Queensborough Students Named to Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) 2025 All-New York Academic Team
Queensborough Community College students Md Rashedul (Rashid) Islam and Pedrocia De-Sosoo have a lot in common. They both enrolled in the fall of 2023 and engaged in student leadership roles, research and service learning.
Now they have been named to the 2025 All-New York Academic Team for Phi Theta Kappa (PTK), the international honor society for community colleges which recognizes students for their academic achievements, leadership, and community involvement. All recognized students will receive a medallion and certificate at the All-New York Academic Awards Ceremony on April 29, 2025.
“Both Mr. Islam and Ms. De-Sosoo are passionate scientists,” said Dr. Emily Sohmer Tai, Professor, History and long-time advisor of the Lambda Sigma Phi Theta Kappa Chapter. “Ms. De-Sosoo's commitment to "fellowship" and "service," also hallmarks of Phi Theta Kappa, has also been manifest in her charitable work in her native country. We have been lucky to have them both as members of our Lambda Sigma Chapter.”
Rashid, a Computer Science & Information Security major, has thrived at Queensborough developing technical expertise and participating in medical and radiation research in the physics department. He was a 2024 summer mentor to high school students in the CUNY Research Foundation program. Currently, he is a scholar in the CUNY Research Scholars Program (CRSP) and this semester he is also a College Assistant in the Office of Strategic Initiatives and Advancement at Queensborough. In 2024 he took part in the Undergraduate Research and Creative Works Day as well as the Spring Student Symposium.
Pedrocia, a Computer Science & Information Technology major, has garnered many accolades including being named a 2025 semifinalist for the Cooke Foundation Transfer Scholarship. The 467 semifinalists were chosen from a pool of more than 1,600 applicants and attend 212 community colleges in 43 states. The rigorous selection process assesses candidates on their exceptional academic ability and achievement, demonstrated financial need, perseverance, and leadership. Her additional achievements have filled out her resume beginning with her participation in the Collegiate Science Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) and a 2024 summer internship at Brookhaven National Lab through the radiation safety certificate program. She is also Vice President of the Science Research Alliance at Queensborough to match students with internship and research opportunities.
Off campus, Pedrocia is the co-founder of a non-governmental organization (NGO) to help provide technical training and support services to at risk youth in the community. Upon her graduation from Queensborough in the spring, Pedrocia plans to continue her education, and pursue a career as a software engineer focusing on quantum mechanics and artificial intelligence (AI).
Rashid’s commitment to community service is through the Kupferberg Holocaust Center (KHC). This semester he is assisting with welcoming visitors, introducing exhibits and distributing educational materials. Additionally, Rashid received a certificate of completion for the Department of Energy (DOE) Core for Radiological Control Technician via the Universal Training and Testing Academy of America (UTTAA). His practicum was at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and he visited the Atomic Museum located in Las Vegas.
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