Namrata Kupte
General Colin L. Powell will be remembered as a man of extraordinary accomplishment: a trailblazer, a role model, and an inspiration. And he was a proud son of City College, a person from humble origins who never forgot where he started. The son of Jamaican immigrants, born in Harlem and raised in the South Bronx, when it came to college, it was CCNY or nowhere, as he often reminded us. He found ROTC here, and he discovered his purpose and direction. He went on to greatness, but he never left this College behind.
The Colin Powell School reflects his vision, his passion, and his never-ending belief in the essential nature of this place. He devoted enormous amounts of time and resources to the school. General Powell committed himself to every student who walked through our doors. He loved this place, and loved meeting every one of them. He would show up early to meetings on campus so that he could stand in front of Shepard Hall and meet students as they walked by. He’d hear their stories and tell them his own. He would encourage them to work hard and pursue their dreams. He always reminded them—and all of us—that “they’re just like I was” some 65 years ago now.
The outpouring of love and respect for General Powell has been extraordinary. On this page, we have gathered tributes from students, alumni, faculty, staff, as well as prominent public figures, all of which recognize the central place that City College and the Colin Powell School played in his life and his legacy.