ANNUAL BRAIN BEE COMPETITION WINNERS
14
2019 10,March WEEKLY BRONX BY NATALLIE ROCHA
He’s so hot right now!
Brooklyn Heights Judge
com Michael Corriero dispenses
justice fi ve days a week on
BXTimes.his hit daytime television
show “Hot Bench,” much like
he did during his decadeslong
tenure as a New York
www.jurist.
Corriero spent 28 years in
the criminal courts of New
York State, 16 of them presiding
over Manhattan’s Youth
Part, a special court he created
to bring attention to
young offenders being prosecuted
as adults. He continued
his work with the city’s
youth after retiring in 2008,
when he became Executive
Director of Big Brothers Big
Sisters of New York City, and
then established the New
York Center for Juvenile Justice
from 9-10 a.m. .T
hen an old friend, Judy
Sheindlin — known nationwide
as the honorable Judge
Judy — asked him to lend
his talents to her syndicated
show featuring a panel of
three judges. Now Corriero
sits on the “Hot Bench” next
to two other judges — Judge
Patricia Dimango and Judge
Tanya Acker — and the trio
reach a whopping 3.2-million
viewers each weekday. The
native New Yorker now splits
his time between Los Angeles
and Brooklyn Heights,
but found time to chat with
this paper about his infl uences
and his love for the
city’s biggest borough.
Natallie Rocha: What inspired
you to study law?
Michael Corriero: I grew
up across the street from the
Manhattan court system —
they called it “the Tombs.”
I was always curious about
what was happening in that
building. I would play a game
with my buddies where we
would try and get past the offi
cers and play in the bowels
of the building. We would see
the offi cers and defenders of
criminal law at the corner of
Baxter and White Street and
it was really the entire atmosphere
that drew me in.
NR: What draws you to
juvenile justice reform?
MC: What drew me in
initially was wanting to
work with young people who
found themselves outside the
letter of the law. If people saw
me at the corner of Mulberry
and Hester Street when I
was 15 or 16 years old, they
never would have imagined
that this kid would grow up
to be a judge. I grew up on
the mean streets of Little
Italy and I had to navigate
big points in time where one
step in the wrong direction
could obstruct a meaningful
career. I am fortunate and I
always want to communicate
how valuable education
is. In this country, we believe
that knowledge is power. We
believe in the idea that no
matter who you are or where
you come from, you can succeed.
Neither my mother nor
my father had a formal education,
but they recognized
how valuable education was.
NR: Growing up, did you
ever get out of Manhattan to
explore Brooklyn?
MC: Brooklyn was always
a place I wanted to be.
When I was young, I wanted
to go to Coney Island with
my friends during the summer.
My mom let us take the
subway to the beach. There
was one part of the subway
where it was an elevated
ride and you could see all
of Brooklyn and the neighborhoods,
it was beautiful.
Brooklyn was like its own
country.
Brooklyn Beat Hot
Seat
Favorite restaurant: Antica
Pesa in Williamsburg
(115 Berry St. between N. Seventh
and N. Eighth streets).
It is owned by a Roman family
and they have one of the
same name in Italy.
Favorite spot: Brooklyn
Heights Promenade. Since
it’s my neighborhood, I like to
walk the dog and jog through
there. It gives you a nice perspective
of Manhattan — seeing
it all is a dreamlike experience
and it is the best in the
early morning. It is what defi
nes Brooklyn Heights.
Favorite landmark: As a
judge, on my way to work at
the Supreme Court, I would
drive across the Brooklyn
Bridge. The architecture
was almost like the gates to
a medieval city and it always
inspired me.
“Hot Bench” airs weekdays
on WCBS-TV Channel 2
The eighth annual Brain Bee competition, hosted by Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, was held
on Wednesday, February 27. Ambitious high school students who aspire to careers as brain
surgeons or neuroscience researchers showcased their skills at the event, which Burke hosts
as one of its initiatives to foster the next generation of neuroscientists.
(Above, l-r) The winners of this year’s competition are 1st place, Lori Saxena, a sophomore at
Horace Greeley High School; 2nd place, Bianca Vama, a junior at Bronx High School of Science
and 3rd place, Sonia Seth, a junior at Edgemont High School.
Photo courtesy of Burke Rehabilitation Hospital
SBH Health System
offers free healthy
aging workshops
The fi rst of four free
healthy aging workshops
offered by SBH Health System
and catering to individuals
60 and over, will take
place at St. Barnabas Hospital
(4th fl oor, Center for
Comprehensive Care, 4422
Third Avenue) on Tuesday,
March 12 beginning at 9
a.m. The fi rst workshop is
entitled “Ingredients for
Successful Aging.”
The fi rst event will focus
on anticipated changes
during the aging process
and how to counteract them
with proper nutrition and
proactive behaviors.
Clinical specialists
will discuss such things
as healthy eating habits,
weight maintenance, smoking
cessation, and social
networking. Future workshops
will be on hydration
and fall risk, physical activities
and bone health,
and managing medical conditions
and medication.
“This healthy aging series
will promote healthy
behaviors regarding nutrition,
physical activity,
smoking cessation, and infection
control,” said Cecilia
Moy, clinical nutrition
manager at SBH. “Our
mission is to support our
patients’ wellness, in addition
to caring for them
when they are sick.”
The groundbreaking
Health and Wellness Center
at SBH will open in 2020.
The 50,000 square foot center,
which is part of a mixed
use development that will
include more than 300
units of affordable housing,
will also feature a fi tness
center, a teaching kitchen,
a rooftop garden, and an
integrative health center.
The goal of the project is
to address such issues as
food and housing insecurities,
education, social support
and personal safety
concerns for a county that
perennially ranks in 62nd
and last place in New York
State.
To register, call Wilma
Diaz, RN, at 718-960-8988.
Seating is limited.
Local jurist stars on
TV show ‘Hot Bench’
Judge Michael Corriero serves as one of three judges on the hit CBS show “Hot Bench.”
Photo courtesy of The Brooklyn Paper
/www.jurist
/www.jurist
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