
 
		HIGHER ED TODAY 
  
  
 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. 
       
       
       
  
  
 BRONX TIMES REPORTER, J 4     UNE 25-JULY 1, 2021 BTR 
 Hope Day event  
 brings Bronx  
 community  
 together 
 On Saturday, June 5, Hope Day Network held a free Hope Day Community Event event offering  
 free groceries, music and giveaways at 36 different locations throughout the tri-state  
 area, Delaware and Rhode Island.                                              Photo Jewel Webber 
 BY BRONX TIMES 
   On Saturday, June 5, Hope  
 Day Network held a free Hope Day  
 Community Event event offering  
 free groceries, music and giveaways  
 at 36 different locations throughout  
 the tri-state area, Delaware and  
 Rhode Island. Events were held at two  
 locations in the Bronx, including at  
 the Gun Hill Road Housing, located  
 on Holland Avenue and White Plains  
 Road. 
 Hope Day was birthed through  
 a series of Convoy of Hope events.  
 Pastor Steve Milazzo took a step of  
 faith and began brainstorming and  
 dreaming of a way that churches  
 could reach and transform their  
 communities through volunteers.  
 With the help of  Convoy of Hope, the  
 Hope Day Network was formed. 
 -With reporting by Jewel Webber 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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