Influential 2016

When you go to NYU, it’s easy to be cynical. The inevitably of failure isn’t an easy thing to come to terms with. Going to class, nabbing internships, making connections — these are the things that make it seem like the ground beneath your feet is speeding up, whether you’re ready to run or not.

The 10 distinguished individuals on the following pages don’t subscribe to any of that. Their compassion mitigates cynicism. Their admiration for failure and ability to learn from it keeps them grounded. Their ambition to take big-world problems and fight them within the confines of our diverse university is astounding. Even though they’ve been ready to run for quite some time, they hang back and make sure the rest of us learn how to walk first.

I want to first thank all those who wrote for this issue. We need writers who are open and willing to delve into the details to tell the multifaceted stories of Influentials, and that’s exactly what we had. Additionally, it must be noted the care that each editor put into refining these sprawling stories into the beautiful, packaged versions you see before you. So, thank you to Editor-in-Chief Alex Bazeley, Deputy Managing Editor Grace Halio and Assistant Managing Editor Abbey Wilson. Thank you to our copy team — Anna Yao, Zoe Hall and Qianqian Li — for preserving the holiness of AP style.

If you’re reading this in print, know that my deepest thanks go to Creative Directors Easton Self and Wen Ni, as well as Laura Shkouratoff and Rachel Buigas-Lopez, both of whom had a large hand in designing this beautiful issue. Without them, you would be holding a Microsoft Word template brochure, replete with both clip and word art. Similarly, I extend my thanks to Digital Director Nina Jang for those of you who are viewing this online.

Of course, boundless thanks go to Multimedia Editor Anna Letson, Deputy Multimedia Editor Polina Buchak, Deputy Photo Editors Euan Prentis, Veronica Liow and Ryan Quan and Deputy Video Editor Viola Mai. To all of you: your eye for the aesthetic is divine.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not thank the 10 students featured in this issue. Your love for your communities and your ability to see the scope and impact of your actions are inspiring — both NYU and the world are better because of you.

Photos by Anna Letson. Design by Laura Shkouratoff and Rachel Buigas-Lopez.