Current EHP members
CLASS OF 2025
LEAH BRONSTEIN
is a rising senior pursuing a double major in English and Linguistics. As a 5th generation New Yorker, she's proud to have found a home at CUNY through Lehman's Adult Degree Program. When not in class, Leah works at an independent bookstore in Brooklyn where she helps folks of all ages find their next great read. After graduation she hopes to return abroad to teach English as a Second Language.
WANDA GALVA
My name is Wanda Galva, and I am an English major with a concentration in literature. After graduation, I would like to teach to help people find ways of expression through literature and writing. I want to be able to make English fun and awakening. In my free time I love to just be with my family, dance, and journal. One day I would like to start writing my own books to help those who think that they’re alone. I would love to use my voice to offer a sense of comfort and guidance to the world.
Yubelka Nuñez
Yubelka C. Nuñez is a senior with a double major in Psychology and English, with a specialization in Creative Writing, and a focus on poetry. A lifelong lover of both the performance arts and the power of words, she danced, sang, and acted until finding a special refuge in self-expression through poetry at the age of ten. Despite the many turns life has taken for her, fluctuating between an interest in science and artistic expression, a career in healthcare and a short-lived two-member music band, writing has remained a constant source of healing, introspection, and empowerment. She would love to continue to challenge herself as a writer and learn to write the poems, plays, songs, and short stories that have been stirring within for some time. Yubelka Nuñez has words in Bronx Community College’s Thesis and The Communicator, and Lehman’s Obscura. She hopes to move on to grad school and become an educator as a way to uplift and serve her community.
ASHLEY SOTO
Ashley Soto is a first generation Latinx scholar majoring in English, with a concentration in literature. Her love for literacy and different mediums flourished during her time as a mentee of the Girls Write Now Organization. She looks forward to the possibilities the future holds after graduation; considering the countless doors open for her to explore, especially furthering her education through a graduate program. She hopes to inspire her little brother in any way possible as the eldest sister. During her down time, she enjoys painting and baking.
Emely Tavarez Lima
Emely Tavarez Lima is an English major with a concentration in Literature and a minor in middle and high school education. She comes from the Dominican Republic and has surpassed many of the struggles language barriers impose. She loves watching sci-fi shows and reading poetic pieces, romance, historical fiction, and fantasy. She aspires to be a high school English teacher and pursue her Master's degree right after she completes her undergraduate degree. Emely believes writing a book sometime in the future is a possibility. She finds comfort in the pages of books where love is prophesied to be the greatest force of all. Through books, she lives over a hundred lives and finds in them a magical realm where she can find strength in vicarious living.
Alixia Viniel
Alixia Vinielpayano is a English Professional writing major with a minor in Human Resource Management. I have recently fallen in love with books and the stories that entrap you in a fantasy like reality, I have also realized that I enjoy letting others experience these fantasies for themselves. I am part of the Lehman Meridian, the student newspaper and have been aiding fellow students as they bring voice and knowledge to the Lehman Community. I did not start off my Lehman experience as an English major, but each class I’ve had the opportunity of taking throughout the semesters have taken a major part into making my decision.
Debra Curtis-Green
is a transplanted Brit with a 15-year-old son, who has lived in Manhattan for seventeen years. Now a Junior at Lehman, she is an English Major focusing on Creative Writing. Back in the day, only 7% of her generation went to college so instead Debra worked and played with the arts, entrepreneurial and corporate worlds, whilst travelling extensively and living in France and the Southern Hemisphere. Having collected reams of “fodder for the book,” she has spent her time at Lehman College exploring genres of writing including short stories and playwriting, to tell her tales.
Kaira Gore
Kaira Gore is an English major with a specialization in creative writing. She enjoys reading funny novels and daydreaming about her idealistic future which she often worries about. As for her writing, she likes to think she's in a relationship with it. She fights with it, argues with it and then makes up with it. Kaira also has a knack for collecting CD's, reading and writing poetry and endlessly crying over her love for French bulldogs. She hopes to publish her own poetry and story collections one day, after she resolves her fear of rejection of course. After graduation, Kaira hopes to continue exploring her love for writing and wishes to figure out where she should take her steps through this thing called life.
Reem Ockeh
is an English literature major minoring in middle and high school education. She loves watching movies, reading romance and mystery novels, baking for friends and family, and painting in her free time. After graduation Reem hopes to teach high school students while working towards her PhD before ultimately becoming a professor of English. Reem aspires to develop a unique writing style that allows her to write and publish novels of her own someday.
Brianna Rivera
Brianna Rivera is a rising senior majoring in English Literature at Lehman College and a proud Macaulay Honors student. Deeply connected to her Puerto Rican heritage, Brianna actively participates in traditional dance and finds joy in celebrating her cultural roots. Beyond her cultural engagements, she has a passion for exploring new cultures through travel, which enriches her academic and personal experiences. Brianna aspires to write her own novels someday and has a deep appreciation for the editing process in writing. In addition to her academic and creative pursuits, Brianna is a mentor to young women, guiding them in achieving their personal and academic goals. She is excited to continue her studies and contribute to the vibrant academic community at Lehman.
Rosana Tavarez
Rosana Tavarez is an English honors major with a concentration in Literature and a minor in Middle School and High School education. Educating the future generation has always been a way that she wanted to give back to her community. So after graduating Rosana hopes to become a teacher and eventually get her Phd to become a college professor. For hobbies she creates content on TikTok, Instagram and Youtube. She also enjoys to bake and write on her free time.
