Staff

Staff

Taruna Sadhoo

Campus Director

Taruna Sadhoo is the Campus Director of the Queens College CUNY Service Corps program, and has worked at Queens College since 2019. Currently, she is responsible for managing the CUNY Service Corps and Big Buddy programs within the Experiential Education Department. Prior to joining the CUNY Service Corps team at Queens College, Taruna was the Senior Director of Community Engagement at UNICEF USA. Within this role she was responsible for leading the development, management, and expansion of the organization’s community, youth, and volunteer mobilization strategies.

With a passion for international development and education, Taruna has taught in Guyana, Brazil, Ethiopia, and China.

Taruna also served as the Assistant Director of Student-Alumni Programs at Columbia University. Before working at Columbia University, Taruna spent three years at Queens College, City University of New York, as an academic advisor and coordinator of specialty advising – serving first generation and non- traditional college students on campus.

In 2011, the City Council of New York presented Taruna with a Proclamation for devoting her career to the empowerment of women and children. She holds a Masters in Higher and Post-Secondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and a BA in Psychology from Queens College, City University of New York.

Taruna is a proud military wife and mother of Naomi, 2 years old and Ethan, 4 years old.

David Jang

Program Coordinator

Luca Xia

Program Coordinator

Luca Xia is a rising junior at CUNY Queens College (Class of 2024). He is currently undecided but he is considering a path of an Education major, specifically, teaching English as a Second Language in a public school. It’s always been his passion to share experiences with others, including his journey as an English Language Learner.

Luca has served as a mentor at the Kessler Bridge Program during the Summer of 2021. It sharpened his communication skills and allowed him the opportunity to meet some brilliant upcoming QC freshmen. He volunteered as a Teacher Assistant for four years in high school, which was my favorite experience of all time. He got to build a mentor-mentee relationship with my favorite teacher. He trained Luca’s skill to stay organized and taught him the importance of staying in discomfort.

Luca was a bronze member of the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Program. He learned trail recognition, shelter building, and fire ignition. He has done numerous hiking trips with participants from other countries, which inspired his love of nature and greens. In his free time, he loves skateboarding to places he has never been to. He likes to draw because it calms my anxieties and enjoys journaling his thoughts and how his days went. Luca also loves to work out because it allows him to channel his negative emotions through various exercises. He loves mentorship because he has been a mentee for years! He has always been the one receiving the advice, but now he wants to be like his mentors.