Innovative program funded by the NSF offers summer courses for student-parents and their children. 

 

Seventeen families completed Hostos’ Holistic Oasis for Parents' Education (HOPE) program in 2024.
Hostos Community College celebrated HOPE this week! The 2024 Holistic Oasis for Parents' Education (HOPE) program closed its summer session on Tuesday, July 30, with a special showcase and completion ceremony hosted by Dr. Sarah Hoiland, HOPE Program Director and Sociology Professor in the College's Behavioral and Social Sciences Department.
 
Now in its third year, HOPE is a two-generation summer program that provides wraparound support to HOPE Scholars and their children. While the former take summer courses, their children attend the College's Children's Center (ages 0-4) or HOPE STEM Academy (ages 5-12). The program's three-dimensional model includes programming in three areas — academic, family, and professional — which includes breakfast and lunch, professional and personal development workshops, tuition-gap assistance for summer courses, MetroCards, and Experiential Learning Opportunities (ELOs) in STEM for the children.
 
Seventeen student-parents — all mothers — completed the HOPE program in 2024, cumulatively earning 81 credits throughout the summer session. Ten of the student-parents’ children were enrolled in the Hostos Children's Center, and 17 were part of the HOPE STEM Academy, where they increased their STEM skills and engaged in ELOs in the classroom as well as during trips to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Math.
 
President Daisy Cocco De Filippis lauded our HOPE Scholars.
 
President Daisy Cocco De Filippis praised HOPE and its participants for their hard work and dedication to the scholars' educational journeys and their children's as well. She noted how the program's unique two-generation component exposes children to a college environment early on and instills in them a love for learning and an interest in pursuing higher education.
 
"It's a well-known fact that our young ones learn by example," she said. "They model their behavior on ours."
 
She noted, "The gift of learning is also a gift of love, it is a gift of hope, it is a gift of possibilities."
 
Shiang-Kwei Wang, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, also offered heartfelt encouraging and congratulatory remarks. "Your effort and your successes are real proof that great things happen when you keep pushing forward," she said.
 
Professor Sarah Hoiland, also the program's principal investigator, hosted the ceremony. During her remarks, she shared that the program was developed to create a holistic community where students could learn together and build a village for their families. "What students really want are connections to other students," she said, adding that this is especially important among adult learners.
 
During the ceremony, Hoiland recognized all members of each participating family, HOPE support staff, and faculty. She also expressed great appreciation for Hostos' facilities staff members who helped maintain the spaces where HOPE student-scholars broke bread, learned, and fostered the community. Additionally, she shared a beautiful slideshow showcasing highlights from the parents' and children's summer activities, to everyone's great delight.
 
The ceremony celebrated all of HOPE 2024’s participants, including the youngest members of our College community.
 
Nephertiti Morris, 2023 HOPE Scholar, and 2024 HOPE Program Assistant, and Linda Sebisaho, 2024 HOPE Scholar, also shared remarks reflecting fondly on the program's impact.
 
Morris thanked Hoiland and the program's staff for creating a safe space and environment where she and her children "feel connected and supported." She also thanked her cohort for their friendship and Hoiland for her invaluable advice.
 
2024 HOPE Scholar Linda Sebisaho reflected on her summer with HOPE.
Similarly, Sebisaho reflected on the bonds forged and the support received this summer.
 
"I'm grateful for the support that we gave each other, or we received, as well as the impact of the experience that I will forever hold in my heart," Sebisaho said.
 
She continued, "I am certain that the HOPE program — the impact of the HOPE program —- is one that we will continue to carry and will continue to resonate in our lives."
 
The HOPE program is made possible with support from the National Science Foundation's Division of Undergraduate Research (DUE) Programs for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) under Award #2135805.
 
Learn more about Hostos’ Holistic Oasis for Parents' Education (HOPE) program here.