By: Rami Mansi
A class of 11 students, an experienced professor, and one office dedicated to the campus’s cultural community, the Immigrant Students Success Office (ISSO), held the grand unveiling of their new mural on March 3.
The mural, titled “Beyond Boundaries,” was painted and supported by a network of offices and members of the Brooklyn College (BC) community. Led by the Fall 2025 ARTD. 3414 course, this mural was supported by the BC Art Department, ISSO, Office of the President, Office of Finance, Office of Diversity and Equity Programs, Office of the Provost, and Dean of Visual Media and Performing Arts.
ISSO’s headquarters, Roosevelt 117, was filled to the brim with Brooklyn College students, faculty, staff, and colleagues of the artists. Light refreshments and pizza were served to guests, but many of the attendees chose conversations as their entree for the evening. On the room’s smartboard, a time-lapse video played showing the artist’s efforts to paint the mural over the course of an entire semester.
Dr. Jesus Perez, Director of ISSO, communicated in starting remarks about collaboration with your neighbors in uncertain times.
“The students who made this wonderful image really understood what the students want […] in terms of care. […] More and more we are faced with difficult times and challenges, the communities [around us] are gonna get us through.”
Introduced by Dr. Perez, leader of the mural project, Art Professor Julia Cocuzza brought up to the front the award-winning CUNY Presidential Professor of Art, Archie Reed, who had prepared a few words.
“[Murals] are serial broadcasts of love, eponymous discussion, and duty that flew into the hallways our students hurry by each day. [Murals] are the most positive and sustaining kind of propaganda, or in this case, security, medicine, the manual care, the skill, and discipline, evidently in these builds,” Professor Reed shared with the crowd who were listening with open hearts.
The mural itself takes up the exterior wall of ISSO’s headquarters. The color palette is expansive: crimson red blends naturally onto the canvas alongside sunset orange, bright yellow, grass-like green, and midnight blues. Imagery of birds flying and butterflies fluttering away is as scattered along the artwork as the linework is precise. In the center lie almost luminescent flames with sunflowers and purple flowers, but one must look down in the center for the thesis of this piece. Two dark-skinned hands hold a baby bird in their palms. The baby bird, all black, except of their red beak and red-orange-yellow ombre chest, sits in the seemingly larger-than-life hands. Geometric shapes line the background of this mural, in contrast to the realist forefront painted by the students and their brushes.
Professor Cocuzza proceeded to invite the student artists up for a round of applause and to have them share personal reflections on their experience.
After a handful of students shared their time spent in the classroom, they were all gifted a sunflower, and the happiness of one became the shared joy of all in the room.
With the formalities officially completed, the room’s population was led outside to where the artists were lined up in front of the mural and behind a single line of ribbon. The ribbon was cut by the class in awe, the applause was heard from across the hall, and the pizza boxes were opened for all.
Professor Cocuzza discussed how important trust was in collaborating with ISSO when speaking with The Vanguard.
“I adore ISSO, and they were an ideal partner on this project. A community mural like this is always a uniquely complicated creative problem with many partners to accommodate and even more voices to amplify into a single cohesive artwork. Trusting the artists is crucial, and ISSO showed us that warmth and confidence throughout.”
When approached with the idea of having a mural based on ISSO, Director Perez was emotional.
“Our office exists because of the stories, courage, and resilience of immigrant students, so the idea that students wanted to interpret that experience through art felt incredibly meaningful.”
The mural is directly aligned with ISSO’s mission at BC.
“At its core, ISSO’s mission is about creating a sense of belonging for immigrant students and ensuring they know they are seen, valued, and supported at Brooklyn College. This mural helps make that mission visible.”
Perez continued, “Murals have always been powerful forms of storytelling, especially in immigrant communities. They celebrate history, identity, struggle, and hope. This mural does exactly that: it reflects the journeys of immigrant students and reminds everyone who walks by that their presence on this campus matters.”
The mural is described as an idiosyncratic project to be tasked with leading. Professor Cocuzza describes how, although she has been doing this for multiple semesters, she is still learning about the process alongside her students.
“Fall 2025’s mural is our fourth project completed to date. Previous experience always informs and improves my approach, but honestly, every year is a unique creative problem to solve with a new wall, new community partner, and new squad of students to lead.”
When observing the mural in its final form, Director Perez can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the message it conveys.
“Seeing the mural completed was an emotional moment for me. I felt a deep sense of pride, gratitude, and reflection. Pride in our students, who bring so much strength and brilliance to this campus. Gratitude for the artists who took the time to listen, learn, and translate those stories into something beautiful. But I also felt something deeper: a sense that this mural captures the spirit of what we try to build every day in ISSO: a space of hope, resilience, and possibility. For many immigrant students, higher education is not just about earning a degree; it represents sacrifice, family dreams, and the courage to build a better future.”
Perez reflects on the mural as a reminder to why he is working in higher education and supporting the students who utilize ISSO.
“Together, we agreed that the mural should be something powerful, something that sends a message to the Brooklyn College community and to New York City that our doors are open and that we are inclusive of all who seek knowledge, care, and opportunity. This mural reflects our commitment to serving and supporting our students and their families.”
Continuing, Perez states, “More importantly, it invites the broader Brooklyn College community to see us, to join us, and to help build the kind of institution we all hope to be part of, one that truly shows up for everyone.”
For more information about ISSO, please visit their office at Roosevelt 117 or check out their Instagram: @issobc.