Composing a New Musical

Sutedjo has applied this combo approach to his research and musical works, including composing the book, music, and lyrics, for Fly Me Away, an original musical featuring a teenage jazz pianist named Frank and his father who move from Shanghai to New York City.

“He does in a single day, more than most people do in a month,” said Eric Bianchi, an associate professor of music and one of Sutedjo’s mentors.

The idea to write a musical came to Sutedjo in high school, when he realized “that there just wasn’t a lot of Asian representation in the musical theater canon.”

He began working on it in his free time, until he developed it as his honors thesis. His work intensified junior year, when Sutedjo participated in Fordham’s partnership with Juilliard. Jake Landau, one of his instructors there, told Sutedjo that he would be a perfect fit for a program he was leading that summer.

“I was able to secure funding from the Fordham undergraduate research grant, which allowed me to participate in this two-week intensive in Italy—the New Voice Composers Studio at the Narni International Vocal Arts Festival—which was really cool,” Sutedjo said. “I was able to workshop and premiere two new pieces of mine at this international music and arts festival.”

Uplifting Voices

At the center of Sutedjo’s work is a desire to share and uplift the stories of Asian Americans, particularly after witnessing and experiencing marginalization, and microaggressions against the community.

“I’ve been able to find my voice and realize this is something that not only can I do, but it’s needed—if I was feeling that way when I was 14, I’m sure there’s a lot of other young Asian kids who also feel that way,” said Sutedjo, who is Indonesian American of Chinese descent.

Sutedjo said this work is particularly important now as many Asian Americans have experienced discrimination over the past few years.

“In order to combat these stereotypes, you need to tell a much wider array of stories that portray Asians not as a monolith, not as a stereotype, but really as a diverse array of people with individual stories,” he said.

The Power of Connections

Sutedjo knows how impactful representation can be. When he was an actor (and later assistant music director) with Fordham’s theater club Mimes and Mummers, the group brought in Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li, a director of Taiwanese descent and the director of performance, storytelling, and community at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) in Lower Manhattan.

“He was the first Asian director that I’ve ever worked with and that was a very cool experience for me to see someone that looks like me in that position of theater leadership,” he said.

Sutedjo participated in a couple of projects helmed by Li, and eventually their connection led to Fly Me Away’s debut at MOCA, with support from Fordham’s undergraduate research community and honors program.

A Debut Reading at the Museum of Chinese in America

“We were able to bring on an all-Asian cast and creative team alongside two Fordham musicians,” Sutedjo said. “We had a full stage reading, and roughly 90 people came to each show, which was a great reception.”

Sutedjo said that he plans to use the feedback to revise the production before its next iteration.

“Most musical projects don’t go that far,” said Bianchi, who is also a musician. “To watch somebody who’s 21 do that, it’s astounding by any count.”

Fly Me Away was also recognized at Fordham, as he received the Fordham College Alumni Association Research Symposium Award for the production.

Advancing the Music Department

Another mentor, music professor Nathan Lincoln-Decusatis, said Sutedjo’s unique talents and skill sets have not only benefited him, but they’ve also helped the music department explore new areas, such as “music as research.”

“Research can be in the performing arts, and Miguel opened the door for the future at Fordham, because he was the first one to really think of harnessing the resources of the research community,” he said. “And now that’s a precedent. Miguel was the trailblazer for that.”

Global Perspective

Sutedjo said that he hopes to use this Fulbright to immerse himself in teaching and his own heritage, and use those experiences in the future.

“Being able to live abroad in Taiwan for a year, absorbing the language, I think will not only help me connect with my heritage, but also it allows me to tell a greater range of stories through having that lived experience,” he said.

“I think my own experiences with counseling were really transformative,” Syper said, adding that she enjoys being able to “be part of people’s lives and help them through really difficult experiences.”

Now, studying at Fordham, Syper found that the support from peers and professors combined with the well-rounded curriculum and hands-on practicums have set her up to do just that. 

“When I interviewed at Fordham, I felt connected to the people. I felt like I could build a community with professors and with the other students,” Syper said. 

Using Dance Therapy in Body Image Work

Syper plans to combine her counseling work with another form of therapy that’s been meaningful in her own life—dance. Discovering dance as a teenager taught Syper to connect with and appreciate her body. And in college at the University of North Texas, she studied modern dance and double-majored in psychology and dance. 

In addition to her studies at Fordham, Syper’s working to become a dance/movement therapist through a program at the 92nd Street Y, where she’s learning how to help people connect with their bodies in meaningful ways that assist their healing processes. Syper works with teens and young adults with body image issues and eating disorders and finds it’s often beneficial to incorporate elements of dance therapy into her talk therapy sessions.

With clients, Syper helps them assess: “How do I know if I’m anxious? How do I know if I’m upset? What are the cues my body’s giving me? And how can I connect with my body? … How do I use that information to identify what’s going to make me feel better moving forward?”

‘A Gifted Therapist’

Currently, Syper’s wrapping up a year-long internship at University of Colorado Boulder’s  Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) as part of her Fordham Ph.D. program. Similar to a med student’s residency, the position gives her hands-on clinical experience wherein Syper conducts individual therapy sessions, co-leads graduate student process groups, and serves as an eating concerns case manager.

“She’s a very talented, gifted therapist who, at an early stage of her career already has very defined interests and expertise,” said Elizabeth Parsons, Syper’s clinical supervisor in Boulder. In particular, Syper is highly organized and adept at building a strong rapport with clients quickly, Parsons said.

“[Syper is] very effective in helping clients understand their own patterns in a way that they can shift them … she really meets people where they’re at,” Parsons said. “She’s very aware as well of social justice issues and able to connect with people across a lot of identity variables.”

A Holistic Approach, Mirrored at Fordham

At Fordham, Syper found the same support and holistic approach to her as a student that she fosters in her professional work. 

“Fordham really provided the opportunity for us to acknowledge what comes up for us as therapists when we’re holding the weight of all the things our clients are sharing, and we’re going through these really difficult experiences alongside them—like when a global pandemic happens, we’re also experiencing that,” Syper said. “[Or if] they’re experiencing body image concerns, and I have had body image concerns, how do I work through that so I can take care of myself and I can be the best support for my clients.”

Recently, Syper successfully defended her dissertation, “Mind-Body Connection, Self-Esteem, and Social Support as Predictors of Recovery from Anorexia Nervosa,” and also published a study about the mind-body connection in the American Journal of Dance Therapy, titled “Dance/Movement Therapy for Individuals with Eating Disorders: A Phenomenological Approach.”

After graduation, Syper will complete her 92nd Street Y program and plans to work in a clinic or treatment center that serves young adults with eating disorders and body image concerns as she continues to find ways to incorporate dance therapy into her work.

—Meredith Lawrence

“I rang every single doorbell and said, ‘It’s me!’ I ended up getting five babysitting jobs,” van Weringh said. “I always wanted to work and pay for my own things.” 

Hard Work and an Immersive Commitment 

Through high school, she ran her own digital marketing business and worked as a grocery store cashier. Then she landed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as an au pair for an American family with two young boys and homes in New York, Massachusetts, and California. The position led her from the Netherlands to the States and ultimately, to Fordham, where she will graduate with a B.S. in finance from the Gabelli School of Business this May. 

Despite her struggles with the English language, van Weringh managed her way through the college application process, including the written essay—the first she ever wrote in English. She committed to Fordham without stepping foot on campus, moved into her dorm herself with two suitcases in tow, and paid her way through her freshman year with her earnings.

From day one, van Weringh immersed herself in campus life. She’s been a resident assistant, freshman advising mentor, and teaching assistant for the Gabelli School’s Ground Floor class.

Smart Woman Securities: ‘We All Want Each Other to Succeed’ 

She also joined Fordham’s Smart Woman Securities (SWS) chapter, serving as an equity research analyst and then as chief investment officer on the executive board, training analysts and managing a $500,000 virtual portfolio. Van Weringh said she found her place in SWS. 

“We all want each other to succeed. It’s not a competitive environment. We know we can all succeed at the same time. That’s something I don’t think you see at other business schools.”

Van Weringh is among 25 finance majors selected to oversee Fordham’s $2.1 million Student Managed Fund and she now serves as one of three managing directors. In the honors thesis program, she is one of 20 students chosen to undertake an alternative investment research project. 

About her many extracurricular activities, the soon-to-be graduate said, “I wanted to take advantage of every single thing Fordham had to offer. And I did that.”

One of the ‘Best and Brightest’ Business Majors

Her hard work and determination have earned her several scholarships and awards, including the Faber Award, Woolworth Award, Alpha Sigma Nu, Boyle Society, and Dean’s List with First Honors. This year, Poets&Quants named her one of the best and brightest business majors in the Class of 2023. 

Soon, van Weringh will join Credit Suisse as an investment banking capital markets and advisory analyst. The full-time job offer came after she showcased her talents in a selective 10-week summer internship at the firm. “I look back on a great summer and I’m excited to go back full time,” she said. 

As her college years come to a close, the senior said it is bittersweet: She is sad to leave but ready to start her next chapter. She is grateful for the opportunities she’s had to learn and grow at the Gabelli School and for the support she’s received along the way. 

“The professors really care about us,” van Weringh said. “They go out of their way to help. They just want the best for you.”

—Written by Claire Curry for Fordham Business Magazine