‘Not Self-Made; Community Made’

Every year, Suffolk’s 10 Under 10 awards honor a diverse, dynamic group of recent graduates for the impact they’re already having in their careers and communities.

And every year, honorees like Xin Yi Yap, BSBA ’21, turn around and thank Suffolk for the impact the University has had on them.

“It’s my personal belief that I will never be self-made. I am community made,” said Yi, a first-generation college student from Singapore who now works as a successful cross-cultural trainer and DEI consultant in Raleigh, North Carolina. In particular, she thanked the leaders and staff of the Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion, “who took in an unknowing international student and gave her a home and a chosen family. Without all of you, there wouldn’t be a me and all the things I have accomplished to achieve this award today.”

Tiffany Chan, BS ’13—weekend morning anchor for WBZ CBS Boston and a past 10 Under 10 winner herself—made a lively emcee at the April 11 awards ceremony, her remarks warming up a room filled with their honorees’ family, friends, professors, and other guests.

Those guests included Suffolk University President Marisa Kelly. “What’s especially fun and rewarding for me this year is that I knew many of our honorees while they were here as students,” said Kelly, who joined Suffolk in 2014 as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “Back then, some of you were a bit shy. But you engaged and spread your wings. And wow,” she added, “look at what you are doing now.”

Making their voices heard and felt

After moving to Massachusetts from her native Haiti at age 15, Claudergine Aspilaire Clerphon, BSBA ’16, couldn’t always find spaces where her culture and experiences were represented. So she began creating them, founding Suffolk’s popular salsa dance group Pasión Latina. She then went on to earn a graduate degree in gender and cultural studies from Simmons University—and launched a second dance group, Young Queens Rising, in pursuit of joy and healing for people of color. She thanked Suffolk for the recognition “and for providing the foundation upon which I built— not only my career—but my community engagement. It reaffirms my belief in the power of collective action and the importance of making our voice heard and felt.”

Entrepreneur Ksenia Moskalenko, BSBA ’21, echoed those sentiments, saying, “Receiving this award is not just a personal achievement. It’s a testament to the outstanding opportunities Suffolk provides to students. I’m a proud alumna and I’m determined to continue making a positive impact in the communities I touch in the future.” While still a student, Moskalenko co-founded Mission Space, an international aerospace startup that uses AI-powered software to predict space weather events and develop proper mitigation strategies for industry. She now works as a financial planner and analyst for JetBlue Airways.

Fellow entrepreneur Matheus Fonseca, BSBA ’23, captured the shared sense of gratitude succinctly: “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for all the blessings.” Born in Brazil, Fonseca came to the US at age 5 as an undocumented immigrant, and was later able to gain Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status. While still in high school, he started a game development company with friends. Today, he is the CEO of that company, Moonsworth, whose most popular product, Lunar Client—which allows users to enhance their experience of the game Minecraft—has been translated into 12 languages and has been downloaded more than 20 million times. Fonseca is also a Summa-level donor who supports the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies Fund.

Lucy Pollock, BA ’21, is making her own kind of history—literally. As exhibits manager at Revolutionary Spaces (the Boston nonprofit that oversees both the Old State House and Old South Meeting House), she is part of a team working to tell the story of Boston’s revolutionary past more fully and inclusively. Pollock called it “an incredible honor to be in the position to actually be able to reinterpret these sites,” especially as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary. Her goal, she said, is to foster an “understanding that all of us belong to the same story.”

Igniting a passion for service

Corinne DeCost Brown, BA ’17, wears many hats: Rising actor in independent films and in live shows like Netflix’s “Stranger Things Experience.” Concert promoter for the Multiverse Concert Series combining music and science. Acting teacher and stunt woman. “I utilize all aspects of my Suffolk degree in a way that demonstrates just how cyclical life is, and how every opportunity bleeds into another,” she said with emotion. “Thank you for helping me find and celebrate my most authentic self.”

Molecular biologist Brittania Moodie, BS ’19, MSLL ’23, spoke about the mentors who have shaped her, including her professors and her family—who, as she noted, were joyfully “making all the noise” when her name was announced. A research associate at MIT’s Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, she studies gene expression and cellular bioinformatics. She is also the founder and executive director of the Caribbean Youth Development Institute, where she seeks to bridge learning gaps for underserved children in the Caribbean diaspora. “I do a lot of the work I do just because I believe in giving back,” she said.

After working for several top PR agencies in Los Angeles and New York, Amy Rossetti, BS ’15, founded her own real estate PR firm, R[AR]E Public Relations. Now based in Los Angeles, she regularly hosts young alumni networking events there and serves as an executive officer for the College of Arts & Sciences’ Alumni Board of Directors. “I think when I first joined the board, I was one of the youngest members,” she said. “Thank you for giving me a seat at the table and allowing me to use my voice.”

Attorney Richard Ash, BSBA ’14, JD ’17, a double Ram, was elected to the Quincy (Massachusetts) City Council in 2023; he also serves as president of Quincy Pride, a nonprofit that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion. He credited his experiences at Suffolk with “igniting my passion for public service through a number of classes and real boots-on-the-ground professors. I recall real-world problems, case studies, and current events driving our lectures and syllabi.”

Once a young student with the Red Sox Scholars program—which provides mentoring and college scholarships to Boston Public School students—Lidia Zayas, BSBA ’15, went on to intern with the Red Sox Foundation, its official team charity, while at Suffolk. Today she serves as the foundation’s assistant director of programs. “Throughout my journey at Suffolk, I realized that the community was not just something I wanted to do on the side,” she said. “I really had to make sure that it was infused in my day-to-day life.”

The 10 Under 10 awards are sponsored by the University’s Division of Advancement and the Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Council.