HIGHER ED TODAY
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COURIER L 34 IFE, JUNE 25-JULY 1, 2021
Gov extends free state
college scholarship raffl e
Gov. Andrew Cuomo at a recent press conference. on Pollard/Offi ce of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
BY ALEJANDRA
O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
Vaccinated young people across
New York state will have one more
chance to win a raffl e for free tuition
as well as room and board at a
public college, Gov. Andrew Cuomo
announced.
Cuomo revealed the competition’s
extension and the latest 10
winners of the raffl e during a press
conference Wednesday morning
which included two students from
Brooklyn, Ivy Bloomfi eld and
Emilio Nebil Brau, two children
from Suffolk County, as well as students
from Saratoga Country, Orange
County, Monroe County, Tioga
County and Dutchess County.
State offi cials launched the competition
in late May in order to
boost low vaccination rates among
12-17-year-olds who had then only
recently become eligible for the
Pfi zer-BioNTech vaccine. Since
then, about 145,000 vaccine-eligible
young people have gotten at least
one shot of the inoculation, Gov.
Cuomo said.
In May, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommended
that children 12 years and
up receive the COVID-19 vaccine
to mitigate the spread of the virus
and continue to do so despite some
reports of adolescents and young
adults developing heart conditions
after getting the mRNA vaccine.
The conditions, called pericarditis
and myocarditis, cause
infl ammation of the outer lining
of the heart and the heart muscle
itself respectively and have mostly
been reported in young men 16 and
older. It is unclear what or if there
is a link between the vaccine and
the conditions.
Offi cials said 50 scholarships
would be raffl ed off to a four-year
CUNY or SUNY school and only
one entry will be allowed per child.
All duplicate entries will be taken
out of the drawing pile before winners
are selected.
“It’s working,” Cuomo said. “We
congratulate them, we congratulate
their parents who are saying
thank God I don’t have to worry
about this going forward.”
To enter the raffl e, parents or
legal guardians of vaccine eligible
children who have gotten at least
their fi rst shot of the COVID-19 vaccine
must enter their name, phone
number, address, vaccination site
and their child’s school district and
ID number into an online form on
the New York state website.
All entries have to be made by
11:59 pm on June 28 in order for a
child to be eligible for the last raffl e
drawing.
Education
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It’s no secret that the City University
of New York’s seven community colleges
play an invaluable role in making
the American Dream a reality for many
New Yorkers, including immigrants
who are the first in their family to go
to college. Our students never cease to
impress.
Just recently, three CUNY community
college students received prestigious
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Undergraduate Transfer Scholarships,
given annually to top community college
students in the U.S., which provide
up to $40,000 per year so students can
complete their bachelor’s degree.
What’s more, 13 CUNY community
college students recently accounted for
the entire cohort of this year’s Kaplan
Leadership Program, which helps highperforming,
low-income students from
the New York metropolitan area complete
their associate degree, transfer
to a four-year degree program, and provide
them with much-needed financial
support.
These are just a few examples of
what our community college students
can accomplish. As the former President
of Hostos Community College, I
know from personal experience the vital
role such colleges play in the lives of
students.
Thankfully, so does the Biden Administration.
Our First Lady, Dr. Jill
Biden, is a lifelong educator, who has
spent nearly three decades teaching at
community colleges. President Biden
himself is the recipient of a public college
education, while Vice President
Kamala Harris is a proud alumna of an
historically Black university. This administration
understands the value of a
college education.
That’s why President Biden’s American
Families Plan is so important. Under
the president’s plan, community
colleges would be free for anyone who
wants to attend — including Dreamers
— giving students a financial lifeline to
make their educational goals possible.
His plan would also expand the maximum
Pell Grant award and aid many
more students enrolled in Historically
Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal
Colleges and Universities and Minority
Serving Institutions — including many
in the CUNY system, signaling his commitment
to making higher education
more accessible for Americans of every
background, regardless of their family’s
financial circumstances or immigration
status.
That’s good news for CUNY, particularly
for students like Lina Cruz, who
I met when I was president of Hostos.
Years ago, Lina left Colombia to attend
Hostos in the Bronx to study English.
Although she never intended to stay in
New York, she quickly found a home at
CUNY. “After enrolling in classes I realized
my future was here,” she says.
“CUNY became mi familia.” She recently
recorded a video sharing her
story.
Lina went on to graduate from Hostos
with her associate’s before earning
a bachelor’s at Baruch, where she is now
finishing her Master’s Degree. She’s
earned three CUNY degrees — yes,
three — in 12 years.
While at Hostos she interned with
the New York Yankees in a program I
helped create. Lina turned that internship
into a career. She now works as a
team manager, leading their multicultural
and Spanish-language outreach
efforts, and supporting a variety of initiatives,
such as a new mentoring program
between the Yankees and CUNY
students.
For Lina, attending a CUNY community
college was a game changer. And
she’s not alone: Tens of thousands of our
students begin their educational journey
at a community college, later continuing
on to one of CUNY’s 11 four-year
college. At community colleges, CUNY
has pioneered initiatives like ASAP, a
nationally recognized student success
program that has more than doubled
timely associate degree graduation
rates for participating students.
President Biden’s American Families
Plan would be a boost to our community
colleges, ensuring that CUNY
can help more students like Lina, preparing
them with the necessary skills
to thrive in a dynamic, post-pandemic
economy. It would also help make higher
education accessible to all Americans,
no matter their financial situation, immigration
status or zip code.
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