From: SIPA Belonging and Engagement Committee (BEC)
Date: February 20
Subject: Community Engagement Newsletter (January/February 2026)


Volume 2, number 3 January/February 2026


Celebrating Lunar New Year and Black History Month 

Dear SIPA Community, 

We hope the spring semester is off to a good start for you.   On behalf of Associate Dean Rodriguez and the Belonging and Engagement Committee (BEC), we join many of our community in celebrating Lunar New Year, and were happy to co-sponsor the festivities hosted by the Office of Student Affairs earlier this week. 

This month, we also honor Black History Month, which has recognized the struggles, contributions and accomplishments of Black Americans since 1976.  We especially recognize the valuable contributions of our Black students, staff and faculty, and the important work of SIPA’s Black Student Union and the SIPA Pan-African Network (SPAN).  On February 20, we co-sponsored an outing for students to the newly renovated Studio Museum of Harlem. 

In addition to the wonderful resources that the Office of Student Affairs has been sharing in its newsletters this month, we hope you’ll explore the many resources and activities sponsored by Columbia University Press, the Schomburg Center, the New York City Parks, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

We look forward to co-hosting more events and activities to support our community, including a Story Slam planned to coincide with Women’s History Month in March.  In the meantime, we wish you a productive and engaging spring semester.

Warm regards,

Jilliene Rodriguez, Associate Dean for Student Life and Community Engagement
Jenny McGill, Michael Nutter and Ben Orlove, 
Belonging and Engagement Committee Co-Chairs

 

Dean Rodriguez’s Corner

Welcome to the start of a new term at SIPA, and a very special welcome to our J-term students. We are so glad you are here. I hope you are beginning to feel settled, supported, and connected as you explore your new community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for orientation sessions and Chill with Jill. It was a joy to spend time together, answer questions, and begin building the relationships that will carry us forward. I am also deeply grateful to those who helped bring our Lunar New Year celebration to life earlier this week. Coming together to honor traditions and cultures across our diverse community reflects the spirit of belonging and global engagement that is the cornerstone of SIPA.

There is much to look forward to this spring. I hope you will join us at upcoming student group events, coffee chats with the Dean, spring Listening Tables, and the many programs designed to foster dialogue, connection, and shared learning.

Here’s to more moments of growth, conversations, and meaningful milestones as we continue shaping this community together.

Community Engagement Leadership Cabinet’s Corner 

Welcome back, SIPA! We’re excited to begin a new semester together and to continue building a community grounded in belonging, respect, and thoughtful dialogue.

The CEL Cabinet brings together students, faculty, and staff to strengthen connection across differences and create spaces where meaningful conversations can happen with care and professionalism. We are inspired by the many ways our community shows up for one another each day.

This spring, we look forward to partnering with SIPASA and the broader SIPA community, and to seeing many of you at upcoming Listening Tables and other gatherings as we continue building a culture rooted in shared responsibility and collective care.

Belonging and Engagement Committee’s Corner 

We were excited to welcome many new student members to our committee (including representatives of several student organizations) at our first monthly meeting of the year on January 28. They bring fresh ideas and concerns that we look forward to addressing with them in the coming months. We were also very happy to participate in the spring semester SIPAFest on February 4. We look forward to collaborating with Associate Dean Rodriguez, the Office of Student Affairs, and many student organizations this spring on more community-building activities and events, including the planned Story Slam in March.

Please contact us at bec@sipa.columbia.edu with any questions or suggestions.
 

OSA's Corner


January and February have brought so much energy and connection to SIPA! ❄️💙

We kicked off the semester by welcoming our new J-term admits through Orientation, followed by a Goal Setting Workshop on January 28 to help students build sustainable strategies for their time at SIPA. Community life ramped up quickly at SIPAFEST 🎉, where Seeples explored opportunities to get involved.

February has already been full of fun programming. We celebrated SIPA Hearts ❤️ on February 13, honoring all forms of care, and wrapped up our SIPA Fantasy Football League 🏈 with a Super Bowl Sunday pre-game gathering. We also welcomed the Year of the Horse at our Lunar New Year celebration 🧧🐉.

In honor of Black History Month, students will visit the Studio Museum in Harlem 🖤🎨 on February 20 and continue receiving reflective and educational BHM newsletters. Later this month, we’ll share a warm and inclusive Ramadan Iftar 🌙🍽 at Earl Hall and host our first Affinity Group Lunch of the semester on February 25, spotlighting our student athletes 🏅.

We are cheering on all students enrolled in Capstone workshops and projects— and encourage any Seeples traveling on SIPA/CU-related travel to take advantage of our robust international travel resources.

Here’s to a strong start to the semester—and many more opportunities to connect ahead! 💙

SIPASA's Corner

I am excited to welcome our new student members to the Belonging and Engagement Committee. On behalf of SIPASA, I very much look forward to working closely with them and collaborating on initiatives that foster inclusion, connection, and a strong sense of community within SIPA. We are confident that their perspectives, energy, and commitment will meaningfully contribute to advancing our mission this year.

CEL Member Spotlight  

 

Sarah Holloway

Faculty Member

Preferred pronouns:  She/her

Role(s) at SIPA:  Director, MPA Program; Co-Director, Tech Policy & Innovation Concentration; Co-Interim Director, Masters in Global Leadership; Senior Fellow for Social Impact @ Campbell Center for Entrepreneurship; Senior Lecturer in Discipline

Short bio:  Sarah Holloway is a SIPA alum and has taught at SIPA for 19 years. Her courses include Social Enterprise, Budgeting, Nonprofit & Social Enterprise Finance, and Design for Social Innovation. She has worked in the nonprofit and social enterprise sector for three-plus decades, focusing on K–12 education, equity, and technology, and is a serial social entrepreneur and co-founder of Mouse.org, CSforALL, CSNYC, The Wellness Classroom, eLab, and Ediphii.

Your favorite aspect of the SIPA community:  My colleagues + students! I love their relentless optimism, curiosity, and desire to make the world a better place. 

One fun fact about you:  I was a DJ and love love love 70s disco and funk.

BEC Member Spotlight  

 

Shawyonia Pettigrew

Staff Member

Preferred pronouns: She/her

Title and SIPA office: Student Services Coordinator, Office of Student Affairs (her office is in the Picker Center on the 4th floor)

Short bio:  Since joining Columbia in 2018, Shawyonia (pronounced “Sha-wan-na”) has become a cornerstone of the SIPA community. As the Student Services Coordinator for the MPA in Economic Policy Management (MPA-EPM) and the MPA in Global Leadership (MPA-GL), she brings her experience to every student touchpoint. Whether she is managing complex graduation logistics, coordinating large-scale student treks to Washington, D.C., or assisting with academic and social events, Shawyonia ensures students have the tools to succeed both on and off campus.

A native of Mississippi and a New Yorker since 2001, Shawyonia’ s professional roots are in media strategy and communications. She holds a B.A. in Communications from the Mississippi University for Women and an M.S. in Communication Studies. Beyond the office, her "core passion" for the arts takes center stage; she is the curator of Moonlight and Mawazo, a sci-fi and fantasy short story competition that champions underserved authors and illustrators featuring diverse characters. From the deep south to the heart of NYC, Shawyonia is dedicated to guiding students as they navigate campus life and the vibrant city beyond.

Your favorite aspect of the SIPA community:  I love the way the SIPA community embraces individualism, while embracing each other’s differences.

Fun fact about you: I was a Girl Scout for 12 years and am the proud recipient of the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Gabrielle Gray

Student Member

Preferred pronouns:  She/her/hers

Degree program:  First-Year MPA – Urban and Social Policy

Short bio:  Gabby Gray is a first-year MPA student in Urban and Social Policy from Long Beach, California. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from San Diego State University and brings a professional background in nonprofit leadership, workforce development, and strategic partnerships. Her work centers on advancing economic mobility, building inclusive institutions, and strengthening cross-sector partnerships that expand opportunity for historically marginalized communities.

SIPA student organizations you participate in:  Belonging and Engagement Committee Student Representative (BEC), Co-President of the Black Student Union (BSU), and Community Liaison for the Public-Private Partnerships Club

Favorite aspect of the SIPA community:  What I value most about SIPA is the depth of the Urban and Social Policy curriculum and the access to faculty who are both scholars and practitioners. Learning from faculty members such as Professor Lincoln Mitchell, Dr. Ashley MacQuarrie-Tomey, Dr. Christina Greer, and Professor Sarah Holloway has made my experience both intellectually rigorous and personally transformative. The relationships built in and outside the classroom have been just as impactful as the coursework itself.

Fun fact about you:   I’m a huge professional sports fan — especially baseball — and a proud, die-hard Dodgers fan! Many of my classmates know me as the go-to person for all things baseball. 💙

Sulaiman Alnasser

Student Member

Preferred pronouns: He/him/his 

Degree program: MPA in Economic Policy Management 

Short bio:  Sulaiman Alnasser is a multidisciplinary professional with experience in global human resources, compensation strategy, and corporate banking. He currently works for the World Bank Group in Washington, DC where he supports global workforce analytics, labor market analysis, and data-driven decision-making. He holds an MBA from The George Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Prince Sultan University.

Your favorite aspect of the SIPA community:  SIPA is a community of grounded and humble yet highly accomplished people. There is a genuine openness; people are always willing to help, share perspectives, or simply sit down for a thoughtful conversation over coffee. That culture of approachability makes collaboration feel natural and learning feel collective rather than competitive. It’s a place where intellectual rigor and personal humility genuinely coexist.  

Fun fact about you: In 2021, I bikepacked from Washington, DC to Pittsburgh, PA, traveling via the C&O Canal and Great Allegheny Passage trails.

RESOURCES

Photos from Lunar New Year Celebration in OSA
(February 17)