TESTIMONIALS
I’m just so glad that it wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder, and other students and people really enjoyed the idea. It was just a great way to get to know the people that you see everyday, while also being able to exercise your ability to tell stories. The best part about it was what everyone brought to the table. Goodman had such great questions about people that I might not have thought about, each bringing humor or humility into it. Having a team of people working towards a huge project and everyone was really pulling their weight, and I’m not just saying that. Now, everyone who is still a part of that original team wants to do it again — Raphael, Ken and Tara. One of the things I always wished I had was more time, more time and more time: and with the coronavirus, everyone was gifted more time, and college really is a time where you have a ton already. So, I think For The Record does just that, lets you use that time to tease out ideas in a bunch of different mediums.
I knew this too, the first year was going to be such a rough sketch — and now, it’s just so clean cut and looks so great and professional. The project has become really something that Goodman envisioned, from last year and this year both. I truly think every year has gotten better and better, and I’m just really proud.
BERNADETTE HOGAN ‘18, FTR Founder & Former Marist Circle Managing Editor
For the Record is a project that I hold close to my heart, and one that I believe has cemented an important spot in Marist’s history. Everyone has a story to tell – where they have been, how they have gotten here, and where they are going. College plays such a critical role in who we are and who we will become – For the Record shines light on that special transformative period, showcasing the amazing impact that an individual can have and a preview into the leaders that many of these students will surely become. I am thrilled to see For the Record continuing and look forward to reading this year’s stories.
BRIAN EDSALL ‘17, Former Marist Circle Managing Editor & FTR Editorial Associate
Moving to Europe has given me a rare perspective of the powerful role For The Record represents for students. It’s something to get accepted into college but it is a totally different thing what you do while you’re there. College for so many is a place where you want to try things out and where your identity is shaped. I realize more now that the most memorable experiences were shared. For The Record 2020 is a representation of the legacy one’s story could have on campus long after they are gone. This feature will be the last one captured by a pioneering student photographer Ken Huang as he heads home to his country of Taiwan. This is his story, too, one that begins with his journey to the Hudson Valley to join Marist College as an undergraduate student studying digital media and art. Ken Huang has captured 100+ students throughout his undergraduate career at Marist. His work ethic and impact on visually sharing these stories will live on.
GOODMAN LEPOTA ‘18, Former FTR Executive Director & Marist Circle Publisher
It was an honor to share my story with For The Record. Hopefully, it inspired others that have been through similar situations that I have been through to keep striving for greatness and to never give up. I’m thankful for the opportunity!
ISAIAH LAMB ‘19, Former 2018 FTR Recipient
It was such an eye-opening experience to be selected for For The Record in 2018. I am so grateful to have such a beautifully written piece about my life — it really put my journey into perspective. Sometimes I go back and read it to remind myself of how far I have come and it motivates me to continue to push myself. The For The Record team did such a great job and I hope they continue to applaud students on their unique stories and share them with the world.
CLARA LAMAI MAURI ‘18, Former 2018 FTR Recipient
With life full speed ahead to an elusive destination, rarely do we stop to consider the array of experiences forged along the way. But For the Record carves out a space on campus for us to do just that—freeze stories in time, learn from them, draw inspiration from them, empathize with them, and perhaps most remarkably, relate to them. The project began with the goal of highlighting accomplishments, but it very quickly evolved with the knowledge that success is neither definable nor generalizable. It’s instead a product of transformative journeys. I remember interviewing my peers—many of whom I’d never spoken to before then—and being moved to tears not by their tangible feats but by the perspectives and purpose they’d come to realize. Their stories, each unique yet utterly human, still resonate with me to this day. I think ultimately, FTR gives us small glimpses into students’ souls through the lens of other students, providing the type of emotional connectedness we’re all fundamentally craving.
ALYSSA HURLBUT ‘19, Former FTR Editorial Associate & Marist Circle Editor-in-Chief
My experience with For the Record was eye-opening and just a glimpse into the ways that our stories shape us. I am a huge believer in getting to know people’s stories and experiences to create a better world. FTR allowed me to share parts of my story, and learn more about the stories of many other amazing people at Marist.
QADAN MOHAMED ‘19, Former FTR Recipient
For the Record was such a valuable and inspirational opportunity which has offered so much value and application in the working environment. Not only did I enjoy the process of sharing my story, but I particularly enjoyed learning more about my classmates and the diverse culture Maris has to offer. I found myself extremely impressed by the talent, drive, and unique skill-sets Marist students demonstrated through the project. Overall, participating in FTR was a fun, humbling experience and I look forward to watching the program advance.
TREVOR TUTHILL ‘19, Former FTR Recipient
As a young and upcoming ‘mover-and-shaker’ it’s easy to be discouraged when it feels like you are not moving the mountains you set out to. For the Record is a beautiful opportunity to share your work and vision, and be celebrated by peers and the Marist community as a whole. It was, for me, like the rally at the 13th mile to keep pushing to continue the race.
ANOKA BILLIPS ‘19, Former FTR Recipient & SGA Vice President
I've always enjoyed listening to interviews, whether it's Oprah or Jimmy Fallon or HBO, it's such an amazing way to learn and be inspired. I loved the first For the Record issue and I knew I wanted to be a part of it and get a behind the scenes look at the interviewing process. The entire project wowed me. I developed a greater appreciation for the amazing young people on campus. It made me excited to follow their stories and motivated me to follow my goals and build on my own story.
MADDIE CASALINO ‘19, Former FTR Editorial Associate
My For the Record experience was a special one. It felt great to take time to celebrate the individual journeys that brought us all together here in the first place. It was just as exciting to inspire each other with what we had planned for our futures.
STEVEN RIZZO ‘18, Former FTR Recipient
Being a recipient of this was truly an amazing experience and an honor. It’s important to recognize students because they go above the everyday expectations. Sometimes I didn’t feel like all my hard work was worth it. Being celebrated by friends and classmates helped me be more confident about my achievements. It was also an eye-opening experience because I learned so much about fellow students that I would not normally know, which really helped me feel like more of a part of the Marist community.
EMMA ARABIA '18, Former FTR Recipient
Writing for For the Record was a very humbling experience because I got to learn about students who created amazing things and overcame extreme adversity- often while being a typical college student. Getting to know their stories was a very humanizing experience that, for me, brought the ideal of the “Marist community” closer to a reality. “For the Record” created connections, collaborations, and inspirations between students that would otherwise not have happened. Not only did I love being able to witness and be a part of the formation of these relationships, “For the Record” served as a constant reminder that the most extraordinary stories do not need to be crafted— they exist within the lives of ordinary people.
SARAH FRANZETTI '19, Former FTR Editorial Associate
Bernadette Hogan ‘17 and Goodman Lepota ‘18 are both extremely compelling visionaries who sought out to tell the stories of their peers, by their peers. Since then, For The Record has continued to do just that, and we are thrilled to present its third edition with dynamic artwork that presents individual stories of our Marist community. I remember spending hours in a library study room with Goodman, the Marist Circle’s Publisher at the time, drafting the nature of the second edition of For The Record. Goodman was a MasterCard scholar from Johannesburg, South Africa, who came to an American university to study business. Today, he works at Google in Dublin, Ireland, as an Account Associate for the Sub-Saharan African region. He had a story that was meant to be told — yet, he wanted to use his perspective to tell the stories of other students with some similar, and largely different, individual stories. To me, that was a true example of leadership — where a talented student did not want to be recognized, but wanted to spend his own 4 years at Marist telling the stories of his peers. Bernadette described her mission in curating the project in “sharing the stories of some, to inspire all.” This mission has stood with us ever since, and we are proud to present a third edition of compelling stories that surround us every day, on campus and abroad, through compelling journalism and art.
TARA GUAIMANO '20, FORMER FTR EDITORIAL ADVISOR & FORMER MARIST CIRCLE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
I’ve always loved reading the stories that For the Record releases. I was a student when FTR was introduced and it has remained the most touching and motivational project on campus. This year’s project was the extra light that I think we all needed, especially with the addition of the vibrant colors. I was impacted by these stories more than ever; Charlotte Uwimana’s in particular resonated with me, so much so that I reached out to her. This project not only highlights extraordinary students, it highlights the passion and dedication of the team behind the scenes. The work speaks for itself.