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Elijah Harris Jr. was known throughout Syracuse as a man who shared his passion for music with those around him. Anyone walking near the Syracuse University campus would encounter Harris who always had a smile on his face and a guitar in his hands. Harris could often be found on Marshall Street serenading people passing by and telling jokes. “His love of music started when he was 8 years old,” says his daughter, Lakisha Harris. “He started playing the guitar at the age of 11. He wanted to spread harmony and his musical gift with everyone.”

In April 2020, Harris was killed while riding his bicycle in a double hit-and-run crash on the city’s South Side. Family, friends and acquaintances were shocked to learn of his death and the circumstances surrounding it. Lakisha wants people to remember not how her dad died, but that he was an amazing artist who put his heart and soul into every performance.

“My dad encountered many struggles throughout his life, but he stayed committed to his music and his journey to touch as many people as possible,” she says. Harris, one of nine children, says her father was very devoted to his family. After performing and sharing his talents with the community, he would go home and entertain them. “He would share his music with his children with the same energy he had on the streets,” she recalls.

While Harris played his guitar at various locations throughout Syracuse—outside the Dome, in front of the Landmark Theater or Civic Center, or NBT Stadium—Lakisha says he especially loved playing near the Syracuse University campus. “He loved Syracuse University and appreciated the love he received back from those he met. The University embraced my dad with open arms from the very beginning, so when my family wanted to create a lasting memory, we chose to establish a scholarship at Syracuse University as a way to honor him and say thank you.”

“Anyone who knew Eli or heard him play understands the power of music, especially music shared openly and freely,” says Michael Frasciello, Ph.D., dean of University College. “University College is honored to be part of his legacy of humor, love and joy. The Eli Harris Scholarship will ensure that Syracuse University part-time students have the opportunity to study and share music as only he could imagine.”

The University College Alumni Supported Scholarship will provide financial assistance to part-time undergraduate students studying music or a related field.

In 2019 Harris won the Founders Award during the Syracuse area music awards. It was an honor that reflected the positive impact he had on the Syracuse community.

“My father would be as excited and proud of this tribute as he was when he received the Founders Award,” says Lakisha. “With the establishment of this scholarship, the family wants to ensure that his legacy will live on. “We want students to know that if they are determined, they can accomplish great things.”

The family is planning a celebration of Eli Harris’ life in April 2021. The event will be free for the community and feature music, food and other activities. For more information on participating in the event, contact Lakisha at elialleyway@yahoo.com.

Cuban native Yusdanie Fernandez, the son of a farmer and a teacher, lived in small town situated between the mountains and the sea. After completing high school Fernandez graduated from college with a degree in nursing and began his medical career as a neonatal intensive care nurse. Later he became an intensive care nurse in the cardiovascular unit.

In 2015, he completed his studies in medicine and became a doctor. His diploma came with an offer to provide medical services in the Cuban medical missions in Venezuela. “I was in a small indigenous town called San Carlos del Rio Negro,” he says. “It was in the jungle of the Venezuelan Amazon next to the Black River and was only accessible by plane. I was able to learn about the culture of the Yanomami Indians and offer them health services in a small hospital that had an emergency room.”

After a year in the Amazon, Fernandez arrived in Miami, Florida, with the help of a religious organization that assisted immigrants looking to resettle in the United States. He soon relocated to Syracuse with the hope of continuing to work in the medical field. Currently, Fernandez manages an Embassy Suites Hotel while he navigates the process and paperwork necessary to become certified to practice medicine in the United States.

Rosa Gomez received a bachelor of science degree in nursing from Calixto Garcia University in Havana, Cuba, followed by specialized training in the ICU. She earned a master’s degree focused on women’s health and has worked as a nurse for 26 years. Since arriving in Syracuse three years ago, Gomez has been working as a medical assistant with the hope of earning the credentials needed to work as a primary health care nurse.

The dream of becoming a doctor came true for Alexander Gonzalez Delis when he completed his studies at the Superior Institute of Medical Sciences in Santiago de Cuba. With two post-graduate degrees in family medicine and one in ophthalmology, Delis worked in three different countries before coming to the United States. His exemplary work as a doctor earned him honorary citizenship in Brazil.

These three individuals and 11 others are sharpening their English language and written skills at the English Language Institute (ELI) through a partnership between University College and Le Moyne College. The Welcome Back Center at Le Moyne is part of the national Welcome Back Initiative which addresses the need for more culturally and linguistically diverse health professionals living in Central New York. The center was made possible through the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Grant, which helps re-train foreign medical professionals.

Jordan Burns, the recruitment specialist in the ELI, says that the relationship with Le Moyne College was established to develop pathways for students to complete English language training to prepare them for college and careers. “Because of our existing relationship with Le Moyne, they requested we partner with them to provide training to these medical professionals,” says Burns. “We were able to develop an appropriate course of study for the students, test them and enroll them in a matter of weeks.”

“The purpose of the center is to help these students get re-certified in the United States so they can practice medicine again,” explains Liz McCaffery, director of the Welcome Back Center. “Developing the students’ English language skills is an integral part of their success and preparedness. The certification process is very complicated and expensive. If our students don’t speak English well, it’s difficult to navigate.”

McCaffery says that immigrants who want to become medical doctors in the United States have to register with the U.S. government as a foreign student through the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECSMG). “The registration process can be cumbersome and there are a lot of steps.”

Delis says that despite his current medical skills, it’s been very difficult to join the health system in the U.S. “Since I’ve arrived in Syracuse, I’ve been searching for opportunities to improve my skills,” say Delis. “The programs at Le Moyne and Syracuse University are making it possible to pursue my goals.”

Olga Oganesyan, assistant director of the ELI, says the participants are taking their learning experience very seriously. “The exam the students are required to take to practice medicine in the U.S. covers not only medical knowledge and terminology, but language skills as well,” she says. “The students are doing very well and are active participants.”

ELI instructor Michelle Sands says that the students are working to overcome barriers such as spelling, pronouncing and writing medical terms in the English language. While her students from Cuba spent several years studying English in medical school, they didn’t anticipate moving to the United States and therefore, did not always retain all of the information.

Sands’ students agree that reading comprehension is a difficult part of the medical board exam, specifically extracting the necessary information to finish within the time limit. “The students in my class are doctors or registered nurses,” explains Sands. “Their ultimate goal is to become certified to practice medicine in the United States.” The English language instructors at the ELI use a variety of strategies to help them achieve that.

“I’m very excited to be receiving this training that will open doors for me to continue to dedicate my life to health care,” says Fernandez. “My experience at the English Language Institute has given me resources I didn’t have.” He says that the ELI instructors consider the various cultures of their students when teaching them the different forms and rules of language. Other students in the program are from Haiti, Congo, Rwanda and Dominican Republic.

There are many aspects of living in the United States and Central New York that the medical professionals appreciate. Fernandez loves living in Syracuse where the lakes and forests are enhanced by the rich history of the region.

Rosa appreciates visiting downtown during the summer while working to obtain the tools she needs to become a nurse. Gonzalez says that being part of Syracuse University is one of the best things that has happened in his new life in America.

Each one of them appreciates the opportunities afforded them through the programs offered at Le Moyne College and University College’s English Language Institute.