Seven Tisch students were awarded with the President's Service Award this year!
Timmy Beckmann
Undergraduate Film & Television
Timmy does work in intermediary housing for individuals transitioning out of homelessness. Specifically, individuals with the HIV/AIDS virus. Through this volunteering he has had the amazing opportunity to meet many individuals with exciting stories to tell. Many of these individuals have been filmed with permission in both documentary and narrative settings.
Though these projects are still private, he plans on creating a series using the videos as a culmination of his work as well as the benefits of acting for someone escaping homelessness.
His dream is to create a platform that equips less represented communities with the tools and skills needed to tell the stories which affect them.
Ari J Melenciano
ITP
AFRO-TEC-TOPIA is a new media art, culture, technology festival designed to recognize the contributions of black artists, designers, techologies and activists, as well as build community amongst people currently working at the intersection of art, design, technology, activism and Blackness. Ari has singlehanded taken on this project from its inception to completion. Her outreach and passion for this project to the NYU and external communities has garnered significant financial support. Ari hopes to continue this project in future years.
Shahed Dowlatshahi
MIAP
Shahed is an incredibly talented, conscientious student in NYU Tisch's Moving Image Archiving and Preservation (MIAP) Program, where he is learning to save audiovisual media across a wide range of analog and digital formats. Outside of his coursework, he has completed internships at New York Public Library, the University of Chicago's South Side Home Movie Project, and The New Museum, where his efforts have supported access to and preservation of vulnerable media collections.
Aside from his own scholarly and professional efforts to sustain audiovisual cultural heritage, Shahed has been a dedicated student leader of affiliated activities outside of the classroom. As co-Vice President of NYU's Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) Student Chapter, for example, Shahed helped plan, curate, and promote "Discover, Remember, and Share: A showcase of 16mm films for UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage," a free screening event that was open to the public and held at the New York Public Library of the Performing Arts in October 2017.
Karishma Bhagani
Drama
In high school, Karishma founded her own nonprofit, Mantone de Chiwit, which aims to distribute water filtration devices--designed and engineered by Karishma herself--that can provide clean water to underserved rural communities. She also serves on the Young Professional Advisory Board (YPAB) of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, an organization with a similar mission to provide education, sanitation, and other services to severely under-resourced communities around the world. In addition, as an RA at NYU's Broome Residential College, Karishma tirelessly works to build an inclusive community on her floor and is consistently the first person to greet her residents in the hallway before early morning classes. Karishma's service to others has been a defining feature of her young professional life, and she should be recognized for her achievements in this area.
Kayla Jean Zanakis
Drama
A Miami native, Kayla connected with other students in the Department of Drama who wanted to assist those affected by the recent hurricanes. Kayla to the initiative to meet and collaborate with the Department of Drama administration to organize a drive of supplies for hurricane relief. The two-week event resulted in an overwhelming response of support from the Drama community and recognition by The Mayor's office and major relief organizations.
Gregory J. Helmstetter
MIAP
Greg is a talented, conscientious, and incredibly collegial student in NYU Tisch's Moving Image Archiving and Preservation (MIAP) Program, where he is learning to save audiovisual media across a wide range of analog and digital formats. Outside of his coursework, he has completed internships at the Women's Film Preservation Fund of New York Women in Film & Television, the Southern Folklife Collection of UNC-Chapel Hill, and the New York Public Library of the Performing Arts, where his efforts have supported access to and preservation of vulnerable media collections.
Through is hard work and dedicated service as student representative and AMIA Student Chapter program officer, Greg Helmstetter has served as a model of student leadership, constantly supporting and inspiring his peers.
Teagan Rabuano
Drama
With the assistance of Tisch Student Affairs and the Department of Drama, Teagan created and founded the Trans Artists Guild (TAG), an organization to provide a space for trans artists at Tisch to produce and discuss their work while also developing a stronger sense of community. He also envisions TAG to serve as a liaison between the Tisch administration, faculty and the trans student community for future semesters.