IC News

BOLD Trilogy, the third cohort of students in Ithaca College’s BOLD Scholar Program,  will implement a year-long transformation project, titled “BOLD Trilogy: Empower.” This cohort will utilize $18,000 in funding from the Magic Grant award that was given to the second cohort for their project. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the majority of the second cohort’s project was unable to take place. So now, this cohort will use the funds to help a campus and community area in need of change.

Following the murder of George Floyd on May 25 and the protests that took place shortly after the conclusion of their junior year, the members of cohort leaned on each other for support and to help process the tragedy.

During this time, they decided that their senior-year campus transformation project would be centered on educating the Ithaca College community on racial justice issues while uplifting Black individuals and the Black Lives Matter movement. In their grant proposal, the scholars stated that they wanted to create an “opportunity for students and community members to engage further with the issues and dialogues around racial justice and to learn how to best contribute to justice in our Ithaca community.”

“Our hope is to uplift the Black community, Black folks, Black businesses, and honestly to support all communities of color in whatever way we can,” said Carolina Jeronimo ’21. “We want to help and connect as many people as we can through this program and educate ourselves and others on the Black Lives Matter movement.”

The cohort has several initiatives lined up to further this goal. Throughout the month of December, they’re highlighting local Black-owned businesses via Instagram and giving away coupons and gift cards. Future events include virtual guest speakers, workshops centered on the topic of food insecurity and food deserts and a May graduation celebration for Black seniors, held in collaboration with the college’s Center for IDEAS.

The events reflect the collaborative nature of the students involved.

“We spent a lot of time really getting to know each other, building our skills individually and as a cohort, and figuring out what we were all collectively passionate about,” said Paula Rodriguez ’21.

Even though this year's project will look different than previous ones due to the nature of remote instruction, the scholars are still dedicated to cultivating spaces to produce the change they hope to see in the world, and to leave an impact.

“We put a lot of sweat, tears and time into creating this project and trying to think of the impact it could have, because that is important to us,” said Chanelle Ferguson ’21. “This grant allows us to cater to this community, and to an issue that isn’t just a moment, but a movement.”

While the projects are only designed to last for one year, the students hope to create long-lasting outcomes and relationships in the Ithaca community that surpass the students’ time at IC.

“I think the impact that they want to have is creating a sustainable program where they can continue to educate Ithaca College students, staff and faculty, and to build connections with Black-owned businesses and organizations in Ithaca to network where folks can find resources, information and community,” said Sam Elebiary, director of the BOLD Program.