By: John Jay Sports Information
This week, johnjayathletics.com caught up with former student-athlete Izabela Jagustyn ('16). Jagustyn was a four-year member of the women's cross country team. The Glen Cove, NY native was a consistent runner for the Bloodhounds. She was part of the program that took home the bronze medal at the CUNYAC Championship from 2012 - 2014. In her senior year, the Bloodhounds finished in second place at the conference championship. In 2013, Jagustyn was invited to run at the highly contested NCAA Atlantic Regionals.
1) Where has life taken you since you graduated from John Jay College of Criminal Justice?
After graduating from John Jay, I traveled and lived in Sri Lanka where I attained significant hands-on experience in the mental health field. There, I prepared therapeutic activities in the hospital wards with service users in different stages of their recovery, worked in a variety of other projects including teaching English to young adults and children, and used initiatives to come up with creative activities to stimulate service users' imaginations to improve cognitive and motor skills. This gave them a foundation of practical experience with the mentally disabled population. Upon my return, I was driven to confine my research upon the correlation between mental health and art, thus leading me to completing a masters program in Creative Art Therapy and Counseling.
2) What personal or professional accomplishment(s) are you most proud of since you graduated?
Due to all my travel and adventures, I started collaborating with a food blog called Honest Cooking where I conduct online publications for an international online culinary magazine with the ambition to truly change the face of online food media (
http://honestcooking.com/author/izabelajay/). I create engaging content to post on the Honest Cooking website and collaborate with brands to develop engaging content for readers/visitors of the website. I am currently in the midst of writing my first book which will explore art therapy and cultural diversity around the world. Pushing the bounds of what art therapy is and how it impacts people with different cultural backgrounds.
3) What are you most proud of from your time as a Bloodhound?
My greatest moment that has shaped me to who I am today is the two study abroad programs I did through John Jay. The experience provided an opportunity to be accepted into many homes with different cultural backgrounds pushing the bounds of further accepting the person who I have become today. The study abroad programs further expanded the education that John Jay provides of cultural humility. John Jay is the foundation of who I am today and I would be a completely different person without the program.
4) What advice would you give your college self/current Bloodhounds?
Self-motivation runs in my genes and John Jay instilled a determination in me to overcome any obstacle. The key to achieving greatness in life is to never give up, to push through the pain and eventually you will achieve something extraordinary. You can never forget that the finish line is close and you just have to push to the end in order to fulfill your dreams. Lean on family to push you forward and enjoy the ride with great friends as no journey was meant to be taken alone so don't be afraid and put yourself out there.
5) What did you learn in your time at John Jay that has stayed with you in your post-collegiate life?
John Jay's motto is enthusiasm and dedication. I have experienced that continuously through my traveling/backpacking after graduation as I have visited over 24 countries. The world is so big and if you don't travel that is like reading only the first page in a really good book. When I think about my future, it is always unknown and uncertain; however, I do believe art therapy is the key as it provides an unparalleled opportunity to develop my career in psychology which blossoms at John Jay. The program allowed me to be creative in thought and express it in different perspectives through vast classes. Competitive by nature, I try to improve my skills and strive to do better; regarding whether it is academics, youth projects, cross country running, teaching, art, etc. John Jay provided that opportunity and I will be eternally grateful.
6) Are you still involved with sports? If so, how?
Running will always be a part of my life, it is a great way to cope with all the stressors life throws at us. I always tell my patients that one of the best coping skills is to literally run until you can't anymore. Cross country will always run through my blood and be a part of my past, present, and future.
To view all of the previous Alumni Spotlights, please visit www.johnjayathletics.com/alumnispotlight.
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