Art Stevens CCNY/PRSA NY Scholars

ART STEVENS
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CCNY/PRSA NY SCHOLARS
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THE CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK



TO ART

With deepest appreciation and love
from all the CCNY Ad/PR students whose lives you have touched

Anne Tan-Detchkov, 2008

Anne graduated magna cum laude from
Macaulay Honors College at the City
College of New York with a Bachelor of
Arts degree majoring in Media and
Communications Arts and minoring in
English. She spent the next two and a half
years at Carmichael Lynch Spong and
Kwittken & Co., working with consumer
clients like Calphalon cookware, Lutron
electronics and HomeGoods.

She continued her career in the non-profit
environment at New York Restoration
Project (NYRP), an organization that owns
and maintains community gardens
throughout New York City, and played a role in the City’s
MillionTreesNYC initiative to plant one million new trees by 2015.

Anne decided to live and work locally in her hometown borough
of Queens as marketing manager at Queens Botanical Garden,
where she has been happily working the past two years. Anne
reflects on her ongoing career with pride, although she considers
her greatest professional accomplishment as the balancing of full-
time work with her most important and fulfilling role as a new
mom.

I t is an honor to be the first Art Stevens
scholar. I did not understand the

significance of City College’s historic

reputation as the “poor man’s

Harvard” until I attended City’s

Communications Alumni Group annual dinner

ten years ago, where Art formally honored me as

the inaugural recipient of his scholarship.

Art’s scholarship goes beyond financial support;
he has provided so much more through
meaningful mentorship and by instilling in us
that hard work pays off. He offers guidance with
enthusiasm that never wavers. I recall earlier on
in my career, I was debating a move from one
company to another. I wanted to hear from a
successful, seasoned professional not about the
“right” way to handle things, but rather the
things I had to carefully consider—both the risks
and the potential rewards. I needed a sounding
board, which he is great at being, and support,
which he gives unconditionally. Needless to say,
I am proud of my career choices, and my success
is in part a product of his mentorship. I am
grateful. It is such a wonderful occasion and
tradition when we gather together every fall to
welcome a new scholar to the Stevens family!

Anne Tan-Detchkov

Izabella Safiyeva, 2009

Izabella Safiyeva is senior program
director of The Blue Card, leading the
organization’s national efforts to provide
direct aid to needy Holocaust survivors.
Izabella oversees and manages programs
in development, working with target
demographics to raise funds and
awareness for the plight of Holocaust
survivors and the organization’s mission.

With the Obama Administration’s 2014
White House call to action prompting
federal, state and city agencies to allocate
funding to Holocaust survivors living in
the United States, Izabella’s role shifted to
focus on the organization’s Federal grant, public-private
partnership with Fortune 500 companies, and the New York
City Council including the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services
and the Council Members’ discretionary funding.

I take great pride calling myself the
second recipient of the Art Stevens

PRSA-NY/CCNY Scholarship, which I

received in 2009. At the time, being a

senior at CCNY and embarking on my career, it

was very meaningful to be recognized by Art and

my advisor Professor Lynn Appelbaum once I

learned the news.

Although my career developed in a different
direction since graduation, I will always be
thankful to Art and Professor Appelbaum for
seeing the potential in me eight years ago.

I consider myself lucky, knowing that as I mature
and grow professionally I can call on them for
advice and will be received with warmth.

Izabella Safiyeva

Kellie Jelencovich, 2010

Kellie Jelencovich is the third recipient of the
Art Stevens PRSA-NY CCNY Public
Relations Scholarship. In 2016, Kellie received
the prestigious “15-Under-35” PRSA-NY
Award as one of the top public relations
professionals in New York City. Currently,
she is an account supervisor in the consumer
lifestyle practice of MSL, leading the day-to-
day activities of Emirates airline. As an
ambitious PR and marketing professional,
Kellie specializes in media relations and
account management.

Kellie has been on the PRSA-NY board since 2015 and serves as the
associate director of the "15 Under 35 Awards." She served on the
executive committee as secretary, on the nominating committee for
the PRSA-NY 2017 board slate, and was deputy chair of
programming. Her passion for mentoring and professional
development inspired her to join PRSA-NY in 2011, when she
became the New Professionals Committee co-chair.

Previously, Kellie provided strategic and creative PR counsel for
leading brands including Nutella, Heineken, Tic Tac, IBEROSTAR
Hotels & Resorts, LATAM Airlines Group, Radisson Blu Edwardian,
ADT Home Security, PURELL, Emergen-C, The American Heart
Association, 3M and Zyrtec. Additionally, she has secured top tier
placements in outlets such as USA Today, The New York Times, The
Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, TODAY, Fox and Friends,
Adweek, AdAge, Forbes, among others. Kellie received a B.A. in
Communications from CCNY with a focus on Advertising and PR
and also minored in Economics, and Business Management &
Administration. Kellie is also a recipient of the CCNY LCU
Foundation scholarship.

A rt Stevens is truly an inspiration and
mentor to me, and now so many others.
He has been an invaluable resource

throughout my entire professional career

and I very much value his guidance and

passion for fostering the careers of

young professionals. Receiving the Art

Stevens scholarship was a huge support in lifting a

heavy financial burden for me while attending

college. Beyond the financial support, this

scholarship provided an exciting entrance into the

New York PR community.

In the years that I have known him, Art has become
such an important person in my life and I am
extremely thankful for everything he has done for
me and others. He has had a huge impact on so
many people and I’m very thankful to call him my
mentor and my friend.

The annual Art Stevens Scholars dinner is
something that everyone looks forward to each year
as it provides a chance to reconnect and make
memories with Art, who is so important to us all.
All of the Art Stevens Scholars love him so much
and I personally can’t imagine not having him in
my life! Thank you so much, Art, for all that you do
and continue to do to support us and future Art
Stevens Scholar recipients!

Kellie Jelencovich

Asaf Breier, 2011

Upon completion of his BA degree in Communications from CCNY, Asaf
moved back to Israel where his first job was with Dori Media as an account
manager. He moved to Moblin, a mobile-marketing
company that helps distribute apps around the world.
Through market research and lead generation
techniques, he made deals with businesses including,
FanDuel, Bible.com, and Gett. He went on to work in
business development for a company that optimizes
functionality in large power plants/refineries, where
he created marketing materials, re-branded the
company, and sought out new business connections.

After four years in Israel, Asaf returned to New York to
pursue his passion for real estate. He joined a
small development group in Brooklyn
where they develop land and multi-family
houses. In 2017, he started at the Tavivian
Group (a top 10 team in NY) at Douglas
Elliman. He currently buys, sells, and
develops properties in Manhattan and
Brooklyn.

I actually don't know if Art knows how
much it meant to me to be chosen for
his scholarship award.

Winning the scholarship was the
exclamation point that validated my

collegiate journey.

He chose me not knowing that I was a poor

student in high school, that I had to overcome

learning disabilities, or that I made it into college

by the skin of my teeth. All he knew was that at

that point I was an accomplished student and,

despite a rocky start, was near the top of my class.

In addition, I can't overlook the importance the

financial reward had in my life.

At the time I was struggling to sustain myself
financially. Professors Appelbaum and Tag will
attest that between working in excess of 25 hours
during the weekends teaching tennis and taking
over 20 credits a semester, I was routinely finding
myself crashing during classes. That award meant
that I could focus on my academics and finish
strong in order to leverage my education to join
the workforce.

It's clear that Art is a special human being--caring,
generous, kind hearted--a man who places family
and values over any achievement on a resume.
I'm proud to be among the group of scholars who,
without fail, have shown to all be worthy of being
associated with the name Art Stevens.

Asaf Breier

Caterine Molina-Barfell, 2012

Caterine Molina-Barfell, senior account
executive at Ketchum Sports
Entertainment, has been with the KSE
sports team for over four years. In her
current role, she is a core team member of
the Samsung account, working towards
the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games program. She led the Stryker
Orthopaedics account and their ongoing
partnership with PGA TOUR. In the past
four years, she planned and activated
across 35+ PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR
Champion events.

Caterine is highly involved on sports sponsorship activations and strategy,
research, media relations and client management. Since joining KSE, she
assisted several teams on the creation and implementation of integrated
communications programs across a range of sports properties and events.

A native of Brazil, she was extremely proud to work on high profile
sporting events in her home country, most recently for the Rio 2016
Olympic Games and Paralympic Games with Samsung. Early on at KSE,
she supported Budweiser’s FIFA 2014 World Cup Sponsorship. In addition,
she worked with Liberty Mutual for its 2015 US Soccer partnership
announcement; P&G’s “Thank You Mom” campaign ahead of Sochi 2014;
Pepsi’s 2014 global football campaign; and was part of the team that helped
secure the inclusion of the sport of wrestling in the 2020 and 2024 Olympic
Games.

W ords cannot describe my appreciation for Art's
generosity, encouragement, and support. Ten
years ago, I moved from Brazil to discover a
completely unknown life path. When I
decided to go to college, I was determined to
work as hard as possible, in order to be the

best I could be. I didn't realize, however, that

it was going to require the sacrifice and

struggles that it did.

With my entire family living in Brazil, I went through
emotional and financial difficulties, but eventually I set a goal
of working in PR and seeking an opportunity to work for the
Olympic Games in Rio. My first step to get my foot in the door
of PR required an internship at an agency. But in order to do
that, I had to break away from the "comfort" of babysitting on
weekends. At the time, that seemed impossible because I didn't
have an alternative that would allow me to take a chance. Until
Art. Through Professor Appelbaum, who was my biggest
cheerleader at the time, I was introduced to this wonderful
scholarship.

It was because of Art that I felt empowered to take the chance!
Believing in me, my story and my goals - without ever knowing
me – was the most selfless act I’ve ever encountered. Receiving
the award at The Big Apple Awards gave me the exposure that
I would’ve never gotten without Art. That is where I met
people in the industry who hired me for my very first paid
internship, and eventually my very first job in PR - which
remains until this date! Through this job at Ketchum, I was able
to accomplish my goal of working at the Olympic Games in
Rio. I was extremely proud of being there and gratified beyond
words.

Art, you have a heart of gold, and you’ve made my life so much
better. I hope that one day I’m able to make a difference in
someone’s life the same way you’ve made one in mine.

Caterine Molina Barfell

Brent Reams, 2013

Brent Reams is associate manager of PR at Newell Brands based in
Atlanta, GA.
He graduated from CCNY's Advertising/PR program in 2014, where
he served as the college's PRSSA chapter president. Brent's savvy
Cohn & Wolfe intern application video "Brent the Intern" went viral
and landed him an internship on their health media team. After
graduation, Brent was hired as an assistant account executive and
moved to Cohn and Wolfe's Consumer Group, where he worked on
major brands including Hyatt Hotels, Colgate, Capital One and
Sam’s Club.
Brent is currently part of the in-house PR team at Newell Brands,
leading PR strategy on iconic brands like Crock-Pot, Ball Canning
Jars and Calphalon Cookware.

D uring my time at City College, the Art

Stevens PRSA-NY/ CCNY Scholarship

gave me the freedom to dedicate

myself fully to securing internships that would

pave the way for my future, starting with a year-

long internship at the PR agency Cohn & Wolfe.

That internship turned into a full-time job, where

over four years I had the opportunity to work on

major brands including Hyatt Hotels, Colgate,

Capital One and Sam’s Club. I’m now based in

Atlanta, GA, where I’m part of the in-house PR

team at Newell Brands, leading PR strategy on

iconic brands like Crock-Pot, Ball Canning Jars

and Calphalon Cookware.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Art, for
investing in the futures of City College students,
not only financially, but also with your continued
interest in our success years after graduation.

Brent Reams

Khaled Hassan, 2014

Khaled Hassan was born in Brooklyn, New York
into a diverse Hispanic and Middle Eastern
heritage. At age ten, he moved to Cairo, Egypt
where he spent his formative years until returning
to America for college.
In 2015, he graduated with a Bachelor’s in
Communications with a specialization in
Advertising and PR and a minor in Economics
from CCNY. He launched his career in marketing
as a brand analyst at BAV Consulting where he
studied and evaluated trends in the brand equity
of clients in various industries.

After a year, Khaled returned to school to make a career shift into another
marketing discipline. He attended the Shillington School in New York, a
portfolio school where he studied graphic design and graduated this past
July. Additionally, he has been studying photography to complement his
new skill set and intends to rigorously pursue his passion for the fine and
commercial arts.

However, the arts are not his only goal. The
contemporary political scene and dichotomy of his
upbringing in both the West and the Middle East, and
his Muslim background, have made him an active
participant in the conversation about
American virtues. Working to mediate
between views and offer insights, Khaled
has actively made efforts to bridge the
knowledge gap between Americans and
Arabs or Muslims.

D uring my first semester at the
City College, I was put on

probation for poor academic

performance and lost my

scholarship. I felt like a failure, so I worked

especially hard each semester to redeem my

academic standing. When I was awarded Art

Stevens’s scholarship, it was recognition that

I had made my comeback and it inspired me

to be more confident in myself. After that, I

applied for every scholarship I could find.

Thank you, Art.

Khaled Hassan

Susan Akinyi, 2015

Susan Akinyi, Account Executive at Y&R, graduated from CCNY in
2015 with a BA in Communications, majoring in Advertising and PR
with a minor in Journalism. She gained early experience as an intern
at M Booth in public relations.
She launched her career at Y&R during her senior internship on the
Pepperidge Farm account. After graduation, she was hired by Y&R
as an assistant account executive on the Tyson account for the Ball
Park brand. She moved to the Xerox account as account executive in
November of 2016. She is currently the account executive for
Pepperidge Farm, managing client and agency relations. Susan
reflects, “I feel as though I have found my place in my professional
career.”

C oming from Kenya, I never knew I would be
where I am today. I am a firm believer that
the people you meet along the way are a
huge part of your success and that’s what
Art Stevens means to me—my success.

When I was notified I was a Stevens scholar

in 2015 it was at a time when I wasn’t sure

where I was going to get my tuition—as an

international student that’s a question that you face every

semester. But the Stevens scholarship was there to lift me up

when I needed the help the most and helped me graduate

from CCNY in December 2015.

I now work as an account executive at Young and Rubicam,
one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. Often
when I look back to the road I have travelled to get to where
I am today, there have been countless sleepless nights,
uncontrollable tears, but overall there have been
encouragements, support systems and cheerleaders—which
is what being an Art Stevens Scholar is all about.

I am from a small village in Nyanza, born and raised in
Nairobi, Kenya—but I am a New Yorker because of all the
opportunities Professor Appelbaum and Art Stevens have
provided. I am living out my dreams, those I saw for myself
and those I have been fortunate to discover along the way.

Art, you were brought into my life for a reason—to continue
to show me that I shouldn’t give up on my dreams even
when I don’t know how I will bring them to life. That we can
make complete strangers family and that generosity is an act
that really comes from the heart. You hold a special place in
my heart and I am forever grateful to have met you and to
still have you in my life. What you have done not only for me
but the last 10 scholars. No one can repay you for this, but
what I can say is THANK YOU.

Susan Akinyi

Troy Blackwell, Jr., 2016

Troy Blackwell, Jr. is a graduate of the CCNY Ad/PR class of 2017 and the
ninth Art Stevens PRSA NY/CCNY scholarship recipient. In an early career
spanning the public and private sector, Troy has become a thought leader
on crisis management and digital strategy. He is currently a cultural
ambassador for the New York Yankees Foundation and an educational
consultant for the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, where he helped
organize a gala that raised over $200,000 for the annual scholarship fund.
Previously, Troy worked in the Obama-Biden White House as an intern in
the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. During
this time he served on the communications and press team for Senior
Advisor Valerie Jarrett. Prior to the White House, Troy studied abroad in
Spain and did service learning in Senegal to develop his global
communication skills for the growing global economy. Troy is now in the
process of applying for MBA programs.

W ords can’t thank you enough, Mr.
Stevens! Receiving the Art Stevens
PRSA NY/CCNY Award was one of
the highlights of my undergraduate
career. Education has always been

imperative to me and I knew that the

Public Relations industry was where

I wanted to work. I was in my third year of

college at City College and due to financial

restraints, I wasn’t really sure that I would be

able to finish my degree. It was a very stressful

time for me while in college. However, your

generosity through this scholarship saved the

day and granted me an opportunity to finish

my last year of college.

But it wasn’t just finishing my last year of
college – your scholarship provided me the
opportunity of a lifetime. A portion of it helped
me to be able to spend the fall semester
interning for credit at the White House. It was
in my interviews that I discussed your
scholarship and my interests in the public
relations field, which ultimately led my
supervisors to place me on the
communications team for the senior advisor.
Your continued guidance is one that I am most
honored to have. I sincerely thank you for
everything you have done for me!

Troy Blackwell, Jr.

Oriol Brull, 2017

Oriol Brull is a brand activation
manager at Science In Sport, a U.K.-
based sports nutrition company. He
is a first generation immigrant who
grew up in Barcelona but completed
his high school studies in New York.
After living in a foreign country for
10 years, his family decided to move
back to Spain and two years later
Oriol decided to return to New York
alone, hoping to pursue his dreams
and finally challenge himself to his
full potential.

Oriol is a senior at the City College of
New York, majoring in PR & Advertising, having obtained an
Associate’s Degree in Marketing. In addition to being an honors
student, he demonstrates his passion for the industry as a CCNY
PRSSA Chapter leader.

While currently interning at Germinder & Associates, Oriol has also
been a competitive intern for multiple agencies including sociedAD,
a division of Campbell-Ewald, Batten & Co, an Omnicom
Company. In addition, his expert reporting skills, coupled with his
passion for cars, earned him a spot in the 2017 GM Discover Your
Drive Student Journalism Experience.

Oriol has incorporated his passion for PR and advertising into his
favorite hobby, cycling. He has created a strong brand through
various social media platforms and his own blog. He also serves as
brand ambassador for multiple companies, helping them expand
their reach within the community.

I want to sincerely express my
gratitude for being selected as the
2017 recipient of the Art Stevens
Scholarship. This year marks the
10th anniversary, which makes it

even more special to me to be

honored in such a way. This

scholarship not only offers financial support

to students, it offers us a reward for our hard

work and dedication to pursuing our dreams.

Being part of this incredible group of Art

Stevens Scholars who have achieved great

success in the field is truly an inspiration.

I hope that many other students in the future
have the same privilege as I did in being
selected for this scholarship, as I trust that it
will be a huge part of their success, as it was
for me.

Oriol Brull







Art:

Little did I know that when I embarked on my journey as a
professor at City College 25 years ago, I would have the immense
joy and privilege of getting to know you as a CCNY alum and
PRSA NY colleague.

The significant scholarship you created in 2008 in partnership with
the Ad/PR program and PRSA NY is unique and remains a model
for anyone who wants to support students. Your financial support
is so important, but your personal commitment to the students
through the years is even more inspiring. What a joy for me to be
a part of the wonderful legacy and family of scholars you created.

This book was inspired by you. The pages showcase the
outstanding individuals you helped support and the lives you
helped to shape. These students reflect the amazing diversity of
our program. But what binds them as Art Stevens scholars is their
deep intelligence, drive, and passion for the profession (not to
mention their amazing humanity) that is also your hallmark.

On a personal note: Beyond our wonderful friendship that has
flourished through this scholarship selection process, thank you
for all you have done for me. You have been a role model and
inspiration by encouraging me to excel beyond what I thought
possible in my career: from your leadership on the PRSA NY
board, to nudging me to serve on PRSA’s national board, to your
unflagging support for the PRSA’s Educator’s Award. I would
not have achieved this without you.

Thank you, Art, from all of us who have been blessed by your
wisdom, generosity, passion for our industry and by your desire
to make a lasting difference.

With love and heartfelt respect,

Lynn�