that he could "do whatever [he] want[s] with [Butler] and work him wherever [he] want[s]," as long as Butler is not scheduled to work weekends and his workday schedule begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends on 5:45 p.m. (Butler Dep. at 55).
Later that day, Grace Cobb told Butler that "Mr. Klein said to her that [Butler's] a special case and in saying that he proceeded to rotate his hand and his index finger near his temple." (Butler Dep. at 55-56.) Klein later told Butler, "Tom, you know I'm only joking." (Butler Dep. at 56-57.) Klein later told Cobb, in Butler's presence, "I would say that you're a bad influence on Tom [Butler], but then again Tom is good at standing around and doing nothing." (Butler Dep. at 58.)
On November 18, 2004, Postmaster Buonocore and Klein "had a discussion about Butler as if he were not there." (Butler Dep. 58-60.) They said that "they were supposed to have some meeting . . . about what is expected of Tom, what he has to do regarding filling out proper 3971 forms, because the people in Inwood miss Tom. They're tired of coming in the post office and leaving right away. They'd much rather wait in line so that they can read the bulletin boards." (Butler Dep. at 59-60.)
"At an unspecified date in March 2005, Postmaster Buoncore [sic] and Klein harassed Butler by keeping him in the Far Rockaway Post Office for two hours before sending him back to the Inwood branch. There was no verbal abuse during this incident." (Def.'s 56.1 ¶ 13.) On April 11, 2005, Val Flame, one of Butler's supervisors, verbally abused Butler for refusing to go to retraining at the Averne Post Office, because Butler considered that post office to be unsafe, as there had been a shooting and a robbery there. Flame called Butler a "scaredy cat" and told him "you've got no balls." (Butler Dep. at 63-64.) Flame told Butler, who reported back to the Inwood branch, instead of to the Averne Post Office, to shut down his drawer. (Butler Dep. at 62.) Klein, who had been called to the Inwood branch, told Butler "I will put you back on the couch in the swing room and pay you if I have to because you like to sit around watching television back there." (Butler Dep. at 63.)
On June 3, 2005, Klein told Butler to shut his window early and then watched Butler count the money and told him that he "could only count it twice." (Butler Dep. at 65.) On June 7, 2005, Klein came to the Inwood branch to count receipts. Klein told Butler that "if things go slow at the window that [Butler] should begin [his] close-out at four p.m." (Butler Dep. at 71.) Klein then asked Butler for an advance of the money in Butler's drawer so that there would be less to count later. (Id.) Butler told Klein that he did not have enough money to justify an advance. (Butler Dep. at 72.) Klein responded, "oh, you'll have one even if it's only 15 dollars." (Butler Dep. at 74.) In an effort to comply with Klein's request, Butler closed his window early and began counting the money in his drawer. (Butler Dep. at 75.) Butler had counted the money twice and counted $4,000. He was not satisfied with the count, however, because he was having difficulty concentrating amidst Klein's "constant barrage of attacks." (Butler Dep. at 75.) Klein let Butler count the money a third time, but partway through the count a customer came to his window. Klein then tried to take the money to finish counting it out of Butler's presence. (Butler Dep. at 77.) Butler refused to give Klein the advance until after he finished the transaction. Butler told Klein that he needed to watch Klein count the money, to which Klein responded "absolutely not. You gave me a printed slip showing the four thousand dollar amount. That means you verified the amount and I'm going with the money." (Butler Dep. at 78.) Butler refused to allow Klein to take the money.
Klein then made a telephone call to Butler's union representative, Larry Cahill, and, speaking loudly twenty feet from Butler, Klein told Cahill, "Larry, you better get down here in a hurry. I have a problem with Mr. Butler. My neck is beet red and hairs are standing on my head . . . . If you don't get down here fast, I'm going to kick him out the door and it won't be verbal this time." (Butler Dep. at 79-80.) Klein then returned to Butler's window and "berated him" by asking "are you nervous, Tom" because Butler was having trouble "putting the figures into the computer." (Butler Dep. at 81-82.) When Larry Cahill arrived, Klein began to tell him what happened "in his opinion." (Butler Dep. at 83-84.) Klein was making "sarcastic remarks about [Butler] as he [went] on." (Butler Dep. at 84.) Butler responded, "I don't like the tone of your voice. You're talking down to me again and I don't like it." (Butler Dep. at 84). When Cahill asked "what is the problem," Klein said: "I have no problem with Tom's work as a window clerk. . . . he knows his job and the customers like [him]." (Butler Dep. at 85.) The incident ended when Butler's drawer was counted and was short by a dollar and change. (Butler Dep. at 86.)
2. Notice of Termination
Due to the stress of the events of June 7, 2005, Butler did not return to work until November 2005. On June 8, 2005, Butler called a supervisor and said that he would not be back to work "until further notice." (Def.'s 56.1 ¶ 23.) "No supervisor approved Butler's absence, and he did not submit a form 3971, a document by which leave is sought and approved." (Id. ¶ 24.) "By notice dated October 17, 2005 (exhibit D), the USPS notified Butler that his employment would be terminated on November 21, 2005 because: (1) he had been continuously absent without approved leave since June 8, 2005; (2) he had failed to obey orders to provide acceptable medical documentation justifying his absence, as directed in notifications mailed to his residence on June 13, and July 1, 2005; and to report for a pre-disciplinary interview, as directed in a notification mailed to his residence on July 25, 2005." (Id. ¶ 25.) The notice was expunged as a result of a settlement agreement dated February 26, 2006. (Id. ¶ 26; Defendant's Motion to Dismiss, Ex. E.) "Butler never lost any time or pay, nor were there any adverse job consequences to him as a result of receiving the notice of termination." (Def.'s 56.1 ¶ 26; Butler Dep. at 133-34.)
In December 2007, Butler's union gave Klein a claim for workers' compensation, seeking benefits for the period June to November 2005. (Butler Dep. 105.) "Neither the USPS Flushing office, where it was directed for transmittal to the Department of Labor, nor the Department of Labor have received the claim (Butler Dep. 105-107). Butler has 'put the matter in the hands of the union' (Butler Dep. 107). Butler does not know where his claim went, nor does he know what efforts, if any, are being made to resolve locating his claim (Butler Dep. 108-110)." (Id. ¶ 27.)
3. Complaint of Retaliation
Butler contacted an EEO counselor on July 20, 2005, claiming that Postmaster Buonocore and Klein had retaliated against him in the form of verbal abuse beginning in late 2004 and the physical threat by Klein of June 7, 2005 because of his prior EEO and union activity. (Def.'s 56.1 ¶ 28.) On September 8, 2005, Butler filed an EEO complaint of discrimination, alleging retaliation because he was "a previous EEO witness and complainant [and because of his] status as a union official." (Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, Ex. G, at 1.) The retaliation consisted of Klein's physical threat on June 7, 2005 and verbal harassment by Klein and Postmaster Buonocore "as far back as Oct.-Nov. 2004." (Def.'s 56.1 ¶ 29.)
Prior to Butler's contact with an EEO counselor in July of 2005, Butler last contacted an EEO counselor on January 28, 2000 and last filed an EEO complaint on April 10, 2000. (Id. ¶ 30.) "In that proceeding, he claimed that due to retaliation because of past EEO activity he was charged as absent without leave in December 1999, was threatened with the elimination of his job and was issued a letter of warning in April 2000. Butler's claims were dismissed by a final agency decision dated March 8, 2002 (exhibit J). Butler did not take any subsequent action on his EEO complaint." (Id. ¶ 31.) Butler also attributed the alleged retaliation to his activity as an EEO witness. At his deposition, Butler "stated that he had last been a witness in 1982 or 1983, about 23 years before he filed the instant EEO complaint." (Id. ¶ 31 (citing Butler Dep. at 111-12).) Plaintiff does not know whether Klein or Postmaster Buonocore were aware of that activity at the time of the incidents described above. (Butler Dep. at 112.) Neither Klein, nor Postmaster Buonocore ever said anything to Butler that indicated to Butler that they were retaliating against him for past EEO activity. (Def.'s 56.1 ¶ 32.) At Butler's deposition, the following exchange occurred:
Q: I want to know what makes you believe that Mr. Buonocore retaliated against you because of any EEO activity?
A: Because I had been a previous complainant in EEO cases so he is fully aware of that. Apparently that doesn't sit too well when you file an EEO case. Consequently I become an enemy.
Q: Anything more than what you told me leads you to believe he retaliated against you because of EEO activity?
A: Just the fact that as a previous complainant he doesn't exactly appreciate me too much.
Q: Because you're a previous complainant?
A: That's correct.
Q: Anything other than what you've told me leads you to believe that he retaliated against you?
A: I can't think of anything. No, sir.
Q: What about Mr. Klein leads you to believe he retaliated against you because of prior EEO activities?
A: Same thing as Mr. Buonocore. Along the same lines.
(Butler Dep. at 97-99.) At his deposition, Butler said the following about retaliation based on his union activity:
Q: You also say that you believe they retaliated against you because of union activities.
A: Yes.
Q: What union activities?
A: I was a union official?
Q: Anything else?
A: Anything else?
Q: I'm trying to understand what you meant when you said that they were aware of your union activities and retaliated against you because of that?
A: My capacity as a union official was what I was alluding to.
Q: No specific actions, just by virtue of being a union official?
A: My allegiance to the union, yes.
Q: When you mention union activities, you mean that they knew that you were a union official and retaliated against you because of that?
(Butler Dep. at 93.)
B. Procedural History
Plaintiff submitted a letter to an EEO counselor at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") on July 20, 2005, and filed a complaint of discrimination with the EEOC on September 8, 2005, alleging that the defendant retaliated against him because of his prior EEO and union activity. On May 8, 2006, the EEOC issued a "Right to Sue" letter.
Plaintiff filed a complaint in this action on August 3, 2006, alleging employment discrimination under Title VII on the basis of retaliation. On February 13, 2007, defendant filed an answer to plaintiff's complaint. On April 14, 2008, defendant filed a motion for summary judgment. Plaintiff filed his opposition on October 6, 2008. Defendant filed a reply on June 30, 2008. On March 24, 2008, although defendant submitted substantial portions of plaintiff's deposition, the Court directed that defendant provide the entire transcript to the Court, which the Court received and reviewed. The Court has considered all of the parties' submissions.
The standards for summary judgment are well settled. Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56(c), a court may not grant a motion for summary judgment unless "the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c); Globecon Group, LLC v. Hartford Fire Ins. Co., 434 F.3d 165, 170 (2d Cir. 2006). The moving party bears the burden of showing that he or she is entitled to summary judgment. See Huminski v. Corsones, 396 F.3d 53, 69 (2d Cir. 2004). The court "is not to weigh the evidence but is instead required to view the evidence in the light most favorable to the party opposing summary judgment, to draw all reasonable inferences in favor of that party, and to eschew credibility assessments." Amnesty Am. v. Town of W. Hartford, 361 F.3d 113, 122 (2d Cir. 2004); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248 (1986) (summary judgment is unwarranted if "the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party").
Once the moving party has met its burden, the opposing party "must do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as to the material facts . . . . [T]he nonmoving party must come forward with specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial." Caldarola v. Calabrese, 298 F.3d 156, 160 (2d Cir. 2002) (quoting Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586-87 (1986)). As the Supreme Court stated in Anderson, "[i]f the evidence is merely colorable, or is not significantly probative, summary judgment may be granted." 477 U.S. at 249-50 (citations omitted). Indeed, "the mere existence of some alleged factual dispute between the parties" alone will not defeat a properly supported motion for summary judgment. Id. at 247-48. Thus, the nonmoving party may not rest upon mere conclusory allegations or denials, but must set forth "concrete particulars" showing that a trial is needed. R.G. Group, Inc. v. Horn & Hardart Co., 751 F.2d 69, 77 (2d Cir. 1984) (internal quotations omitted). Accordingly, it is insufficient for a party opposing summary judgment "merely to assert a conclusion without supplying supporting arguments or facts." BellSouth Telecomms., Inc. v. W.R. Grace & Co., 77 F.3d 603, 615 (2d Cir. 1996) (internal quotations omitted). The Second Circuit has provided additional guidance regarding summary judgment motions in discrimination cases:
We have sometimes noted that an extra measure of caution is merited in affirming summary judgment in a discrimination action because direct evidence of discriminatory intent is rare and such intent often must be inferred from circumstantial evidence found in affidavits and depositions. See, e.g., Gallo v. Prudential Residential Servs., 22 F.3d 1219, 1224 (2d Cir. 1994). Nonetheless, "summary judgment remains available for the dismissal of discrimination claims in cases lacking genuine issues of material fact." McLee v. Chrysler Corp., 109 F.3d 130, 135 (2d Cir. 1997); see also Abdu-Brisson v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., 239 F.3d 456, 466 (2d Cir. 2001) ("It is now beyond cavil that summary judgment may be appropriate even in the fact-intensive context of discrimination cases.").
Schiano v. Quality Payroll Sys., 445 F.3d 597, 603 (2d Cir. 2006) (quoting Holtz v. Rockefeller & Co., 258 F.3d 62, 69 (2d Cir. 2001)).
Moreover, where the plaintiff is proceeding pro se, the Court must "construe the complaint broadly, and interpret it to raise the strongest arguments that it suggests." Weixel v. Bd. of Educ. of the City of N.Y., 287 F.3d 138, 145-46 (2d Cir. 2002) (quoting Cruz v. Gomez, 202 F.3d 593, 597 (2d Cir. 2000)). Though a pro se litigant's pleadings are afforded wide latitude, a pro se party's "bald assertion," completely unsupported by evidence, is not sufficient to defeat a motion for summary judgment. Carey v. Crescenzi, 923 F.2d 18, 21 (2d Cir. 1991). Instead, as noted above, to overcome a motion for summary judgment, the non-moving party "must bring forward some affirmative indication that his version of relevant events is not fanciful." Podell v. Citicorp Diners Club, Inc., 112 F.3d 98, 101 (2d Cir. 1997) (internal citations omitted); see also Morris v. Ales Group USA, Inc., No. 04-CV-8239 (PAC), 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 47674, at *10 (S.D.N.Y. June 28, 2007) ("[T]o survive summary judgment, plaintiff's facts 'must be material and of a substantial nature, not fanciful, frivolous, gauzy, spurious, irrelevant, gossamer inferences, conjectural, speculative, nor merely suspicions.'") (quoting Contemporary Mission, Inc. v. U.S. Postal Serv., 648 F.2d 97, 107 n.14 (2d Cir. 1981)).
Plaintiff brought this action against defendant for allegedly retaliating against him because of past EEO and union activity in violation of Title VII. Under Title VII, it is unlawful for employers to discriminate against an employee because the employee "has made a charge, testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in an investigation, proceeding, or hearing under this subchapter." 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-3(a). For the reasons set forth below, plaintiff's retaliation claim cannot survive summary judgment.
A. Timeliness Issue
As a threshold matter, defendant argues that, because plaintiff did not contact an EEO officer to complain of the alleged retaliation until July 20, 2005, any claims of discrimination which occurred prior to June 5, 2005, 45 days before he filed that complaint with the EEO counselor, are time barred. As set forth below, the Court agrees.
Title VII requires that an employment discrimination claimant pursue administrative procedures before commencing a lawsuit and imposes a deadline for the initiation of such procedures. See generally 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-16; Briones v. Runyon, 101 F.3d 287, 289-90 (2d Cir. 1996). Under EEOC regulations, an aggrieved agency employee who believes he has been discriminated against must consult with a counselor at the agency's EEO office within 45 days of the alleged discriminatory act. See 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-16; 29 C.F.R. § 1614.105(a)(1) (2007); Fitzgerald v. Henderson, 251 F.3d 345, 358-59 (2d Cir. 2001); Pauling v. Sec'y of the Dep't of Interior, 160 F.3d 133, 133-34 (2d Cir. 1998). The 45-day period serves as a statute of limitations; thus, as a general rule, claims alleging conduct that occurred more than 45 days prior to the employee's initiation of administrative review are time-barred. See, e.g., Zipes v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 455 U.S. 385, 393 (1982); Downey v. Runyon, 160 F.3d 139, 145-46 (2d Cir. 1998).
However, the 45-day rule is treated as a "limitations periods subject to equitable tolling." Johnson v. Al Tech Specialties Steel Corp., 731 F.2d 143, 146 (2d Cir. 1984). Specifically, in Boos v. Runyon, 201 F.3d 178 (2d. Cir. 2000), the Second Circuit Court of Appeals held that the 45-day requirement is subject to equitable tolling. Boos, 201 F.3d at 184; accord Briones, 101 F.3d at 290. The 45-day requirement may be tolled:
[w]hen the individual shows that he or she was not notified of the time limits and was not otherwise aware of them, that he or she did not know and reasonably should not have been known that the discriminatory matter or personnel action occurred, that despite due diligence he or she w a s p r e v e n t e d b y circumstances beyond his or her control from contacting the counselor within the time limits, or for other reasons considered sufficient by the agency or the Commission.
29 C.F.R. § 1614.105(a)(2).
"Tolling of the time limit is granted when 'rare and exceptional circumstances' prevented a plaintiff from filing on time." Williams v. Potter, No. 06 Civ. 8258 (LAP), 2007 WL 2375818, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 14, 2007) (quoting Smith v. McGinnis, 208 F.3d 13, 17 (2d Cir. 2000)). When determining whether equitable tolling is applicable, a district court must consider "whether the person seeking application of the equitable tolling doctrine (1) has 'acted with reasonable diligence during the time period she seeks to have tolled,' and (2) has proved that the circumstances are so extraordinary that the doctrine should apply.'" Zerilli-Edelglass v. N.Y. City Transit Auth., 333 F.3d 74, 80-81 (2d Cir. 2003) (quoting Chapman v. ChoiceCare Long Island Term Disability Plan, 288 F.3d 506, 512 (2d Cir. 2002)); see also South v. Saab Cars USA, Inc., 28 F.3d 9, 12 (2d Cir. 1994) (noting that the principles of equitable tolling do not extend to what "is at best a garden variety claim of excusable neglect") (citation and quotation marks omitted). The doctrine is "highly case-specific," and the "burden of demonstrating the appropriateness of equitable tolling . . . lies with the plaintiff." Boos, 201 F.3d at 184-85; see also Smith v. Chase Manhattan Bank, No. 97 Civ. 4507 (LMM), 1998 WL 642930, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 18, 1998) ("[A] court must consider the equities of the excuse offered to explain the delay and may extend the limitations period if warranted.").
Plaintiff does not dispute the facts set forth by defendant related to the timing issue in terms of his failure to comply with the 45-day rule with respect to incidents prior to June 5, 2005. Moreover, plaintiff has failed to offer any basis for equitable estoppel and the record indicates no circumstances which prevented plaintiff from asserting his rights.
However, in an abundance of caution, the Court has considered all of plaintiff's allegations – both before and after June 5, 2005 – in assessing whether his retaliation claim should survive summary judgment. In particular, it appears that plaintiff is attempting to argue that all of his claims are timely because, they are part of a retaliatory hostile work environment and, thus, constitute a "continuing violation." (Plaintiff's Opposition, at 2 (alleging that the "unprofessional remarks made by Mr. Klein and Mr. Buonocore" prior to June 2005 "are the groundwork (pattern of behavior) leading up to the physical threat by Mr. Klein" that took place on June 7, 2005 and support his claim of "a retaliatory hostile work environment").)*fn2 Thus, the alleged incidents that defendant argues are time-barred – namely, the alleged verbal harassment by Klein and Buonocore occurring prior to June 5, 2005 – all relate to plaintiff's claim (as liberally construed) that he suffered from a retaliatory hostile work environment both before and after that date. Therefore, for purposes of considering plaintiff's retaliatory hostile work environment claim, the pre-June 5, 2005 incidents will be fully considered by the Court.
B. Lack of Evidence to Support Inference of Retaliation
The Court evaluates a Title VII retaliation claim under the three-step, burden-shifting framework used for an adverse employment claim, as established by McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973). First, a plaintiff must establish a prima facie case of retaliation by demonstrating that "(1) the employee was engaged in protected activity; (2) the employer was aware of that activity; (3) the employee suffered an adverse employment action; and (4) there was a causal connection between the protected activity and the adverse employment action." Gregory v. Daly, 243 F.3d 687, 700 (2d Cir. 2001) (quoting Reed v. A. W. Lawrence & Co., 95 F.3d 1170, 1178 (2d Cir. 1996)). In determining whether a plaintiff has satisfied this initial burden, the court's role in evaluating a summary judgment request is "to determine only whether proffered admissible evidence would be sufficient to permit a rational finder of fact to infer a retaliatory motive." Jute v. Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., 420 F.3d 166, 173 (2d Cir. 2005).
The burden then shifts to the defendant to articulate a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for the employment action and if he carries that burden, it shifts back to plaintiff to demonstrate by competent evidence that the reasons proffered by defendant were pretext for retaliatory animus based upon the protected Title VII activity. See Sista v. CDC Ixis North America, Inc., 445 F.3d 161, 169 (2d Cir. 2006).
As an initial matter, defendant argues that plaintiff's claims based on retaliation because of plaintiff's union activity are not actionable under Title VII because any such union activity is not protected under Title VII. The Court agrees. Title VII does not provide redress for employees alleging discrimination based on their participation in union activities. Mitchell v. Superior Court, 04 Civ. 3301, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 41464, at *48-*49 (N.D. Cal. June 7, 2007) ("[plaintiff's] claims of retaliation based on union activity are not within the purview of Title VII, whose scope is specifically delineated in the statute and is the subject of an extensive jurisprudence"); see also Perez v. Int'l Brotherhood of Teamsters, AFL-CIO, 00 Civ. 1983 (LAP) (JCF), 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 16109, at *47 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 16, 2004) ("[F]iling an internal union challenge based on violations of national and local union constitutions is not a 'protected activity' within the meaning of the Title VII statute. Therefore, as a matter of law, such a complaint cannot form the basis of a Title VII retaliation claim."); Brown v. City of Cleveland, 05 Civ. 2974, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20826, at *25 (N.D. Ohio Mar. 22, 2007) (filing of claim alleging racial and gender discrimination constituted "protected activity" under Title VII, while claim alleging discrimination based on union activity did not); Carrion v. Local 32B-32J Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, No. 03 Civ. 1896 (THK), 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4417, at *53-*54 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 21, 2005) (plaintiff's participation in union activity not a "protected activity"); Drake v. Delta Air Lines, 94 Civ. 5944, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 22753, at *5-*6 (E.D.N.Y. July 10, 1997) (stating that "[plaintiff] cannot bring a claim for relief under Title VII since that legislation does not prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of anti-union sentiment"); Lee v. U.S. Postal Serv., 882 F. Supp. 589, 597 (E.D. Tex. 1995) ("Title VII does not protect union activities; such activities are covered by other provisions of federal law."); see also Cobb v. Potter, No. 1:04-CV-128, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 63118 (W.D.N.C. Aug. 22, 2006); Stotler v. Potter, 8:04-CV-409, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19801 (D. Neb. Apr. 10, 2006); Ramirez v. Gonzales, No. 2:03-CV-372, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9473 (S.D. Tex. Feb. 23, 2006); Onofrei v. Gen. Sec. Servs. Corp., No.04-CV-5560, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 32716 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 5, 2005). Therefore, the Court will focus on plaintiff's claim of retaliation because of his prior EEO activity, which defendant does not dispute is protected activity.
Defendant argues that plaintiff cannot make out a prima facie case of retaliation here because he cannot show a causal connection between the protected activity and the alleged retaliation. In support of this position, defendant contends that plaintiff cannot establish a causal connection between the protected activity and the alleged retaliation because there is no evidence of temporal proximity, disparate treatment, or retaliatory animus. Specifically, defendant argues that: (1) "the interval of approximately two and a half years (measured from the final agency decision of March 8, 2002 in Butler's last EEO proceeding to the first act of retaliation alleged in this case, in November 2004,[)] is simply too long under any standard to permit a finding of causality," (Defendant's Memorandum of Law, at 8), (2) "Butler has not identified any similarly situated employees who engaged in similar conduct and allegedly suffered retaliation," (id.), and (3) "[a]t his deposition, Butler testified that neither Klein nor Postmaster Buonocore had ever said anything to him that made him believe that they were retaliating against him for past EEO activity." (Id. at 9.) The Court agrees with defendant's position. Here, as set forth below, plaintiff has produced no evidence to support a causal connection between his EEO activity in 2002 and any adverse actions in 2004 or beyond that date.
In Title VII retaliation claims, a plaintiff may establish a causal connection between the protected activity and the adverse employment action either through direct evidence of retaliatory animus, or by circumstantial evidence. See Sumner v. U.S. Postal Serv., 899 F.2d 203, 209 (2d Cir. 1990). Where there is no direct evidence of such animus, proof of causation may be shown indirectly, by demonstrating that the protected activity was followed closely by a retaliatory action. Cifra v. Gen. Elec. Co., 252 F.3d 205, 217 (2d Cir. 2001) ("[T]he causal connection needed for proof of a retaliation claim 'can be established indirectly by showing that the protected activity was closely followed in time by the adverse action.'") (quoting Reed v. A.W. Lawrence & Co., 95 F.3d 1170, 1178 (2d Cir. 1996) (internal citation omitted)); Gordon v. N.Y. City Bd. of Educ., 232 F.3d 111, 117 (2d Cir. 2000).
It is undisputed that plaintiff cannot show direct evidence of retaliatory animus.*fn3 Thus, the Court will examine whether there is any indirect evidence which, taken together, could support a reasonable inference of retaliation. The answer, in the instant case, is no. Plaintiff has failed to identify any indirect evidence of retaliation. Although plaintiff alleges certain mean and/or unprofessional comments by supervisors, none could support an inference of retaliation. Similarly, plaintiff does not offer any evidence that he was treated differently than similarly situated coworkers who did not engage in protected activity. Nor does plaintiff allege that he is aware of any incidents of retaliation against other employees.*fn4
The Court recognizes that, where there is no direct evidence of retaliatory animus or a showing of disparate treatment or evidence, proof of causation may be shown indirectly, by demonstrating that the protected activity was followed closely by a retaliatory action. The temporal proximity between the final agency decision of plaintiff's prior EEO complaint in March 2002 and the first allegedly discriminatory incident in November of 2004, however, is much too attenuated to establish a causal connection between the protected activity and the adverse action. See, e.g., Clark County School Dist. v. Breeden, 532 U.S. 268, 274 (2001) ("The cases that accept mere temporal proximity between an employer's knowledge of protected activity and an adverse employment action as sufficient evidence of causality to establish a prima facie case uniformly hold that the temporal proximity must be 'very close.' [Alleged retaliatory a]ction taken (as here) 20 months later suggests, by itself, no causality at all.") (citations omitted); see also Ruhling v. Tribune Co., No. 04 Civ. 2430 (ARL), 2007 WL 28283, at *23 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 3, 2007) (finding that "a passage of two months between the protected activity and the adverse employment action seems to be the dividing line"); Cunningham v. Consol. Edison Inc, No. 03-CV-3522 (CPS), 2006 WL 842914, at *19 (E.D.N.Y. Mar. 28, 2006) (same); Hussein v. Hotel Employees & Rest. Union, Local 6, No. 98 Civ. 9017 (SAS), 2002 WL 10441 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 3, 2002) (finding that the passage of more than two months defeats any retaliatory nexus); Ponticelli v. Zurich Amer. Ins. Group, 16 F. Supp. 2d 414, 436 (S.D.N.Y. 1998) (finding that a "two-anda- half month[]" interval "is hardly the close proximity of time . . . for allowing a plaintiff to establish the 'causal connection' element") (citation omitted); see also Hollander v. Amer. Cyanamid Co., 895 F.2d 80, 85-86 (2d Cir. 1990) (three and a half months insufficient); Yarde, 360 F. Supp. 2d at 562 ("Three months is on the outer edge of what courts in this circuit recognize as sufficiently proximate to admit of an inference of causation."); Ashok v. Barnhart, 289 F. Supp. 2d 305, 315 (E.D.N.Y 2003) ("[A] period of only two months between a protected activity and an adverse action may permit a reasonable jury to find the acts to be temporally proximate and causally related"); Nicastro v. Runyon, 60 F. Supp. 2d 181, 185 (S.D.N.Y. 1999) ("Claims of retaliation are routinely dismissed when as few as three months elapse between the protected EEO activity and the alleged act of retaliation.").
The absence of any evidence from which a reasonable jury could conclude that there was retaliation in this case is reflected in plaintiff's deposition and his opposition to the defendant's motion. In his deposition, plaintiff was unable to articulate any proof to support a conclusion that he was the victim of retaliation, other than his personal belief. Moreover, in his opposition papers, plaintiff cites to no evidence, but simply alleges he can show retaliation because his supervisor Klein "was unceremoniously defeated i[n] his attempt at becoming President of said local A.P.W.U. Mr. Klein used the information gained during his time as a union representative to attempt to deny me my rights as a USPS window clerk/sales associate . . . ." (Plaintiff's Opposition, at 1-2.) These issues regarding his supervisor's union activity do not provide any basis for a retaliation claim under Title VII. Thus, it is clear from the Court's independent review of plaintiff's deposition and his three-page opposition that he has no evidence to permit a reasonable jury to infer a retaliatory motive.
In sum, plaintiff offers nothing more than conclusory allegations in his complaint and in his deposition, with no basis in fact, that he was retaliated against and, thus, there is no evidence from which to create a genuine issue of material fact for trial. See Winkfield v. City of New York, No. 97-CV-2183 (HB), 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19193, at *14 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 14, 1999) ("[P]laintiff has failed to come forward with any evidence whatsoever and relies on conclusory allegations and his own belief alone. That's just not enough.") (citing Holt v. KMI-Continental, 95 F.3d 123, 130 (2d Cir. 1996) (summary judgment properly granted on her retaliation claim where plaintiff failed to put forth any evidence other than her own personal belief that defendant's articulated nondiscriminatory reason was pretextual)); see also Cobb v. Pozzi, 363 F.3d 89, 108 (2d Cir. 2003) (holding that a first amendment retaliation claim cannot be based on "conclusory assertions of retaliatory motive"; rather, "[plaintiff] must produce 'some tangible proof to demonstrate that [his] version of what occurred was not imaginary'") (quoting Morris v. Lindau, 196 F.3d 102, 111 (2d Cir. 1999)); D'Amico v. City of New York, 132 F.3d 145, 149 (2d Cir. 1998) (holding that a party opposing summary judgment "may not rely on mere conclusory allegations nor speculation, but instead must offer some hard evidence showing that its version of the events is not wholly fanciful"); Carey, 923 F.2d at 21 (holding that "bald assertion[s], completely unsupported by evidence" cannot defeat summary judgment).
Accordingly, even viewing the evidence most favorably to plaintiff, he cannot make out a prima facie case of retaliatory discrimination because there is no evidence to support a causal connection between the protected activity and the alleged retaliation, and summary judgment in defendant's favor is warranted.*fn5
C. Lack of Adverse Action or Hostile Work Environment
Even assuming arguendo there was sufficient evidence of causation to survive summary judgment, the Court concludes in the alternative that plaintiff has provided insufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to conclude that there was a hostile work environment or that any materially adverse action was taken against him.
The Supreme Court recently stated in Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Ry. v. White that an "adverse employment action" is one which "a reasonable employee would have found [to be] materially adverse" and which would "dissuade[] a reasonable worker from making or supporting a charge of discrimination." 548 U.S. 53, 60 (2006).
As a threshold matter, the proposed notice of termination, dated October 17, 2005, is not a materially adverse action because it is undisputed that it was expunged and there was no adverse consequence to Butler, such as the loss of payment or time.*fn6 See Cheshire v. Paulson, No. 04-CV-3884 (FB) (LB), 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42633, at *15 (E.D.N.Y. June 12, 2007) ("Nor did the IRS's proposed suspension and termination constitute adverse employment actions, since both were ultimately rescinded."); Varela v. Potter, No. 3:02-CV-334-S, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14428, at *28 (W.D. Ky. Mar. 29, 2006) ("[Plaintiff] has not satisfied [the adverse employment action] element because her proposed removal never materialized."); Stamos v. Potter, No. 03-6107-HO, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 19378, at *14 (D. Or. Sept. 21, 2004) ("The proposed termination was never acted upon and thus was not an adverse employment action."); Hardy v. Potter, 191 F. Supp. 2d 873, 883 (E.D. Mich. 2002) (same).
Moreover, although the Court has liberally construed plaintiff's papers to allege a hostile work environment claim, any such claim cannot survive summary judgment. In connection with that issue, defendants contend that plaintiff cannot make out a retaliatory hostile work environment claim because plaintiff has pointed to no facts which show retaliatory animus and because "Butler alleges discrete incidents of petty slights and incivility which fall far short of the standard of a workplace which is hostile because 'permeated with discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of the victim's employment and create an abusive working environment.'" (Defendant's Memorandum of Law, at 13 (quoting Harris v. Forklift Sys. Inc., 510 U.S. 17, 21 (1993)) (emphasis added by defendant).) As set forth below, the Court agrees with the defendant.
In order to establish a retaliatory hostile work environment, a plaintiff must satisfy the same standard that is applied generally to hostile work environment claims regarding the severity of the alleged conduct. See, e.g., Rasco v. BT Radianz, No. 05 Civ. 7147 (BSJ), 2009 WL 690986, at *15 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 17, 2009) ("To establish that a retaliatory hostile work environment constitutes a materially adverse change that might dissuade a reasonable worker from reporting activity prohibited by Title VII, a plaintiff must satisfy the same standard that governs hostile workplace claims by showing that the incidents of harassment following complaints were sufficiently continuous and concerted to have altered the conditions of his employment."); Faison v. Leonard, No. 08 Civ. 2192 (PKC), 2009 WL 636724, at *4 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 9, 2009) (same); McWhite v. New York City Housing Authority, No. CV 0991 (NG) (LB), 2008 WL 1699446, at *13 (E.D.N.Y. Apr. 10, 2008); see also Noviello v. City of Boston, 398 F.3d 76, 92 (1st Cir. 2005) ("An allegedly retaliatory act must rise to some level of substantiality before it can be actionable. The hostile work environment doctrine, as developed in the antidiscrimination jurisprudence of Title VII, embodies that prerequisite.") (citation omitted); Rigau v. Pfizer Caribbean Corp., 525 F. Supp. 2d 272, 287 (D.P.R. 2007) (same).
Thus, a plaintiff must demonstrate that his workplace is "permeated with 'discriminatory intimidation, ridicule, and insult . . . that is sufficiently severe or pervasive to alter the conditions of the victim's employment and create an abusive working environment.'" Howley v. Town of Stratford, 217 F.3d 141, 153 (2d Cir. 2000) (quoting Harris v. Forklift Sys., Inc., 510 U.S. 17, 21 (1993), abrogated on other grounds by Burlington Indus., Inc. v. Ellerth, 524 U.S. 742, 753 (1998)); see Feingold v. New York, 366 F.3d 138, 150 (2d Cir. 2004); see also Burlington N. and Santa Fe Ry. Co. v. White, 548 U.S. 53 (2006); Terry v. Ashcroft, 336 F.3d 128, 147 (2d Cir. 2003); Richardson v. N.Y. Dep't of Corr. Servs., 180 F.3d 426, 437 (2d Cir. 1999). "Isolated instances of harassment ordinarily do not rise to this level." Cruz v. Coach Stores, Inc., 202 F.3d 560, 570 (2d Cir. 2000).
The Second Circuit has held that there is no "magic" threshold number of harassing incidents that are required, as a matter of law, to demonstrate a hostile work environment. See Richardson, 180 F.3d at 439. Rather, a hostile work environment is determined by "all the circumstances," including "the frequency of the discriminatory conduct; its severity; whether it is physically threatening or humiliating, or a mere offensive utterance; and whether it unreasonably interferes with an employee's work performance." Howley, 217 F.3d at 154 (citing Harris, 510 U.S. at 23); see also Perry v. Ethan Allen, Inc., 115 F.3d 143, 149 (2d Cir. 1997) (quoting Carrero v. New York City Housing Authority, 890 F.2d 569, 577 (2d Cir. 1989)).
Here, plaintiff has made allegations that he was subject to several incidents during the period from November 2004 to June 2005, in which his supervisors were rude or verbally abusive to him. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that his supervisors made disparaging comments on his appearance and job performance, once withheld his paycheck for several weeks, threatened violence against plaintiff on one occasion, and after plaintiff failed to come to work for several months, issued a notice of termination to plaintiff that was later voided. Such incidents were not so severe and pervasive that a reasonable jury could find his work environment to be sufficiently hostile or abusive to constitute a retaliatory hostile work environment. See, e.g., Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Ry. Co. v. White, 548 U.S. 53, 68 (2006) ("Title VII, we have said, does not set forth a general civility code for the American workplace.") (citations and quotations omitted); Faragher v. City of Boca Raton, 524 U.S. 775, 788 (1998) ("[S]imple teasing, offhand comments, and isolated incidents (unless extremely serious) will not amount to" a hostile work environment. Rather, "conduct must be extreme to amount to a change in the terms and conditions of employment."); Petrosino v. Bell Atl., 385 F.3d 210, 223 (2d Cir. 2004) (noting that "[i]solated incidents of offensive conduct (unless extremely serious) will not support a claim of discriminatory harassment") (citation omitted); Alfano v. Costello, 294 F.3d 365, 380 (2d Cir. 2002) (finding the alleged conduct non-actionable when the incidents were "too few, too separate in time, and too mild . . . to create an abusive working environment"); Marrero v. Goya of Puerto Rico, Inc., 304 F.3d 7, 27 (1st Cir. 2002) ("Title VII does not guarantee[] a working environment free from stress. Something more egregious than rudeness and mockery is needed before we can permit a finding of a retaliatory hostile work environment based on intermittent contact over a three-day period.") (quotations and citations omitted); Trinidad v. N.Y. City Dep't of Corr., 423 F. Supp. 2d 151, 167-68 (S.D.N.Y. 2006) (finding isolated incidents of defendant calling plaintiff a "bitch" and making sexual remarks over the course of her five and one-half years of employment insufficient to support a claim of discriminatory harassment); Pagan v. N.Y.S. Division of Parole, No. 98 Civ. 5840 (FM), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 20752, 2003 WL 22723013, at *6 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 18, 2003) (finding that two racially derogatory remarks by supervisor directly to plaintiff did "not amount to the sort of 'extremely serious' behavior required to give rise to a hostile work environment under Title VII") (citations omitted); Upshur v. Dam, No. 00 Civ. 2061 (DC), 2003 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 628, 2003 WL 135819, at *7-*8 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 17, 2003) (finding one week of "patronizing and racist" comments by supervisor insufficient); Dorrilus v. St. Rose's Home, 234 F. Supp. 2d 326, 335 (S.D.N.Y. 2002) (finding that supervisor's use of racially derogatory slur to refer to defendant on four or more occasions does not alter conditions of employment significantly enough to implicate Title VII).*fn7
In sum, even construing the evidence most favorably to plaintiff (including assuming all plaintiff's allegations to be true), plaintiff has failed to provide evidence that would support a reasonable jury finding either that (1) a hostile work environment existed or (2) that a causal connection existed between any purported hostile work environment (or any other alleged adverse action) and his protected activity. Accordingly, summary judgment on any claim of a retaliatory hostile work environment is warranted.
For the reasons set forth above, defendant's motion for summary judgment is granted in its entirety. The Clerk of the Court shall enter judgment accordingly and close the case.
Plaintiff is representing himself pro se: Thomas J. Butler, 107-56 117th Street, Richmond Hill, New York, 11419. The attorney for the defendant is Vincent Lipari, Esq., United States Attorneys Office, Eastern District of New York, 610 Federal Plaza, 5th Floor, Central Islip, New York 11722.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Tag Archive: dominican republic
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Secrets Cap Cana Resort & Spa: An Intimate, Secluded Haven
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Multi-Generational Getaways at Now Onyx Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
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Impact travel with Fathom Cruises: Immerse Yourself in Cuba & the Dominican Republic
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Postcard-perfect landscapes are plentiful in the Caribbean. Around every corner lies a geometric combination of tantalising colours waiting to be captured down the eye of a lens. Behind these incredible sights are the intricate workings of a vibrant culture. Fathom cruises offer unique life-affirming holidaymaking experiences changing the world in a concept known as impact travel. Jump on-board Fathom Adonia and discover beyond the lounger with two bespoke getaways that change your life; Cuba and the Dominican Republic.Continue reading
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Reflecting the Albright Institute's multidisciplinary and global ethos, the 2017 Fellows come from a variety of academic and cultural backgrounds. The class of 2017 consists of 24 juniors and 16 seniors majoring in 27 different fields ranging from Art History to Physics. The students represent fifteen different countries: Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), France, Germany, Greece, India, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria, United States, and Venezuela.
Nisreen Abo-Sido
Nisreen is a junior taking an interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental science, with a focus on food sovereignty and a growing interest in agroecology. During the summer of 2016, Nisreen worked alongside rural leaders from poor communities in Asia and Africa at the Asian Rural Institute (ARI). At ARI, she practiced sustainable agricultural techniques and learned from grassroots leaders training to separate their communities from an environmentally and economically unsustainable reliance on synthetic chemicals. Moreover, Nisreen continues to perform collaborative research exploring the potential to utilize battery waste to reduce the risk of lead exposure from urban soils. You may also find Nisreen promoting the movement for global health equity, as the team coordinator of the Wellesley College chapter of Partners in Health (PIH) Engage, or teaching a spin class on campus. Nisreen aims to continue to analyze global food systems and investigate viable ways to promote sustainable agriculture.
Victoria Angelova
Victoria Angelova was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria. She had the opportunity to travel extensively, and learn about the history and culture of different nations across the world, which sparked in her an interest in international relations and global affairs. An economics major, she has an avid interest in macroeconomics, both domestic and international, enjoying the challenge of analyzing why countries make certain decisions and their impact on a country's population. For example, together with two of her classmates, she wrote a paper on the economic benefits (or lack thereof) of membership in the European Union just a month before Britain voted to leave it.
Faith Arimoro
Faith is a senior majoring in sociology and on the pre-medical track. She is passionate about combining her love of sociology with her passion for health through her research in adolescent health at the Wellesley Centers for Women. The summer before her senior year, Faith interned at the Obafemi Awolowo University-College of Health Sciences in Nigeria, where she was privileged to learn about Nigerian health care from the lenses of academics, health care providers, and patients. In Boston, Faith has been a patient escort volunteer at Massachusetts General Hospital. On campus, Faith is a staff assistant at the college Copy Center and a writing tutor for Writing 201. Additionally, she has been a part of Wellesley African Students' Association and Black Women's Ministry during her years at Wellesley. After graduation, Faith aims to work with a healthcare related organization on improving Nigeria's primary health care system.
Abena Asare
Abena is a junior majoring in Psychology with a minor in Health and Society. In the summer of 2016, Abena attended a Pre-Medical program at the University of Virginia Medical School and also taught STEM to elementary students in Philadelphia through the Temple University Science Department. In the summer following her sophomore year, combining her interests in public health and medicine Abena interned at Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative (SNJPC), whose mission is to improve perinatal and pediatric health in Southern New Jersey. At SNJPC she helped analyze focus groups with at risk mothers on the topics of health care access and lead poisoning in the city of Camden. On campus, Abena is the Health Career Liaison in the Minority Association for Pre-Medical Students (MAPS), a student assistant in the Office of Admission, a member of the arts and music society Tau Zeta Epsilon (TZE), Ethos, the Wellesley African Students Association (WASA), and Wellesley's Track and Field team where she is ranked All-American in the long jump. She is interested in the intersection of health and wellness around the world and after graduation Abena hopes to pursue a Masters in Public Health with an emphasis in global health as well as an MD degree, specializing in pediatric medicine.
Lauren Bazley
Lauren is a junior studying Mathematics and Economics. In the summer of 2016 she researched migration and the narratives of mobility in the context of the current European refugee crisis with the Wellesley College Anthropology department. Passionate about statistical modeling, she also attended the Quantitative Analysis Institute at Wellesley to learn methods of communicating the powerful trends shown by mathematical analysis. On campus, Lauren is a rower on the varsity crew team, recently winning the 2016 NCAA championship. After graduation, Lauren hopes to use her mathematical and economic background to analyze global health issues to better inform crisis responders.
Tiffany Z. Chung
Tiffany Chung is a senior majoring in International Relations - Political Science, with a particular interest in Nuclear Weapons and the Middle East. She is also interested in American Criminal Law, and especially the study of Capital Punishment in the South. She is completing an independent study on the Fourth Amendment focusing on race and unlawful searches and seizures, and furthers this research at Harvard Law School's Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice. In the summer of 2016, Tiffany worked at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia as an Intern Investigator, where she supported the Parole division. On campus, Tiffany is on the Political Science Majors' Council. She has a working knowledge of Cantonese and Mandarin. Tiffany's goal upon graduation is to work within a legal context, either through providing direct services, policy, or academia.
Alexis Crayton
Alexis is a senior who, in addition to her Chinese Language and Cultures major, is a Biology Major on the pre-medicine track. She has conducted research under professor John Goss in the Biology department for three years and is currently a candidate for an honors thesis. She is very passionate about her research. The components of her research involve using fission yeast to study highly conserved mechanisms in the cell such as cytokinesis and cell division. As a Pre-Medical student and mentor, she also serves as the president of Wellesley college's Minority Association for Pre-Medical Students (MAPS). The goal of MAPS is to provide a resource for minority students who wish to pursue a career in healthcare. For her Chinese major, in addition to taking classes on the language in the US and abroad, she has conducted research in the Chinese department on how novels like The Journey to the West have shaped the ideologies of people living in modern day China. In the future, as a medical doctor Alexis plans to serve as conduit for the minorities and Chinese people in the US, with the hope of using her skillset to help make a positive impact on the health and the lives of her patients.
Shivani Dayal
Shivani is a junior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Health and Society. She is particularly interested in the interaction between culture and health. In the summer of 2016, Shivani volunteered with hospice patients and worked as a consultant at N-of-One Therapeutics, where she supported efforts to introduce precision medicine into cancer treatments. Shivani has worked as a clinical assistant at a hospital in Spain and continues to volunteer at a rural hospital in India. Shivani spent the fall semester of her junior year in Copenhagen, Denmark; in addition to her studies there, she organized a Refugee Action Committee where she helped facilitate dialogue between American students and refugees in Denmark. On campus, Shivani works in a Neuroscience lab and is part of Wellesley's Association of South Asian Cultures. She has working knowledge of Hindi and Urdu. Shivani's goal upon graduation is to work with an international organization in the field of global health and eventually pursue a degree in medicine.
Ciaran Gallagher
Ciaran is a senior who created an interdisciplinary individual major of Environmental Chemistry with a minor in Religion. She is merging her interests in the fall semester by undertaking an independent study that investigates how environmental activists draw from sacred texts and traditions. In the summer of 2016 Ciaran was a NOAA Hollings Scholar and conducted research on organic pollutant contamination in Puget Sound, WA. Ciaran's internship at the Center of Sustainable Energy the previous summer resulted in the publication of report on natural gas as a bridge fuel with her as a contributing author.
On campus Ciaran works in a transdisciplinary and collaborative geochemical research lab that investigates how to mitigate lead contamination in urban settings, particularly in an urban farming and harvesting context. Ciaran and her team presented their findings at the National Geosciences Society of America Conference in the fall of 2015. The lab strongly considers the human health and environmental justice implications of their work, not just the scientific research. As lab manager, Ciaran also assists in the creation of collaborative and educational space for underclasswomen. She is also a three-time student leader, currently in the role of First-Year-Mentor Supervisor. After graduation, Ciaran aspires to shape urban environmental policies guided by her interdisciplinary and chemical knowledge.
Arela Haluci
Arela is a junior majoring in Political Science and Economics. In the summer of 2016, Arela worked as a researcher and writer alongside European Horizons on a policy paper regarding the prospective impact of the 2016 American Presidential Election on transatlantic relations. During her sophomore year, Arela served as a fellow for the Hillary for America Campaign assisting field organizers, phone banking events and canvasses in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. As a Davis UWC Scholar, Arela spent her high school years in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where she participated in student-led volunteer work in local refugee camps and schools for children with special needs. On campus, Arela works as a student assistant in the Political Science and Economics departments, and she is an assigned tutor for the Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis course. Arela is the cofounder and political chair of the European Network student organization as well as a core member of Wellesley Students for Hillary. She is fluent in Albanian, English, and French. Arela's goal upon graduation is to pursue law school and in the future, she seeks to contribute to the field of international law through international organizations or the public sector.
Siena Harlin
Siena is a junior majoring in Anthropology and minoring in Economics. Her main academic interest lies in studying the complex relationships between aid organizations and the people they serve. Over the last two summers, Siena completed a Global Engagement internship at Field Museum of Natural History and has worked as a research assistant in health economics and public policy at MIT. On campus, she works as a student manager at the Clapp Library, serves at the president of the International Relations Council, and in her free time plays on both the rugby and quidditch teams. She is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Portuguese. She hopes to intern at a social accountability or human rights-focused organization in Latin America and to continue to pursue her interest in development agencies after graduation.
Amanda Hernandez
Amanda is a junior majoring in Environmental Studies. She has a passion for the intersection between science and environmental justice, with a specific focus on environmental health. In the summer of 2016, Amanda conducted research on microbial respiration in response to climate change in the Northeast U.S. On campus, she is active in her dorm community, works as a Public Speaking Tutor for the campus tutoring center, and conducts research on the intersections between women's health and the environment. In the fall of 2016, she spent a semester sailing aboard a scientific research vessel in the Mediterranean studying the evolution and experience of disease in port cities. Upon graduation from Wellesley, Amanda hopes to continue studying the global implications of decision making on the environment and the people with those environments.
Christina Holman
Christina is a senior majoring in Economics and Art History with a certificate in Engineering. In the summer of 2016, Christina worked as an intern with INIDA on Santiago Island in Cape Verde, where she developed partnerships between Wellesley and local organizations as well as developed a paper on the productivity of water. The previous fall, Christina spent her semester in Freiburg, Germany. She travelled extensively to learn about the European Union, specifically regarding digital and technology markets. On campus, Christina is the founder and co-president of the Wellesley Engineering Society, and she tutors for the Physics Department. Christina has working knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese-based Creoles in addition to basic knowledge of German, Portuguese and Italian. After graduation, Christina hopes to work with an organization interested in assistive technology and development economics.
Ayeona Hopkins
Ayeona is a junior majoring in Economics and Spanish, and is interested in how economic development, international aid, and foreign policy confront and engage with specific cultures, specifically in Latin America. During the summer of 2016, Ayeona interned at the United States Department of the Treasury where she worked in the Office of Financial Institutions. At the Treasury Department, Ayeona worked closely with the Office of Consumer policy on projects concerning financial inclusion and financial literacy. Ayeona is currently spending the fall semester studying abroad in Córdoba, Spain where she hopes to reach fluency in Spanish and experience how culture, race-relations, and immigration, manifest themselves in Spain and in a changing Europe. At Wellesley, Ayeona is involved with WASA (Wellesley African Student Association), Amnesty International and the Student Organization Funding Committee. After Wellesley, Ayeona hopes to work in foreign policy and economic development, while also promoting discourse on the need for development strategies and foreign policies that allow countries to build sustainable economies and infrastructure and reflect their 21st century needs.
Lamisa S. Hossain
Lamisa is senior majoring in Economics and Political Science, and is particularly interested in socio-economic development, poverty eradication and education. She is currently pursuing an Honors Thesis on the cultural legacy of British imperialism and the impact it had on primary education in Bangladesh. In the fall of junior year, Lamisa studied Politics at the University of Oxford; last summer, she interned at Social Accountability International, a labor rights organization based in New York. At Wellesley, Lamisa is the President of Slater International Student Organization, and is the Senior Interviewer at the Office of Admission. She is fluent in Bengali, and has a working knowledge of Spanish and spoken Hindi. After graduating in May 2017, Lamisa hopes to be engaged in a role that will prompt her to dive into issues of policy-making and international affairs, and further develop her quantitative and qualitative research skills.
Jülide Iye
Julide is a junior majoring in Middle Eastern Studies with a minor in Psychology. This past summer of 2016 she interned at the Tangier American Legation Institute of Moroccan Studies in coordination with Archnet of the Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT. Throughout her internship Julide's archival and photography work sought to preserve and record the urban changes of Tangier's built environment. She is currently an undergraduate researcher at the McGovern Brain Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology studying striosomes and their role in Huntington's Disease. On campus Julide is Vice President of Al-Muslimat, the Muslim student organization, and works in the Sponsored Research Department. Julide co-founded Muslim Youth Support Network, a platform for students experiencing bullying as a result of their Muslim identity. She speaks Turkish, French, and Arabic. Julide is interested in pursuing work further exploring and improving health and education access to refugee populations in the Middle East.
Basma Jaber
Basma is a Junior majoring in Neuroscience and International Relations with a concentration in Political Science. She is currently one of two student managers at the Art Library in Wellesley College, and over the summer of 2016, worked in Massachusetts as an intern at Cranberry Management – a small company invested in building apartment complexes for low income families. On campus, Basma is the President of the Wellesley Arab Women's Association, the librarian for Society Zeta Alpha, the literary society, and spent a year as Middle Eastern Representative for Slater International. Basma is fluent in three languages – Arabic, French and English. Basma's next professional goal is to have an internship in either international law or policy making regarding the mental health of prisoners around the world.
Cate Johnson
Cate is a senior double majoring in Classical Civilization and History. Her studies in History have centered around ethnic identities, violence, and associated political shifts. Last summer, she completed an internship in Bonn, Germany, at the United Nations Environment Programme's Secretariat for the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. There, she worked in the Communications and Outreach team to promote the policies and activities of the Convention by researching and writing materials for official websites and meetings, and creating social media strategies. During the summer of 2015, Cate interned at Earthjustice, the largest nonprofit environmental law firm in the United States, researching up and coming environmental concerns and creating relevant content for the Earthjustice blog and social media. In 2014, she interned for the United States Senator from California, Dianne Feinstein, progressing constituent casework, especially surrounding Veterans Affairs, and drafting memoranda. On campus, she works as a student assistant in the Department of Classical Studies. Cate is interested in the intersection between people, environmental concerns and public policy. After graduation, she would like the gain environmental policy experience with an internationally focused organization, and learn another language.
Selma Khalil
Selma is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and Philosophy. She is a student worker at the art library, co-vice president of the Wellesley Arab Women's Association and a general member of the Café Hoop cooperative. In the summer of 2016, Selma worked at a neuroscience lab on the Wellesley campus that explored the neural correlate of attention. During the summer of her sophomore year, she interned at an NGO in Beirut, Lebanon that primarily focused on providing support through educational programs and scholarships to the underserved community of the country. She is fluent in French and has advanced knowledge in Arabic. Selma's next professional goal is to have an internship in humanitarian law.
Julie Kim
Julie is a senior majoring in Political Science. She is doing an independent research study that examines the quality of long-term health care institutions in the United States. Currently, Julie is working as an undergraduate research intern at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of Management, where she studies the effects of diversity on team performance in corporations; in particular, she is helping to develop a wellness app that gathers opinions from a diverse array of doctors to diagnose a patient. On campus, Julie is one of two Honor Code Council Representatives for the Class of 2017 and is an active member of the First Generation Network. She has professional knowledge of Korean. Julie's goal upon graduation is to work with a health care organization or technology company, preferably in the West Coast.
Stephanie Kim
Stephanie is a junior majoring in Biochemistry at Wellesley with an interest in primary care and public health policy. In the Fall of 2016, Stephanie spent a semester abroad in Germany where she studied socialized medicine and the different approaches to healthcare and welfare around the world. During that time, Stephanie interned at a private nephrology clinic and visited the World Health Organization in Geneva to learn more about the dimensions of international public health. At Wellesley, Stephanie is a coxswain on the varsity rowing team and a student teacher at the Child Study Center. She also conducts biochemistry research in the Darling Lab which aims to characterize the mechanism of interaction between cardiac ion channels that contribute to sudden cardiac death. Over the past two summers, Stephanie continued this research, gaining experience with various molecular biology and biochemical techniques. Upon graduation, Stephanie plans on working abroad to practice her French and Spanish skills in a professional setting before pursuing a joint MD/MPH degree.
Amanda Kraley
Amanda is a senior majoring in Political Science. She is currently a research assistant at MIT's Displacement Research and Action Network, which brings together policy makers and academics to build new theory on internal displacement. Her current project – creating an interactive mapping tool that looks at eviction rates in Boston's Chinatown – synthesizes her interests in public affairs and technology. On campus, she is the editor-in-chief of Wellesley's international relations magazine, The Globalist. Outside of the academic world, Amanda has spent several years working at a government tech startup and as a Student Activist Coordinator with Amnesty International. She is proficient in French and plans to learn Korean. Upon graduation, she hopes to spend time abroad and pursue a career in Internet policy.
Kethu Manokaran
Kethu is a junior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in South Asia Studies. Interested in how both nature and nurture influence infant and child development, Kethu uses computational methods to study the neural substrates involved in bi-lingual language learning in a zebra finch model with a professor at Wellesley. In the summer of 2016, she interned as a teacher at Vincent Girls' High School (VGHS) in Batticaloa, where she taught English to seventh grade students. Kethu also worked with teachers and students at VGHS to develop an English Activity Room where students at all grade levels may practice and hone their English skills through creative and interactive activities and games . On campus, Kethu serves as Co-President of Wellesley Association for South Asian Cultures (WASAC) and was also a Resident Assistant in her sophomore year. Kethu is fluent in Tamil and has a working knowledge of French. After graduation, Kethu hopes to continue onto medical school and to one-day practice medicine and develop programs to improve health access, awareness, and outreach in her native Sri Lanka.
Jennifer Mou
Jennifer is a junior double majoring in economics and psychology. In the summer of 2016, Jennifer participated in The University of Hong Kong's Learn, Live and Intern in China program, where she worked at a market research and consultancy agency based in Shanghai. She enjoyed being able to utilize her major knowledge and Mandarin Chinese language skills, as well as experiencing a different living and working culture. In the fall, she is studying abroad at University College London as an Affiliate Economics student. Back at Wellesley, Jennifer pursues her passion for the arts outside of classes, working as a student design assistant for the Communications & Public Affairs office, a contributing photographer for the Wellesley News, the co-publicity chair for the Taiwanese cultural organization, and also takes voice lessons with the music department. Jennifer is looking forward to going abroad again this coming summer, hopefully working with an organization that promotes mental health awareness and treatment.
Alondra Navarro
Alondra is a junior majoring in sociology with a minor in philosophy. During the summer of 2016, she worked with the Summer Institute for the Gifted, serving at their University of California Berkeley site as both a program counselor and teaching assistant. During the school year, Alondra volunteers as a counselor for the Mission Hill After School Program, helping to facilitate both personal and academic growth in program participants through personalized tutoring. On campus, she works as a writing tutor for the Wellesley College Writing Program, assisting students across all disciplines to build strong writing skills. In addition to her job and volunteer work, Alondra has conducted extensive research with Professor Peggy Levitt of Wellesley's sociology department to study the existing transnational resource networks of emigrants living abroad. Upon graduation, Alondra hopes to pursue work in the field of education that focuses on assisting students from traditionally underserved backgrounds.
Fani Ntavelou-Baum
Fani is a senior from Athens, majoring in philosophy. She is currently writing a collection of essays on epistemic injustice as part of her honors thesis. After spending the spring semester of her junior year studying abroad in the University of Oxford, Fani conducted research in social epistemology in Monash University in Melbourne. On campus, she works as a writing tutor and serves as the Vice-President of the Shakespeare Society. Post-graduation, Fani hopes to pursue a PhD in philosophy and attain eudaemonia.
Lily Odekirk
Lillian is a junior from Charleston, West Virginia majoring in English and Theatre Studies. She interned for the American Shakespeare Society in 2015. This past summer, she made her professional acting debut with the Wellesley Repertory Theatre and soon after traveled to Iceland, where she researched and wrote about the country's theatrical practices. She returned home to work for the West Virginia Department of Commerce. On campus, Lillian acts as an active member of the Wellesley College Shakespeare Society and is currently directing a production for Upstage Theatre. Her interests lie in applying classical theatre to modern social justice issues and in using the art form as a means for education and empowerment on local and global scales. Her goal upon graduation is to pursue a graduate degree in classical theatre and continue to serve the community through the international art of telling stories on the stage.
Zilpa Oduor
Zilpa is a junior majoring in International Relations – Economics with a minor in Africana Studies. In the summer of 2016, she interned at the Aga Khan Educational Services (AKES) in Kampala, Uganda, where she helped develop and implement curricula. She has also interned in the Reception and Placement department at the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) in Albany, NY where she helped refugees resettle and adjust to life in the US. On campus, Zilpa is a First Year Mentor, works as an assistant in the Africana Studies department and as a bookkeeper in the Student Bursar's office. She is also a member of the Wellesley African Students' Association (WASA) and the Yanvalou drum and dance ensemble. Aside from English, Zilpa also speaks Swahili and Dholuo, both from her native country, Kenya. She hopes to someday work with intergovernmental organizations to promote economic growth and development initiatives in Africa.
Heather Orta-Olmo
Heather is a senior majoring in Economics and minoring in Mathematics. And within Economics, she concentrates on international macroeconomic development, specifically in Latin America. In the summer of 2016, she worked for Microsoft as an Investment and Non-Standard Deal Strategy intern where she used data to make decisions about Microsoft's partnerships in South East Asia. At Wellesley, Heather works for Admissions, the Investment Office, as well as serving as a Spanish tutor. She is extremely passionate about her work with refugee and immigrant children of the exile community in the United States. She volunteers as a mentor and as a "big sister", and hopes to continue that work after graduation.
Yuanzhen (Jen) Pan
Yuanzhen is a junior double majoring in Economics and Media Arts and Sciences. She has a diverse range of global internship experiences across Asia. Last summer, she worked as a summer analyst at Rogers Investment Advisors in Tokyo, and she conducted research on Asia-focused hedge funds and the Japanese venture capital industry to identify potential investment opportunities. In her first-year summer, she worked at a Chinese tech startup where she assisted in the firm's overseas marketing campaign and helped the mobile application to break into Southeast Asia market. Yuanzhen is also passionate about education and has been actively involved in relevant volunteering and advising services. Currently, she is partnering with a Wellesley alumna on an education business in China and Singapore. An entrepreneur herself, Yuanzhen hopes to cultivate entrepreneurial eco-system on campus and she co-founded WeStart, the Wellesley Entrepreneurship Club in spring 2016. In the future, Yuanzhen would like to leverage her interdisciplinary skill sets and unique global perspective to drive positive changes in the intersection field of international business and technology.
Christina Phelps
Christina is a Sociology major and Education Studies minor with an interest in the democratizing function of the American education system. She is also a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. Her senior thesis seeks to understand how community college students make meaning of their circuitous route through higher education, and the role that the community college plays for students in emerging adulthood. In the summer of 2016, she spent time in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio conducting in-depth interviews for her thesis. Additionally, she served as a teacher for the Mamelodi Initiative, a non-profit organization that serves students in the township of Mamelodi, South Africa. On Wellesley's campus, Christina is a leader of the Stronger Communities Stronger Schools volunteer organization, and president of Black Women's Ministry. After graduation, Christina hopes to work with underserved African American youth before pursuing her Ph.D. in sociology.
Mehak Sarang
Mehak is a junior majoring in Physics with a minor in Philosophy with a focus on normative ethics and questions related to the law. This summer, she worked on developing the SeedKit (Science Education Equity Development Kit) in Ghana. While there, Mehak worked with teachers, policy makers, and individuals in STEM NGOs to develop hands-on science experiments to teach STEM in low-resource environments. In the past, she interned at the Adler Planetarium developing a computational astronomy curriculum for students from the Chicago Public School system. On campus, she is co-president of Science Club for Girls and still actively involved with SeedKit. She has a working knowledge of Hindi and is proficient in Spanish. Mehak's goal for next summer is to continue exploring her interest in international STEM education either from a grassroots or policy level.
Rebecca Taylor
Rebecca is a senior majoring in Health and Social Justice. Having transferred at the start of her Junior year, she enjoys taking WGST and statistics courses here. In the summer of 2016, Rebecca served as a writing tutor for Wellesley's Pre-College Program and as a math tutor at MassBay Community College. During the school year, she works in the Office of Residential Life and plays Ultimate frisbee with the Whiptails. She hopes to improve upon her intermediate Spanish and apply the statistic skills she is developing in addressing public health issues. Upon graduation, Rebecca plans to gain experience across different avenues of public health and eventually pursue a Master of Public Health.
Shreya Thatai
Shreya is a senior majoring in Women's and Gender studies with a minor in Biology. In the summer of 2015, she worked as an intern with Physicians for Social Responsibility, an organization which advocates for nuclear disarmament and mitigating the effects of climate change from the perspective of health. Shreya spent the fall of her junior year in Edinburgh, Scotland. On campus, she is president of the literary society - Zeta Alpha, plays frisbee with the Wellesley Whiptails, is a peer Sexual Health Educator, a registered EMT, and researches under a professor about the prison health care system and Black Panther Movement. Shreya is proficient in Hindi and has a working knowledge of Spanish. Her goal after graduation is to attend medical school and work to develop policy around health care in the carceral state.
Azalea Troche
Azalea is a junior majoring in Economics with a potential minor in Middle Eastern Studies. She is passionate about leveraging economic tools within her fields of interest which include education, economic policy and the energy sector. Most recently, Azalea worked as a Consulting Analyst Intern for Accenture under a public sector project in the greater New York area. On campus, she is a returning Resident Assistant and enjoys getting to know her residents and working with her residential staff. Azalea is also an active member of Mezcla, the largest cultural organization for students of Latino/Hispanic descent, where she shares food, art and history relating to her Mexican heritage. Upon graduation, Azalea hopes to relocate to New York and find the perfect balance between business and philanthropic work.
Tanvee Varma
As a junior majoring in Economics with a minor in Health and Society, Tanvee is an advocate for health equity, access to health resources, and justice. During the Summer of 2016, she worked as a clinical research intern at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, investigating the importance of communication amongst patients and physicians in reducing healthcare costs. In the past, she has also worked as a research intern at Harvard Medical School and the Rockefeller University. In addition, she is a member of the Campus Leaders Council for END7, an international advocacy campaign working to raise awareness and the funding necessary to control and eliminate the 7 most common neglected tropical diseases by 2020. At Wellesley, Tanvee is actively involved with Science Club for Girls, Honor Code Council, the Wellesley News, the Balance Health Educators, and Wellesley Association for South Asian Cultures. Following graduation, Tanvee hopes to work in global health policy before pursuing a dual MD/MPH degree.
Farida Virani
Farida is a junior majoring in Computer Science. She is an international student from India. During the fall semester of her junior year, Farida studied abroad at Aquincum Institute of Technology in Budapest, Hungary. At Wellesley, Farida has been a part of Let's Get Ready, an organization focused on providing free SAT and college applications help to high school students from low-income families. Coming from a low-income, first generation background herself, she is very invested in helping other students from a similar background realize that they can achieve their dream of going to a great college. She speaks Hindi, English, Gujarati, Telugu, and some French and Hungarian. Being a multilingual person whose parents speak little to no English, and spending time as a non-Hungarian-speaking individual in Budapest and a part-time tourist in Europe, she has spent a lot of time observing the effects of a language barrier on people's lives and one of her long term goals is to try to find a solution where diversity of languages doesn't restrict learning but promotes it. She is very passionate about educational justice and hopes to use the amazing reach and capability of technology to get a little closer to making online education not just a perk for the English-speaking population of the Western world but a reality for people all over the world.
Noa Weinstein
Noa is a junior majoring in Spanish and on the pre-med track. In the summer of 2016, she took a research-based global health class through Duke University and the Organization for Tropical Studies in northeastern South Africa. While staying in a small village in the Limpopo Province, she focused her research on the connections between unemployment, access to and views on education, and health outcomes in the village. In the summer of 2015, Noa interned in the Emergency Department of Bellevue Hospital Center in New York City, rotating through different wards of the department talking with and bringing food and water to patients, shadowing doctors, assisting with patient transport, observing surgeries, performing EKGs, and helping to translate between Spanish-speaking patients and their doctors. Noa's summer at Bellevue confirmed her desire to pursue a career in medicine. She spent her junior fall abroad in Córdoba, Spain, studying at the University of Córdoba. At Wellesley, Noa is on the varsity crew team, works as a Spanish tutor for the Pforzheimer Learning and Teaching Center, and served her sophomore year on the Honor Code Council as an ombudsman. After graduating, Noa hopes to work in a medical setting in South or Central America before applying to medical school. She would ultimately like to pursue an M.D./M.P.H degree.
Linda Zhou
Linda is a junior majoring in Political Science and Chinese Language and Culture, with a particular interest in Chinese political economy and society. In the summer of 2016, she worked as a consultant in Shanghai on a Global Engagement internship, conducting consumer research and analysis for foreign firms. Besides English, Linda has native fluency in Mandarin and Shanghainese, proficiency in French, and is actively learning Cantonese. On campus, she is a First Year Mentor and one of the directors for Chinatown Afterschool program, a community service program that provides academic enrichment for underprivileged youth in Boston's Chinatown. Linda seeks to pursue further research on China's political scene, as well as a career that allows her to take advantage of her language skills and further China's development on an ethical and sustainable scale.
Amina Ziad
Amina is a senior majoring in Women's & Gender Studies, with a focus on health and bioethics. As a birth doula, her interests lie at the intersections of reproductive health, identity, and community-based social change. Amina is currently writing her senior thesis on the ideals of Muslim womanhood in a post-9/11 sociopolitical context. This past summer, she worked as an intern at the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies, cataloging and archiving visual media documenting the architectural transformation of the city of Tangier. During past summers, Amina has conducted research in Professor Heather Mattila's honeybee lab, collecting data to better understand the impacts of malnutrition on honeybee performance. On campus, Amina works as a writing tutor and is involved with Al-Muslimat. She also recently co-founded the Muslim Youth Support Network, an organization providing emotional support to Muslim youth members experiencing bullying due to their Muslim identity. Upon graduation, Amina intends to pursue an MD-PhD program, focusing on global health policy related to reproductive health.


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Galapagos adventures are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. A small archipelago off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos is one of the world's most diverse and celebrated ecosystems. Since sprouting from a suboceanic lava vent, the islands have been an evolutionary laboratory teeming with wildlife. The islands' location at the confluence of five ocean currents has resulted in a curious mix of unbelievably tame animals. Penguins, giant turtles, flightless cormorants, and marine iguanas greet the islands many visitors. Thanks to aggressive conservation policies, the Galapagos Islands are no less enchanting today than they were when Charles Darwin arrived in 1831. A...
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