CCNY student Fairuz Omar Raya has been selected to participate in The New York Times Corps mentorship program.
Fairuz Omar Raya, Class of 2027 at The City College of New York, is a member of the third cohort of The New York Times Corps, a talent-mentorship program for undergraduates to develop relationships with and receive career-building advice from Times journalists.
Raya, a graduate of Bronx High School of Science, is a political science major in the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership and a journalism minor in the Division of Humanities and the Arts. She has interned with the NBCU Academy.
At the Times, she has been matched with Jeanna Smialek, who covers the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy, and will meet with her several times a year. The idea behind the mentorship program is to focus on quality career guidance and laying a foundation for success in the field of journalism. The program aims to attract future journalists from underrepresented groups, such as students of color and/or students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, and to develop a diverse talent pool both for The Times and the industry at large.
Raya is one of 20 national students selected for the cohort, a highly competitive program. The students will have access to speakers and training sessions throughout their undergraduate journey. Upon graduation, the highest performing students might be accepted into the Times Fellowship, the newsroom’s one-year work program for up-and-coming journalists, or be referred to other newsrooms.
This year’s cohort includes another CUNY student, Christian Rojas Linares, of Baruch College, who is paired with The Times’ Michael Johnson, a senior audio producer.
Students in the Corps are also from Texas Tech University, Florida State University, Los Angeles Pierce College, Boise State University, Lehigh University, University of Georgia, Texas Tech University, Bowie State University, Samford University, Muhlenberg College, University of Connecticut, University of California, Davis, Kennesaw State University, University of Alabama, Appalachian State University, Pennsylvania State University, Las Positas College, and University of Central Florida.
Since the Times Corps launched in 2022, it has graduated 60 students.
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Thea Klapwald
e:
tklapwald@ccny.cuny.edu