For the Roman Family of Brooklyn, Graduation IS a Family Affair

Three Members of This Multigenerational Clan Will Walk the Stage During NYU School of Professional Studies Convocation Ceremonies

This year’s NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) graduation is a family affair for the Roman household of Brooklyn. Jerry Roman, a residence hall resource manager at the NYU Office of Residential Life and Housing Services, and daughters Brianna Roman and Natalia Williams will walk the stage at their respective NYU SPS Convocation ceremonies, which will be held on May 19 and 20 to celebrate their many academic achievements.

“I’ve always spoken about the value of education to my children, I drilled it into their heads, and it’s my turn now,” said Roman, who has worked at NYU for 26 years and served as co-chairman of the NYU RISE (Residential International Student Engagement) program for 10 years. He completed a BS in Leadership and Management Studies from the NYU SPS Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies (DAUS) in May 2020 while raising four daughters ages 22-31. Unable to attend an in-person ceremony due to the pandemic, he will celebrate his accomplishment on May 20 at the Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom, during a combined afternoon Convocation ceremony for the Classes of 2020 and 2021, which will acknowledge those who were unable to attend ceremonies in person those years.

While at NYU SPS, Roman has excelled in his studies, graduating summa cum laude. He values the education and mentoring he received from the DAUS faculty members. “Our professors really took an interest in what we were doing,” he recalled. “They would stay after class, answer questions, and talk to us about our personal and professional trajectories, and what we wanted in life.”

Roman’s youngest daughter, Brianna, will graduate from the NYU SPS Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport with a BS in Sport Management on May 20, participating in the Convocation ceremony that will be held in the morning for 2022 graduates. “Not only my dad but most of my family went to NYU,” she noted. “It seems like I’ve been wearing my NYU t-shirts and using NYU folders forever.” Among her fondest memories was dorming in the same building in which her father worked.  “He would text me to come downstairs as if I was still living at home,” she reminisced. A talented athlete, she plays varsity softball at NYU. Already coaching softball at the pee wee and high school levels, she hopes to work in athletic management after graduation.

Natalia, who currently works at the NYU School of Law, will earn an MS in Event Management from the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality on May 19, participating in a Graduate Convocation at Radio City Music Hall. Graduating with her family members is “so surreal because we’ve been talking about it for so long.” The married mother of a young daughter, Natalia recounted, “My dad always said as long as you are on track with school, you are on track with life. I will give my daughter that same message.” Natalia ultimately hopes to work for an event production company after graduation.

Roman’s daughter Lauren also has a connection to NYU SPS. She earned a BA in Social Sciences with a concentration in psychology from DAUS in 2014 and an MS in Human Resource Management and Development from the NYU SPS Division of Programs in Business Human Capital Management program in 2016. The mother of a three-year-old, she described her experience at NYU SPS as “awesome.” “I met a lot of great professors who provided us with hands-on knowledge we could use in the workplace.”

Roman’s eldest daughter, Yvonne, who lives in Florida, did not attend NYU. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Florida International University. And like her sisters, she has benefitted from NYU as well, because it also covered her tuition.

As he reminisced about working at NYU and the amazing opportunities it has afforded, Roman is forever grateful. “Thanks to the educational benefits provided by NYU, I have been able to put my daughters through college. We joke that all of the degrees they have earned belong to daddy.” He added, “I am so proud of all of them and everything that they have accomplished. I know they will each go on to achieve great things.”