One current and one former Hostos student, Jose Deschamps and Rabiat Ajao, respectively, will be honored in front of legislators and other guests in Albany on March 8 with USA TODAY Phi Theta Kappa All-New York Academic Awards.

Deschamps, who is working toward becoming a game designer, will earn his Associate Degree in Game Design from Hostos in Spring 2016 and plans to transfer to a four-year college to study Design and Technology. He is motivated to develop social awareness through gaming platforms, as he sees gaming as a medium where new ways of changing perceptions and motivations can happen.

Ajao completed her Associate Degree at Hostos Community College in Fall 2015 and is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at Lehman College. She hopes to become a Nurse Practitioner with a specialization in Pediatrics.

She is a member of the Hostos Student Leadership Academy’s Student Ambassador Program, where she completed more than 40 hours of volunteer service in the fall of 2015, including planting trees in local parks, visiting with senior citizens, helping students get acclimated to college life and feeding the hungry in local soup kitchens.

Students from all across the state in CUNY and SUNY two-year colleges are recognized annually for their academic achievement, leadership skills and service to the community with this award.

About Hostos Community College
Eugenio María de Hostos Community College is an educational agent for change that has been transforming and improving the quality of life in the South Bronx and neighboring communities since 1968. It serves as a gateway to intellectual growth and socioeconomic mobility, as well as a point of departure for lifelong learning, success in professional careers, and transfer to advanced higher education programs. The College’s unique Student Success Coaching Unit provides students with individualized guidance and exemplifies its emphasis on student support services.
 
Named one of the top 10 finalists for the 2015 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, Hostos offers 27 associate degree programs and two certificate programs that facilitate easy transfer to The City University of New York’s (CUNY) four-year colleges or baccalaureate studies at other institutions. The College has an award-winning Division of Continuing Education & Workforce Development that offers professional development courses and certificate-bearing workforce training programs. Hostos is part of CUNY, the nation’s leading urban public university, which serves more than 500,000 students at 24 colleges.