Mount Saint Mary College students, left to right: Ingrid Murga of Newburgh, N.Y.; Christopher Astacio of the Bronx; Julian Puello of Washingtonville, N.Y.; Joshua Keizer of Beacon, N.Y.; and Kelsey Cueto of Hopewell Junction, N.Y.
Five Mount Saint Mary College students and three staff members traveled to Albany recently to discuss the benefits of the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) and the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) with New York State leaders.
The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities in New York (CICU) held its annual Student Advocacy Day last month, providing an invitation to all recipients of state student aid funding to visit the capitol and let their voices be heard. The event convenes New York students, faculty, financial aid program administrators, legislators, and higher education policymakers to an open dialogue and to show support for student aid funding and higher education.
Mount staff and students met with legislators to speak on behalf of themselves and fellow students in HEOP and CSTEP. They relayed the positive impact HEOP and CSTEP have had in their lives and spoke about the importance of keeping college accessible and affordable. They also requested that funds for these programs be increased so more students can benefit in the future.
“Support of programs like ours give thousands of students from historically underrepresented groups and those from financially disadvantaged backgrounds access to higher education and help them successfully enter professional fields,” explained Grace Vazquez, Mount CSTEP program coordinator. “The academic support, career guidance, and community we provide our students are the elements of our transformative work that has continually produced NYS scientists, engineers, physicians, nurses, lawyers, accountants, and mental health professionals.”
Joshua Keizer of Beacon, N.Y., a Healthcare Management major and CSTEP student at the Mount, was pleased that he and his peers were able to meet face to face with New York legislators.
“It’s important to me because I have firsthand seen the benefit…that these students have,” he said. “No matter who we were able to sit down with today, they heard us. They heard our voice as students. They made sure that we felt seen.”
Vazquez said the experience was a positive one for all involved: “I cannot tell you how proud I am of our students,” she explained. “They were brave and represented our program, college and state beautifully.”
In addition to Vazquez and Keizer, the Mount attendees were Christopher Astacio of the Bronx, an IT major and HEOP student; Kelsey Cueto of Hopewell Junction, N.Y., an IT Cybersecurity major and CSTEP student; Ingrid Murga of Newburgh, N.Y., a Business major and HEOP student; Julian Puello of Washingtonville, N.Y., a Business Management/IT major and CSTEP student; and staff members Jazmin Santana, assistant HEOP/CSTEP director; and Ingrid Taveras, HEOP/CSTEP director.