GBA Students Bring a Bit of Color to PS 50

Fordham Graduate Marketing Society help add a little color to public schools.

For many New York City public school students, the idea of going to college is a unique goal. But the idea of going to graduate school might be utterly foreign.

"A lot of these kids aren't even aware that you can go back to school after college," said Julia Zangwill, president of the Fordham Graduate Marketing Society at the Graduate School of Business Administration (GBA).

Before coming to Fordham, Zangwill worked with Publicolor, a nonprofit whose gateway program transforms schools into welcoming environments by getting the student volunteers to repaint their institutional-looking environments with upbeat colors and murals. On Saturday, Jan 25, Zangwill and her fellow society members donned painter's cloths and chipped in to help at Public School 50 in Manhattan.

An important upshot of the project is that the grade school students get to meet and work with graduate school students. With 15 GBA students on hand, the kids got some one-on-one time that opened their eyes.

"Wow, you must love school," seemed to be the initial reaction the students had to hearing how much time can be spent studying after high school, said Zangwill. But that quickly changed when they heard that that their fellow painters were business students.

"The kids were joking . . . asking about what stocks they should buy," said Zangwill.  "They knew the lingo."

The GBA’s Graduate Marketing Society aims to enhance the educational and professional experiences of students and alumni of the GBA marketing program. On Thursday, Jan. 30 they will hold their capstone event when they host a career panel on entertainment marketing. Click here for more information. 

-Tom Stoelker