You are cordially invited to join us for the next installation in our series of discussions on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). This collaborative forum between Rio Salado College and American Public University System (APUS) is part of an ongoing effort of both institutions to address and better understand social justice and economic mobility. Join us for a panel discussion of relevant topics featuring students, faculty, and subject-matter experts.Â
Our upcoming event will focus on Pride Month and will feature a student panelist discussion with Judge Franc Perry, a Supreme Court Justice of the State of New York.
Franc Perry was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Ridgewood, Queens.Â
Franc is a graduate of New England College, receiving a BA in International Administration and Communications. Franc was later elected to the Board of Trustees, becoming the youngest and first African American to join the Board.Â
Franc attended The National Law Center of George Washington University in Washington, DC and concentrated in International Law. After receiving his Juris Doctor degree with Honors, Franc worked for a private firm as a medical malpractice defense attorney. Years later he accepted an appointment as a Principal Court Attorney to the Appellate Term, First Department of the State of New York. In 2001, Franc took a sabbatical to earn a Masters’ of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary. In 2004, Franc Perry was ordained as a Pastor.
Answering the call to serve the needs of children and families, Franc returned to law as a Principal Court Attorney for the Manhattan Civil Court and, in 2011, was elected as a Judge of the Civil Court of the State of New York where he presided over Custody, Visitation, and Family Offense Cases. On December 26, 2015, Franc was appointed as an Acting Supreme Court Justice of the State of New York.
Throughout his career Judge Perry has been committed to serving his community including the New York City Youth Board, the National Board of Mothers’ Voices, and OXFAM, an organization dedicated to ending global poverty. He is a member of the NAACP, 100 Black Men, the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, the Foundation for Judicial Friends, and the Go Africa Network. For his extraordinary community service, Franc Perry has received many honors from Borough Presidents, State Senators, and United States Congressmen.
Franc resides in Harlem where he coaches Little League and is the proud father of two.
Alyssa Holmes (she/her) is a transgender female, proud former AMU student, and current member of the APUS Alumni Advisory Council representing the school of Arts and Humanities. She earned her bachelor's degree in 2017 and a certificate in human resources management in 2021. She currently works for Flock Safety as the Field Service Operations Manager and president of the Women of Flock employee resource group.
 My name is Emma Harlow and I am a current student at Rio Salado College. I am from Chandler, AZ but I have lived in San Diego for a few years along with Chantilly, VA. My family finally moved back to Arizona at the start of my freshman year of high school in 2016. I graduated high school in 2020 and joined Rio later that year majoring in Political Science. After some back and forth with changes in my major, I have officially come back to Political Science. I am passionate about civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community and for People of Color. I am wanting to make a career of serving and lifting the voices from under-represented communities, with the focus on bringing attention to minority communities and disproportionate access to clean water, housing, air quality and food. Currently, my hobbies are not the most interesting but I do enjoy being able to play video games next to my boyfriend, go kayaking, or paint with my friend. I am a part of Phi Theta Kappa and was a part of the Honors in Action Research Project where our group focused on the intersectionality of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities and how the individuals within the communities have fought and shaped our civil rights today. I am excited to be a part of this panel discussion today and look forward to learning more through the voices present.
Giselle Velazquez is an openly and proud transgender woman, originally from Mexico, is a current Department of Defense Cybersecurity Scholarship Program (DoD CySP) scholar. She earned her Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Cybersecurity from Rio Salado College in the Fall of 2021, and her Bachelor of Applied Science in Cyber Operations with an emphasis in Defense and Forensics from the University of Arizona in the Spring of 2022. Additionally, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Technology Institute of Merida (Yucatan, Mexico). She currently works as a bilingual translator for a major financial institution.
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Giselle, has led and participated in corporate-wise projects to create a more accepting, welcoming, and tolerant workplace environment at her organization. She was nationally awarded by her employer due to her multiple initiatives to educate employees, management, and senior leadership regarding Gender Identity issues in the workplace.
Giselle’s love of gardening led her to enroll in the Maricopa County Master Gardener Program from which she successfully graduated in 2018. She is currently a Certified Maricopa County Master Gardener; she continues to volunteer with them.
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Giselle is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the international honor society, in recognition of her high scholastic achievement in 2016. More recently in 2020, she was inducted as a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success. In 2021, she was selected as a scholar for the Department of Defense Cybersecurity Scholarship Program, one of the most highly competitive scholarship programs in the nation.
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Giselle is a great example of how immigrants have contributed and continue to contribute to the betterment and success of our nation.
My name is Danielle Fergus and I graduated from AMU in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. While I was a student with AMU, I was a member of Alpha Phi Sigma, the Criminal Justice Honors Society.Â
Since graduating I have held several positions, none of which were super directly related to criminal justice as I got into the IT field and loved it. After many years and a few different positions with different companies, I have finally found a position that allows me to blend the best of both worlds as I am now a System Engineer for Law Enforcement.
My crazy life journey took me over 10 years to complete my degree so it's still an accomplishment I'm super proud of. I continue to remain encouraging of others seeking to complete their degree and continue my education through maintaining several different IT certifications.Â