Jake Nill (he/him)
Associate Director
[email protected]
Jake graduated from CCNY in 2019 with a BA in Political Science and double-minors in Community Change Studies and Women and Gender Studies. Transferring to CCNY from Suffolk County Community College, Jake hit the ground running as a student leader, especially with our LGBTQ+ student community. He was president of CCNY’s LGBTQ+ Open Alliance Club and an intern with VOCAL-NY’s Queerocracy, an NYC LGBTQ+ youth community organizing group. in 2021, Jake earned his MA in Urban Affairs at Queens College. During graduate school, he served as an intern with Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Young Leaders, as a Queens College Urban Studies Teaching Assistant (TA), and as a policy analyst intern for the Hetrick-Martin Institute. Jake’s master’s thesis is a call-to-action toolkit for New York City’s elected officials to more effectively understand and act to solve LGBTQ+ homelessness, especially among New York City youth.
Jake is also a CCNY representative for the CUNY LGBTQIA+ Consortium and the CUNY LGBTQI+ Council. On the Council, he serves as co-chair of the Outreach & Online Presence Subcommittee and member of the CUNY LGBTQI+ Student Conference Subcommittee.
Bikeldy Betances (they/she)
College Assistant
Bikeldy is a Senior studying Photography while also minoring in Psychology. This is their third year as a College Assistant at the LGBTQ+ Student Lounge and they use they/she pronouns. She loves listening to all kinds of music and spending time with friends. One of their biggest passions is dance and they would always put their best energy into performances.
Derrick Thomas, Jr. (they/she)
College Assistant
Derrick is a junior majoring in Political Science and International Studies, with a concentration in Global Studies. They are currently in their third year as a College Assistant at the LGBTQ+ Student Center, where they support student programming and help cultivate an inclusive and affirming campus community.
A dedicated and evolving public servant, Derrick is a second-year Moynihan Public Service Fellow at the Moynihan Center at The City College of New York. Their commitment to public service began early, serving as a legal intern with the New York State Unified Court System from Summers 2022 through 2024. During this time, they developed a deep appreciation for the principles of law and justice, initially setting them on a pre-law path.
In 2025, Derrick’s trajectory expanded following an apprenticeship with Dr. Tatiana Carayannis, former Leader-in-Residence at the Moynihan Center. Through this experience, they interned with the New York City Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (ENDGBV), where they gained critical insight into the intersection of law and public policy. This work solidified their belief that meaningful change requires both systems to operate in tandem, inspiring their goal of becoming a civil rights attorney and policymaker.
Derrick is also a recipient of the prestigious Paul A. Volcker Government Internship Award for Fall 2025 and has been selected for the NEXT Gen Summer Policy Academy at UC Berkeley as part of the 2026 cohort—further underscoring their strong commitment to leadership in public service.
In addition to their academic and professional pursuits, Derrick has demonstrated extensive leadership on campus. They began as a Senator in the Undergraduate Student Government in Spring 2024 and were later appointed Student Ombudsperson and Delegate to the University Student Senate in Fall 2025. They have served on the CCNY LGBTQ+ Center Student Advisory Committee since Fall 2023 and are the Founder and former Chair of the Queer Student Alliance Subcommittee (QSAS) of the CUNY LGBTQI+ Council. Derrick also currently serves as President of the Open Alliance club, continuing their advocacy for LGBTQ+ student voices and community building.
Outside of their academic, professional, and leadership commitments, Derrick enjoys writing poetry, dancing, making music, crocheting, and cooking—creative outlets that reflect both their passion and individuality.
Keily Alarcon (she/her)
College Assistant
Kei is a Junior Art major concentrating in Digital Design and minoring in Psychology. She goes by she/her and this is her second year as a College Assistant for the LGBTQ+ Student Lounge. She enjoys doing anything creative from drawing to dancing and will accept any creative challenge that comes her way.
Josh Perez (he/him)
Student Worker
Josh is a mixed media artist that is majoring in studio arts. Currently a undergraduate senior, soon to graduate, and is a new student worker at the LGBTQ+ center. Some of Josh's passions involve oil painting and sculptural ceramics works.
CCNY LGBTQ+ Student Center All Stars
former staff members that made the CCNY LGBTQ+ Student Center amazing!
Alexander Henry (He/She/They)
College Assistant (2022-2024)
Alexander born in Jamaica, They Immigrated to the United States back in December of 2016 and has been on a new adventure ever since. Graduating with an associates in Liberal Arts at BMCC before transfering to CCNY. Here at CCNY they have now started to go down the path of a degree in psychology and also a minor in theater. Apart from academics, they are an avid lover of k-pop and Korean culture as they are apart of many active dance crews and directs and participates in many dance covers especially performing on stage and their favorite k-pop groups are April,WJSN and Fromis_9. They also love anime and perform. Along with their rediscovery in the arts of acting, Alex is also trying to gain their own love for themselves and their identity and making a mark on the world with their kindness and energy and wants to make other people not only see the love and value of themselves but also motivate them to showcase their best selves at all times.
Last Updated: 03/28/2026 16:26