From Malaysia to Masonic (and beyond)
A Rohingya refugee naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 2025, Nurhaliza Syukur ’26 was born and raised in Malaysia, coming to the United States in 2019 with aspirations of a career in medicine.
UC Improv Club makes it up as they go
No campus organization devoted to your favorite hobby? Improvise.
That’s what Cali Kesses ’19 did in Spring 2017, when she founded UC’s Improv Club. Devoted to the quirky art of improvisational theatre, the club has around ten members who span all majors (Kesses herself is a nursing major). No acting or improv experience is required to join.
“For us, Improv Club is an escape from our heavy course loads,” she says. “A lot of us wanted to act in college but didn’t necessarily want to commit to performing in one of the theater shows on campus.”
Instead, Improv Club’s weekly meetings are informal gatherings where members play acting games, like using a random object (say, a cardboard box) to create a scene and build characters.
“Some games require constant movement, others are slower and focus on individual words, lines, or props,” Kesses says. “Other times we get into smaller groups to watch each other perform and give notes.”
Kesses says the group would like to perform publicly at some point, but for now, they’re busy honing their skills and having fun.
“We are a very small club, but our members are passionate and happy to be involved.”
More Stories
Big little sister
Dr. Franits' book examines texts and other artistic works rendered by siblings of individuals with disabilities, interrogating the impact of disability on the identity of non-disabled siblings.
Local Organizations Give to Utica University’s Tangerine Group Food Pantry
Tangerine Grove received a $5,000 gift from The Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties and a $300 gift from the Genesis Group.
I would like to see logins and resources for:
For a general list of frequently used logins, you can also visit our logins page.