Congratulations Jennifer Jiminian!

We are proud to honor Jennifer, a Freedom and Citizenship alum and member of the Hunter College class of 2023, where she studied Psychology and English. Jennifer is from Harlem and the Bronx and graduated from A. Philip Randolph High School in 2018 with a burning passion for social justice and a keen interest in the human psyche. Her journey into academia and advocacy reflects a commitment to community building, identity formation, and pursuit of knowledge.

In high school, Jennifer’s dedication to social justice led her to get involved in community service. She organized a homeless resource kit giveaway in Harlem with friends and volunteered at Revolution Books. These experiences laid the groundwork for her interest in the civic leadership component of the Freedom and Citizenship program, which was introduced to her when Dr. Jessica Lee of Columbia University visited her AP US History lecture. Jennifer continued to actively contribute to positive change throughout college, where she was awarded an Emerging Leaders Certificate in her senior year.

Jennifer transferred from Gettysburg College, a small liberal arts school, to the dynamic atmosphere of Hunter College during the challenging year of COVID-19. During this transitional period, Jennifer found solace and purpose in her pursuit of Clinical Psychology with a minor in English. Her academic journey, enriched by numerous political science courses, an American studies class, and explorations in sociology and clinical psychology, drew heavily from the principles instilled by the Freedom and Citizenship Program. She notes that the program’s orientation towards social aid and personal development significantly influenced her academic and personal growth. The program emphasized building a sense of community, addressing group concerns about current events, and fostering a shared identity amongst its participants. One Audre Lorde quote she read at F&C still resonates with Jennifer today: “Without community, there is no liberation... but community must not mean a shedding of our differences, nor the pathetic pretense that these differences do not exist.”  

Jennifer took her commitment to community involvement beyond the classroom. She became a member of the Black Student Union and secured a Latin American Students Association senate seat. She further demonstrated her leadership skills as the Vice President of the Brown Nipple Collective (an organization for women of color on campus) and Co-President of "Let’s Talk About It," where she facilitated discussions on philosophical and social justice topics. Her time as a volunteer and an advocate has been further augmented by her work at The Door, a youth development and empowerment center.

In addition to her academic and volunteer work, Jennifer had a poem published in The National Poetry Month Spotlight-- CUNY Student Poets Edition and received the Columbia University Steve Weinberg Award for Service & Hispanic Support Organization Scholarship. As she contemplates her next chapter, Jennifer envisions applying to graduate school where she aspires to pursue a PhD in Psychology. Driven by a passion for clinical therapy, Jennifer aims to focus her thesis on multicultural and decolonization research in therapy and mental health techniques. She believes that the critical thinking and diverse perspectives fostered by her education will continue to guide her on her path towards making a meaningful impact in the world. She dreams of developing a youth center with counseling and drop-in space in her home country, the Dominican Republic, as well as in the Caribbean, recognizing the urgent need for such facilities in under-resourced communities.

With her unwavering commitment to advocacy and empathy, Jennifer is poised to carve out a future in psychology that prioritizes diversity, justice, and compassionate care for individual clients. Speaking on the Freedom and Citizenship Program, Jennifer states, “I joined the Freedom and Citizenship Program because I had limited space to talk about intersecting issues such as citizenship, liberty, racism, inclusion and human rights in my public schooling education…. This program and my peers further fueled my curiosity by opening new insights academically and socioeconomically, helping me find my voice and purpose.”

Freedom and Citizenship is proud to honor Jennifer's voice and purpose, and we look forward to seeing what she will do next. Congratulations, Jennifer!