Muse Alumni

ART

Isabelle Fernandez (2020) Assistant Educator for Student and Teacher Programs at The Frick Collection. 

Isabelle graduated from Hunter College as a Muse with a BFA in Studio Art and a minor in Art History. As the Assistant Educator for Student and Teacher Programs at The Frick Collection, Isabelle works with the museum’s collection to create engaging art lessons for visitors, students, and teachers.

Colleen Cash (2015) Vice President of artnet.

Colleen graduated from Hunter with a Special Honors BA via the Thomas Hunter Honors Program. She is now Vice President of Artnet, selling photographs, prints, and other contemporary art to clients around the world.

Gillian Ochoa (2021) is a Senior Account Executive, Galleries at artnet.

While at Hunter, Gillian completed many impressive internships including The Brant Foundation, Sperone Westwater, and the Appraisers Association of America, among others. Gillian graduated from Hunter with a BFA in Studio Art.

Ezra Benus (2016) Program Manager for Disability Artists Fellowship at United States Artists.

Ezra graduated Hunter with a major in Studio Art & Jewish Studies BA. He is an artist, educator, and curator, who addresses a range of themes in his art such as time, care, pain, and illness/health by tapping into his background and experience in Jewish studies, art history, and the embodiment of disability.

EDUCATION

Livia Horn-Scarpulla (2019) Educator.

Livia graduated from Hunter with a degree in Media Studies and Art History. Since then, she started working as a Development Assistant at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, a not-for-profit with the mission to create a fertile and nurturing environment for artists and arts groups. Currently, Livia works as the Development Coordinator at Learning Spring School, a K-8 space for students on the autism spectrum.

Samantha Elkaim (2015) Educator.

Samantha graduated as a Muse Scholar with a BA in English Literature. She teaches 11th and 12th grade English at a public high school in lower Manhattan and was recently highlighted in an article in The Cut called “She Just Wants Her Students to Keep Talking.” Samantha was interviewed about the challenges and triumphs of online learning during the pandemic.

TECHNOLOGY

Gregory Rocco (2016) Co-founder of Spruce Systems.

Gregory Rocco (2016) Co-founder of SpruceID. Gregory graduated from Hunter with a Special Honors BA and a minor in Environmental Studies. He then completed a Master’s in Digital Humanities from The CUNY Graduate Center.  He is currently working on technology that enables users to own and control their own digital identity and data (privacy, protection, etc). Greg is an alumnus of YCombinator, and has been a mentor for multiple startup accelerators and hackathons.

ACCOUNTING

Amanda Saw (2016) Senior Associate at EY.

Amanda graduated from Hunter, Magna Cum Laude, with a BA in Accounting. Amanda is now a Senior Associate at Ernest. & Young, one of the largest global accounting firms in the world.

MUSIC

Robert Bronchard (2016) Doctor of Musical Arts.

Robert completed both his B.Mus. and M.A. in piano performance at Hunter. He performed with the Hunter College Symphony twice as a concerto competition winner. He has performed at Steinway Hall, Lang Recital Hall, The Kościuszko Foundation, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland, and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. Robert is also a certified Suzuki teacher and is passionate about music education.

Emily Hopkins (2015) Harpist.

Emily graduated from the Muse Scholar program with two Bachelor’s degrees in Music Performance and Media Studies. She is a professional electroacoustic harpist, composer, and YouTuber who mixes the harp with emerging music technology including pedal effects, modular synth, and other forms of sound manipulation. Her most recent notable work includes being a featured performer on the soundtrack for the Dreamworks feature film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023). Emily is currently composing and recording for short films, video games, and art installations from her studio in Long Island, NY.

CREATIVE WRITING

Cierra Martin (2019) Poet.

Cierra graduated from Hunter as a Muse Scholar with a dual bachelors degrees in Media Criticism and English Literature. Martin is a Brooklyn based poet and performer. Her work explores the difficulties of dismantling and growing from generational sadness, ferry boats, and ghosts. She also has been involved with The Poetry Brothel and The Poetry Society of New York projects for over three years.

Ruby Hutson-Ellenberg (2016) Writer.

Ruby graduated from CUNY at Hunter College in 2016 with a B.A. in English. Since graduating, Ruby received an MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Northwestern University in 2021. Her one-woman show The Ache premiered in June 2022 at The Den Theatre in Chicago, IL. Chosen by a committee consisting of Thomas Bradshaw, David Tolchinsky, Zayd Dohrn, and Erin Courtney, Ruby’s play Kitchen Clinic was workshopped in 2021’s Festival of New Works. Her screenplays have placed in competitions with BlueCat and Finish Line. 

MEDICINE

Krisha Mehta (2017) Medical Student at Stony Brook.

Krisha graduated from Hunter and the Muse Scholar Program with a double major in Studio Art and Biological Science with a concentration in Neuroscience. While she attended Hunter she completed research work at NYU, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and also served as an art curator and volunteer art therapist. She currently attends Stony Brook University School of Medicine. Krisha and her colleagues worked on developing an arts enrichment program at Stony Brook Hospital to use art as source of healing and companionship for patients. She also hosted painting nights for her classmates, and is currently working on designing a mural for the shared spaces in her school.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Sofia Chelpon (2016) Private Coach.

Sofia graduated from Hunter with a BA in Environmental Studies. After earning two Earth & Atmospheric Science master’s degrees at CUNY’s City College of New York and the Graduate Center, Sofia decided to change course and pursue what has always made me feel at home – sports, fitness, and health. She operates her own private coaching business, Credible Strength & Fitness, and teaches strength & conditioning at Red Hook StrengthWorks, a woman-run & operated training facility. She brings the same care and attention to detail from her science career to her coaching. 

MEDIA

Aissatou Bah (2020) Departmental Assistant at Viacom CBS VDS Team.

Aissatou graduated from Hunter with a BA in Communication and Media Studies. She landed many impressive internships while in school at institutions such as New York City Center, Walt Disney Television, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She is currently doing creative brand work for Viacom CBS VDS Team.

Ilana Krugolets (2017) Associate Producer at ABC News.

Ilana earned a BA in Media Production from Hunter College and graduated with honors as the Salutatorian of the 2017 class. Immediately following her graduation, she was hired as a Production Associate at ABC. Now Ilana is an Associate Producer at ABC News where she produces and edits promotional on air content for ABC’s shows such as Good Morning America, The View, 2020, Nightline, World News Tonight as well as The Oscars, AMA’s and CMA’s. 

Hera Andre-Bergmann (2016) 2-Time Emmy Award Winning Segment Producer at MLB Network.

Hera received a BA in Media Studies from Hunter and interned as a Sports Intern for NY1 News. She went on to become a segment producer for both the NHL Network and MLB Network, winning two emmys for her work. She continues to work in baseball as a Content Product Manager for Topps/Fanatics, and plays guitar around the city for one-off shows at 54 Below and also with her band Smooth Brain.

SOCIAL WORK

Ashton Santo (2015) Policy Research Intern at Drug Policy Alliance.

Ashton completed his BA in Multi/ interdisciplinary studies at Hunter and went on to complete his MSW at the Silberman School of Social Work. He has worked for the Ali Forney Center focusing on social justice education and is currently researching progressive drug policies at Drug Policy Alliance.

DENTISTRY

Sapna Punj (2018) Dentist and Indian Classical Dancer.

Sapna graduated from Hunter with a BA in Chemistry and a Dance Minor. She graduated from NYU College of dentistry in 2023. Sapna also performs, teaches and produces with her Kathak and Bharatnatyam dance school, For the Love of Dance.

Danielle Rays (2019) Dentist.

Danielle graduated from Hunter with a BA in Human Biology. She studied to be a Dentist at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine.

LAW

Nelly Gordpour (2016) Legal Intern at New York International Arbitration Center.

Nelly graduated from Hunter with a degree in Sociology and a Legal Studies Minor and is now a graduate of Cardozo School of Law. There, she was part of the Human Rights Clinic at Cardozo and had the opportunity to advise the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Brazil on advocacy strategy and issues related to illegal deforestation. She is currently a legal intern at the New York International Arbitration Center.

Samantha Fowler (2017) Lawyer.

Samantha graduated from Hunter with a BA in  media studies. Samantha continued her education at Suffolk University Law School and received her Juris Doctor in 2022. She currently works at Wayfair as its Litigation Counsel.

COMMUNICATIONS

Leah Drayton (2018) Publicist for the New York Public Library.

Leah graduated from Hunter with a BA in Media Studies and English. Leah was also a Hunter Mellon Arts Fellow and completed an impressive internship at Lincoln Center Theater.