Jolisel Vargas-López doesn’t just want to help make a difference; she wants to create the difference.
 
The 25-year-old graduated from Hostos Community College in 2014 with an A.A.S. degree in Public Policy and Administration, but her positive impact is still being felt as a member of the Hostos Student Leadership Academy (SLA) and as a CUNY Ambassador with the Malave Leadership Academy.
 
Now a freshman at Baruch College majoring in Public Affairs with a minor in Law and Policy, Vargas-López recently traveled to Albany to represent Hostos and CUNY at the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus. There, she represented Hostos and served as a CUNY ambassador with the Malave leadership Academy, along with staff from Charles Guttman Community College and other CUNY honorees.
 
“We had an intense schedule because we had to volunteer at the conference as well,” Vargas-López said. “We had meetings with important assembly members and senators, and to interact with them was extraordinary to me, since that is my passion. I also got to network with people from other CUNY colleges, which was pretty interesting. I am looking forward to being involved in other activities that give me access to the diversity in CUNY.”
 
She is also an academic all-star. Vargas-López was selected to receive the Julio Martinez Memorial Fund College Tuition Scholarship in February and earned a spot on USA TODAY’s All-USA Community College Academic Team, which recognizes exceptional students at the nation’s community colleges.
 
For her, these experiences have fueled the fire to be the best public servant she can be. They began almost right after she walked through the doors of Hostos Community College in 2012, after moving to New York City from Santo Domingo. Vargas-López said it was the values of service to the community the Hostos SLA possesses that attracted her to the college in the first place. Aspiring one day to work in a job that allows her to affect a positive change in her community, she chose Public Administration as her major and hit the ground running.   
 
In Fall 2013, she served as an executive in the Public Administration Club, starting out as Treasurer and later becoming its president. As the club’s president, Vargas-López engaged students in resources and introduced them to the values, ethics and leadership skills necessary for a role in government. The club worked on developing parliamentary procedure, debating skills and understanding codes of conduct. As a group, the club also investigated the process of developing bills and establishing laws.
 
In 2014, Vargas-López joined the Hostos Emerging Leaders Program and was quickly promoted to a Hostos Student Ambassador, where she completed more than 70 hours of community service. As part of her continued development, she even worked as an intern in the Court Navigator Program at the Bronx Civil Court, which allowed her to see how the legal process worked from the inside.
 
“Working in Bronx Civil Court, I had the opportunity to help people without a lot of means obtain information that they needed to address court matters they were facing,” Vargas-López said. “It is probably what I liked the most about the work and what made me want to learn more.”
 
Thanks to her commitment to giving back, Vargas-López was nominated to serve in the 2014-2015 class of the Ernesto Malave Leadership Academy (MLA)—the main resource for student leadership development at CUNY. Working with the MLA, she has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, not just on her campus at Baruch, but in other colleges as well.
 
Hostos Student Leadership Academy Coordinator, Jason Libfeld, accompanied Vargas-López to Albany and has served as one of her mentors.
 
Jolisel is a gifted individual, who has effectively turns her intuition and drive into great leadership skills,” Libfeld said. “She is motivated and motivated to be a motivation for others.”

 Vargas-López is also a leader in the classroom—posting a 3.61 GPA with her incredibly busy schedule—and earned a scholarship from the NYC Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in 2014.
 
The Phi Theta Kappa International Honors Society member said she could not have accomplished so much, so quickly, all by herself.  
 
“My success is not just a product of my determination, but also my parents, who always support me. A lot of the credit also has to go to two great mentors, Jason Liebfeld and Marvela Guice, who I also thank for their support and guidance.”