University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: May 17, 2007

By KEVIN FRYLING
Reporter Staff Writer

Thanks to a strong belief in the power of public education and public service to transform individuals and communities, Jenna Chrisphonte has accrued an impressive record of activities and accomplishments over the course of an active undergraduate and graduate career at UB.

Jenna Chrisphonte, a second-year UB law student and student representative to the UB Council, thinks she’s a better person when she’s helping others.
PHOTO: NANCY J. PARISI

Chrisphonte represents all UB students to senior administration as the student representative to the UB Council, and more than 1,200 graduate and teaching assistants as the chief steward for the Graduate Student Employees Union. She also is the graduate assistant for UB's Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), working with more than 200 underrepresented undergraduates across campus.

"It's a choice in life," says Chrisphonte, a second-year law student. "You can either participate or not participate. I think I'm a better person when I'm actively involved and helping other people."

As student representative to the UB Council, Chrisphonte participates in regular meetings with community leaders from throughout Western New York and reports on student concerns and activities to President John B. Simpson, Provost Satish K. Tripathi and UB Council members.

"I know I want to work in the public sector," says Chrisphonte, noting that her ultimate goal is to combine her passion for educational issues and legal training. "I ran for UB Council [because] I wanted to understand the issues concerning access to education. It's been a wonderful experience. Everyone has been so gracious and I've learned a lot."

One of the student activities on which she has presented to the council is the CSTEP/STEP Day of Service, a statewide event in March in which 40 UB CSTEP undergraduates and graduates visited the Buffalo Public Schools to talk about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and the emerging information society.

"I reported that UB students care," she says. "My generation has been labeled as apathetic, but that's not true. Certain students want to help, but they're not sure how to start because they're unfamiliar with the region."

The presentation brought suggestions from officials about places where UB students who are new to Western New York can go to learn about opportunities for local volunteerism, she says, noting that other issues she's brought before the council include student concerns about policies related to on-campus apartments.

As the CSTEP graduate assistant, Chrisphonte helps coordinate numerous projects for CSTEP in addition to the one about which she spoke to the UB Council, including visits to local cultural events, speakers and the statewide biannual Graduate Awareness Conference in which UB hosts hundreds of CSTEP students from throughout the state for workshops, presentations and a graduate school fair. She also helps provide advice to undergraduates in the program on topics related to navigating the graduate school application process, such as writing personal statements or requesting letters of recommendation.

"We get a lot of great, smart, hardworking undergraduate students who, for the most part, come from humble backgrounds and are working really hard to acquire the skills and the training to become viable professionals," says Chrisphonte, noting that helping students involved in the CSTEP program has been "a pleasure."

But the experience she points to as the first that sparked her professional interest in educational access are the two years she spent teaching English to underprivileged high school students in the suburbs of Paris, France. The recipient of a bachelor's degree in French and history from UB in 2002, Chrisphonte credits Gerard Bucher, a professor of French in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, College of Arts and Science, with encouraging her application to the Académie de Versailles for a teaching position after graduation.

"A lot of the students I worked with in the Parisian suburbs had parents who were immigrants and a lot of similarities to what you would see in the New York public schools where I'm from," says Chrisphonte, who was born in Haiti and raised in Queens. Watching her French students' determination to succeed "irrespective of their backgrounds" was "inspiring," she says.

"The issue of access to education isn't by any means limited to the New York City public school system," Chrisphonte adds, explaining that the problem persists in both nations, although the United States and France are among the wealthiest countries in the world. "It's systemic and it needs to be addressed."

While she says she's grown more involved "behind the scenes" as a graduate student, Chrisphonte has been an active member of the university community for many years. Her undergraduate experiences include student assistantships in several offices on campus, as well as service as a student manager in the Student Union and as a resident assistant in Wilkeson Quadrangle and Pritchard Hall. In addition, Chrisphonte remains involved in the Haitian Student Association as an advisor.

"I've always been everywhere," she laughs. "I've just been privileged to have been placed in a position where I can participate in everything UB has to offer."

As a participant in the Educational Opportunity Program as an undergraduate, Chrisphonte received both a Graduate Educational Opportunity Program Scholarship and New York State Regents Professional Opportunity Scholarship upon enrolling in the UB Law School. She is also a recipient of the 2006-07 J. Scott Fleming Scholarship, which recognizes student leadership and volunteerism.

The oldest of three siblings, Chrisphonte says her sister, Jassine, received her UB degree at the general commencement ceremony on Sunday, and brother Jerry, also a UB alumnus, is working for an investment company in New York City.

"All of us are really thankful for everything UB's done for us," she says.