Carolyn Monastra
Professor Carolyn Monastra teaches in the NCC Art Department. She has two climate-related
websites, TheWitnessTree.org and DivergenceofBirds.org
"I have taught at Nassau Community College for 18 years. I love the diversity of
our student body—especially that we have students of all ages and cultural backgrounds.
I've always been an environmentalist, but the motivating spark for my interest in
climate awareness happened in 2010 when I was driving from my home in Brooklyn to
NCC. I was listening to a radio interview with climate activist Bill McKibben. He
noted how much carbon dioxide a gallon of gasoline puts into the atmosphere. I was
so stunned by this that I needed to 1.) change my commuting habits (I bought a second-hand
bike to ride to and from LI train stations to campus and 2.) use my photography to
address this critical issue. I began The Witness Tree – a documentary global climate project – while on a teaching sabbatical in 2011. Currently, I am working on Divergence of Birds which is a conceptual project about climate impacts on birds. Changing our personal
habits is important but changing climate policies on a systemic level is the only
way we are going to see any lasting change for future generations. It is hard to pinpoint
one memory as there are so many small moments of inspiration in all my classes. But
I remember being delighted by how tightly knit one of my Photo 1 classes became so
soon after the pandemic. One of the students had started a Group-Me chat and that
led to them sharing information and supporting each other throughout the semester.
It was a special experience to witness how well they worked together. I now encourage
new classes to do the same."
Recent Posts
Carolyn Monastra
Professor Carolyn Monastra teaches in the NCC Art Department. She has two climate-related websites, TheWitnessTree.org and DivergenceofBirds.org
Dec 6, 2023 | NCC
Fabiya Amin
Fabiya Amin is one of three NCC Criminal Justice students accepted into the Nassau County Pre-Law Society. The program only accepts a few applicants each year and then works with them through their undergraduate years and acceptance into law school.
Nov 15, 2023 | NCC
Jo Latimore
Jo Latimore is one of three NCC Criminal Justice students accepted into the Nassau County Pre-Law Society. The program only accepts a few applicants each year and then works with them through their undergraduate years and acceptance into law school.
Nov 14, 2023 | NCC
Stanley Pan
I served in the United States Navy in Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, II and at Camp Pendleton with the 5th Marines. I was also deployed to Okinawa, Japan twice. Stateside, I knew that Nassau Community College has a reputation for being very military friendly, and when I got here, it was true.
Nov 10, 2023 | NCC
Eryka Membreno
"I served in the United States Navy in San Diego from 2014 to 2021, first on the USS Harpers Ferry and then on the USS Rushmore. When it was time for me to attend college, I chose NCC because it's veteran friendly and offers many different programs.
Nov 10, 2023 | NCC
Robbie Rosen
Professor Robbie Rosen of the Music Department is an accomplished and published song writer and music producer.
Oct 27, 2023 | NCC
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