Did you know that Staten Island has the largest Sri Lankan and third largest Nigerian population in the U.S.? And 59% of Staten Island is natural green space? Jasmine Cordona and Sabine Salandy speak about the CUNY community on Staten Island, where over 40% of the students are first generation college-goers. With the importance of this “place”, Jasmine and Sabine speak about “finding your purpose in your career journey”. They share their first-hand knowledge, forging their own pathways as first-generation college graduates, and now, as leaders at the College of Staten Island, CUNY. With a passion for design, Jasmine and Sabine boldly provide opportunities and high quality education for the students to engage in their communities and develop skills in technology, development, design thinking processes, social justice and entrepreneurship.