Photo reveals C.U.R.E. grad’s success

05/15/2026

When Makhatub Hassan walks through Park Center, he sees a reminder of his progress in a larger-than-life-size photo - a "full circle moment," as he calls it.

He'll see it again on Saturday evening on his way to SUNY Cortland's Undergraduate Commencement.

The senior physical education major from Syracuse, N.Y., is pictured in a wall wrap between the men's locker room and the academic department's equipment checkout room. The photo shows Hassan when he was 12 years old, in the 7th grade at H.W. Smith Middle School, ready to shoot a basketball with an attentive physical education teacher by his side.

The young teacher in the photo is Manuel "Manny" DeJesus '16, back when DeJesus was a physical education major at SUNY Cortland. Both DeJesus and Hassan are products of the Syracuse City School District. They're bonded by their path to college and a pair of supportive communities that prepared them to be quality teachers.

They also share an influential mentor in Joe Horan '88, M '98, a retired physical education teacher who founded and now serves as executive director of the Building Men Program, Inc. In Syracuse, roughly half of all children age 5 and younger live in poverty. The mentorship program is a starting point for young men in the city to discover their purpose and passion through education.

In many ways, Hassan embodies the success of Building Men as well as the university's own efforts through Cortland's Urban Recruitment of Educators (C.U.R.E.). He came a long way to his college graduation.

Hassan was born in a refugee camp in Kenya after his parents escaped the Somali Civil War, settling in Syracuse when he was a year old. One of 13 children, Hassan lost three of his brothers throughout his life. His mother worked two jobs for as long as he can remember. In high school, he would sometimes join her for nighttime maintenance work, assisting with cleaning duties in an effort to save time.

His mother's work ethic became his motivation, he said.

"It still pushes me," said Hassan, who took on a weekend overnight job the summer before his senior year. "I want to make sure I'm successful so that she knows something is coming of her work."

Despite challenges, Hassan found salvation in school, particularly at H.W. Smith. He cites the comfort that his family felt because of its relationships with dedicated teachers.

"It was just open arms there," he said of the school. "They accepted everybody."

Horan, a longtime teacher and coach, was a heroic figure at H.W. Smith. The Building Men Program that he created more than 20 years ago extends to 19 city school buildings today for both men and women. Its goal is to help teenagers develop the social and emotional skills that prove foundational in life. "Be 'a' man, not 'the' man," its motto goes.

"Building Men teaches kids that they are significant," Horan said. "They are born with greatness."

Hassan is proof. He benefitted from the program as a middle school student and eventually became one of its longtime summer mentors. DeJesus, who taught at H.W. Smith after graduating from SUNY Cortland and now teaches as part of the Knowledge is Power Program in Nashville, Tennessee, followed a similar path a decade earlier.

During his senior year at Nottingham High School, Hassan zeroed in on becoming a physical education teacher. His mentor Horan touted SUNY Cortland and its C.U.R.E. program, which provides dedicated resources and scholarship support for students who aspire to teach in high-needs urban schools. Like Hassan and DeJesus, many C.U.R.E. scholars come from underrepresented backgrounds and underserved communities.

C.U.R.E. has built strong ties with Building Men, too, by introducing countless students from the Syracuse City School District to SUNY Cortland. Current undergraduates lead campus visits - a crucial way to help youngsters envision their future in college.

"Joe's the one who introduced me to the C.U.R.E. program," said Hassan, who still has photos from his campus visit as a pre-teen. "He basically said, 'This is for you.'"

Hassan attended SUNY Onondaga Community College in Syracuse immediately after high school, which provided an introduction to college life. He also joined SUNY's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), an outlet that offers academic support and other services to promising students facing financial hardship.

Several years after touring campus as a middle schooler at H.W. Smith, he visited SUNY Cortland again as a community college student. Hassan was drawn to an active campus and felt a connection to Kharmen Wingard M '11, now the university's director of EOP.

"I felt like, this school is literally what I need to take the next step and become a teacher," Hassan said.

He learned of his acceptance to Cortland during the summer while he was working as a college-age mentor with the Building Men Program. One of his first conversations was with DeJesus, who was teaching at H.W. Smith at the time.

"It was, 'Whatever you need, just let me know,'" said Hassan of his interaction with DeJesus. "From the jump, he was ready to help.

"I remembered (Manny) because he was somebody who I looked up to in middle school. He was this huge dude helping out in gym class, and I knew he was from the Syracuse City School District. So to see him come back to the city, it seemed like everything was full circle."

Their similar paths continued through C.U.R.E.

The program introduces future teachers to the unique needs of urban classrooms early in their college experience, producing some of the university's greatest education-related success stories. Faculty members stay connected with graduates and support their teaching needs, even after they leave Cortland. And in many cases, those alums welcome current students to their classrooms.

"I think the main reason why I enjoyed my Cortland experience was the C.U.R.E. program," said Hassan, crediting the program for easing his transition to the university. He praised a small group of faculty members in the Foundations and Social Advocacy Department who shaped his experience: Anne Burns Thomas, Brian Barrett, Claire Barrett and Carrie Rood among them.

"When I thought school was hard and I couldn't do it, they were there to give me that support," he said. "They helped me keep pushing."

As a student, Hassan left his mark at SUNY Cortland by helping to create the university's Cortland Islamic Student Association. The club is small but meaningful, he said, and it strives to lift up others - much like his Building Men and C.U.R.E. experiences.

Hassan will student teach in the fall semester and hopes to eventually work in the Syracuse City School District, following in the footsteps of Horan and DeJesus. His wife, Habiba Farah, works there now as an elementary school teaching assistant, providing support while Hassan finishes his degree. They married in 2023, which he called his proudest moment.

"She's my rock," he said.

This past spring, the Building Men Program made multiple trips to SUNY Cortland, with Hassan playing a key role as a campus tour guide and activity leader. He and his fellow C.U.R.E. scholars guided middle schoolers through the university's academic buildings and organized games in the Student Life Center, before wrapping up their visit with a meal and conversation in Park Center.

They talked about school and about life and about their potential future in college.

A decade ago, Hassan was sitting in their seat. Now he was the one helping them to see their potential, much like Horan and DeJesus did for him.

"That type of experience can be powerful," Hassan said.

There was a photo down the hall to serve as proof.