The Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Awards recognize and honor undergraduate students who have had significant involvement in community engagement by providing support for their projects, which address a community’s social needs or problems.
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For his No More Crying project, David Ni is working with the History Center in Tompkins County to explore the history of Ithaca as a place of immigration and beacon of hope for those seeking to better their lives. The architecture major in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning — and first-generation immigrant himself — aims to capture and honor stories of loss, survival and hope from local immigrants’ experiences.

Ni’s project grew out of his friendship with a member of the Tibetan-Ithacan community, Niyama, whom he will interview as well as two other immigrants to Ithaca from different geographic origins and generations. Expanding the practice of oral history documentation, Ni is asking interviewees to recall day-in-the-life experiences at different moments and essential spaces in their lives. He will generate maps, perspectives and plans and review and redraw them in a collaborative process. The resulting audio-visual recordings and drawings will become part of the History Center’s collections.