AC President Marie Aiello ’04 (AAS) and Vice President Krista Gurevich ’16 (MFA1) Have Made the Council a Great Way to Expand Your Network

NYSID’s Alumni Council is led by two dynamic designers. President Marie Aiello ’04 (AAS) heads her eponymous firm, which specializes in high-end residential and hospitality design. (Marie Aiello Design Studio’s first hotel project was featured in our fall 2022 issue.) Vice-President Krista Gurevich ’16 (MFA1) designs for Robert Kaner Interior Design, which is best known for high-end residential projects and is also led by an alum. (Kaner ’02 [AAS] is this issue’s “Visual Thinker.”) When alumna Leslie Robinson ’21 (MFA1) caught up with the pair, they were excited to discuss the new Alumni Council Scholarship, which was first awarded at Gala 2023.

Leslie Robinson: How and why did you become involved with the NYSID Alumni Council?

Krista Gurevich: I joined NYSID’s MFA1 program in 2013. I was super active at the College, and my work-study assignment was in the development office under Samantha Fingleton. She tapped me, and I think Marie around the same time, for involvement with the Alumni Council. I’ve been a part of it ever since.

Marie Aiello: I got my first professional design project while I was still at NYSID, and when I graduated, I felt like I was on my own as a designer. When I had big design questions, I didn’t know whom to go to except my fellow students. And a lot of us didn’t have the answers. So it’s important to me to create an Alumni Council that’s a safe place where alums can ask questions and feel supported.

LR: What’s fun and beneficial about being in the Council?

KG: As a student, I really enjoyed being involved with NYSID. And as an alumna, I like giving back by encouraging other alumni to be active with the College and each other. We offer a way for you to create connections or rekindle friendships that go beyond business acquaintances.

MA: I really enjoy giving back to NYSID. I try to give back as much as I can, and I think creating a strong alumni community is something that I, Krista, and the rest of the Council really believe in. As we say in our mission statement, we’re committed to creating bonds between past, present, and future. And I really want to deepen those bonds.

LR: Could you tell us about some of the social or networking aspects of the council?

MA: We have several Zoom events each year. We hosted an in-person event in November 2022 for NYSID alumni and students. It was a big success. We talked about what the Council is doing and the goals that we have, including our new scholarship fund.

In February 2023, we had an event where NYSID faculty member Robert Arthur King spoke about Black architects of the 19th century. Our events are often available to the full design community because it isn’t just about us, it’s about the design world too.

KG: We also had a “lunch and learn” event with graduate students in December. We’ve had Zoom events with students as well, where we discussed our experiences as NYSID alumni. We host graduate and undergraduate student events. It’s important to make our presence known to everyone.

LR: What exciting Council events are currently on the horizon?

MA: For our future events, we are considering more in-person events that are outside the College. Perhaps an architectural tour of Manhattan, or a tour of the National Arts Club.

KG: We’ll host another in-person event this year. We don’t have full details for that yet, so stay tuned.

LR: What else is next for the Council?

KG: We’re looking to grow the actual physical Council and have a greater presence in alumni life, NYSID life, and design community life. Along with sponsoring activities, we’ll continue building our brand and our identity. We’ll continue to raise funds for the alumni scholarship. We’ll also explore ways to partner with the different groups and departments of NYSID.

LR: What should we know about the Alumni Council Scholarship fund—why is it so important?

KG: We take our philanthropic approach very seriously. It’s built into our mission statement. Our scholarship is something that this Council created. It will be awarded at the Gala on an annual basis, as it was this year at Gala 2023. We raised money for it through our Zoom events and our other ways of soliciting alumni support. The award is $5,000 this year and will continue if alumni support it.

There’s never been a scholarship that’s been fully funded from the NYSID alumni, so this is like a whole new chapter. For alumni to be able to donate to a specific scholarship and then see who it benefits is very fulfilling.

MA: When you donate to a scholarship and you actually see the beneficiary, that makes it all worthwhile. This scholarship is also important because many people are working while going to school, and if we can help one of those people, it means everything.

We’re working toward making this an endowed scholarship because we don’t want a one-and-done type of situation. We want this award to be long lasting.

LR: How can alumni and current students get involved with the Council?

MA: There’s so much work to be done—spearheading an event, coordinating an event, working an event. But it’s also anything from helping us do an Instagram post to, if you’re a current student, helping us get the word out on campus.

KG: We’ve got committees and positions, but it’s about the person-power it takes to put on an event, make the phone calls, and get communications written. We need help not only coming up with ideas but also driving them to fruition.

We’re always looking for people interested in getting involved with the Council. It can be a big involvement, or it can be a small involvement. We know everybody is super busy, and the Council really isn’t about dollars. It’s so much more about working together and building synergies and processes. The Council is about us as a community. 

To inquire about joining the Alumni Council, reach out to Development & AC Manager Samantha Fingleton at samantha.fingleton@nysid.edu.