Harleny Vasquez is the founder and CEO of yourEVOLVEDmind, transforming career development by empowering the next generation of professionals. A first-generation Latina and licensed social worker, she has guided thousands of college students, recent graduates and early-career professionals across U.S. universities, colleges, and organizations, helping them navigate career uncertainty with confidence and purpose. A nationally recognized career coach, speaker, and LinkedIn Learning instructor, Harleny draws on over a decade of experience in social work and recruitment to support first-generation professionals and the next generation in building meaningful careers. Her innovative approach has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, HuffPost, and Hispanic Executive, and she is co-author of Latinx/e in Social Work Volume 2. Through yourEVOLVEDmind, Harleny delivers transformative workshops and personalized coaching that combine clinical expertise with cultural understanding, helping individuals navigate career uncertainty and build careers they love.

Dave Steck is a New York City-based filmmaker and contemporary artist with a practice that combines creativity and technology to tell stories that connect with viewers across a wide range of formats and mediums. With an extensive and award-winning background in commercial film and television production, Dave’s films have screened at The Hudson River Museum, World Parkinson Congress, the 2024 Summer Olympics’ OLY House, the World Health Organization’s 2024 Health For All Film Festival and in over 60 film festivals worldwide. His photography, digital work and metal sculptures have been shown in multiple galleries and his multi-screen public art video installation have received over 1MM+ views. Besides being a part-time faculty member of CUNY's Hunter College, Dave is also the Co-founder and Executive Director of the YoFi Fest Film Festival and Digital Media Arts Center, where he has presented 1200+ films, 90+ workshops, and moderated 500+ artist talkbacks since 2013.

Dr. Shelly Eversley is Professor of English and Interim Chair of the Black and Latinx Studies department at Baruch College, City University of New York (CUNY), where she designed the Bachelor of Arts in Black and Latino Studies. She is also Professor of English at The Graduate Center (CUNY), and Faculty Chair of the Futures Initiative. Most recently, she is the author of African American Literature in Transition, 1960-1970: Black Art, Politics, and Aesthetics (Cambridge UP). She has published and/or edited essays and special issue journals on literature, race, and culture.  Her new book on cold war surveillance, censorship, and Black literary survival is forthcoming with Duke University Press. 

Andre Perez has dedicated his professional and academic careers to CUNY and is deeply committed to CUNY’s mission of providing access to quality, affordable education. As a first-generation college student, Andre has been part of the CUNY community since 2009, starting with his AA at Borough of Manhattan Community College. He has earned a BA from Hunter College, an MA from Brooklyn College, an MPhil from the Graduate Center, and is currently a doctoral candidate at the Graduate Center, focusing on curriculum development in Composition and Rhetoric.