Thanks to the hard work of the Leadership Academy (HLA) and the Student Government Association (SGA), as well as other student organizations, Hostos Community College has become synonymous with community service in and around the Bronx.

As a way to salute all of their hard work, please enjoy this news recap of the great work Hostos students are doing:


Students Walk To Support The Fight Against AIDS


 
The Hostos family took time to participate in the 30th Annual Aids Walk New York on May 17. The 10K fundraiser started and ended in Central Park. Organized by the Student Leadership Academy, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Hostos Honors Program, a total of 36 people joined the effort.

It was the eighth year Hostos participated and helped to raise funds for this important effort.

 
Hostos Student Participate In THEDREAM.US Scholarship Celebration


 
Hostos students, Alberto Gómez-García,  Analilia Méndez, Vayravi Miranda-Luna,   Elena  Nepomuceno, Sosima Vázquez,  Diana Funez, and Zaira Bello received TheDream.US scholarships on May 5 at CUNY’s award celebration.

CUNY Chancellor James B. Milliken saluted all the DREAMers for their hard work. The night also celebrated the fact that CUNY donors gave $30M to help DREAMers earn college degrees.

The nation’s largest scholarship program for undocumented immigrant youth, TheDream.US, is providing aid to 231 students at CUNY colleges in the five boroughs, more than half of the $10 million in aid the foundation awarded nationally to over 500 students.

The program, the first college scholarship fund created for undocumented immigrant youth – known as DREAMers – awards up to $25,000 for tuition and fees to high school graduates who are first-time college students or community college graduates seeking to complete their bachelor’s degrees. Students must have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, status or may also qualify under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.

“We are deeply grateful to TheDream.US for helping CUNY students fulfill their dream of obtaining a college education,” said Chancellor Milliken. “We also congratulate our CUNY Dream Scholars on their persistence and outstanding academic achievements. These scholarship awards are an investment in our nation’s future.”

CUNY began its partnership with TheDream.US in fall 2013 when 30 students received scholarships to attend three community colleges. Last year, Chancellor Milliken expanded the scholarship’s reach throughout the University’s 12 senior colleges and seven community colleges.

 
Students Earn Vice Chancellor’s Excellence In Leadership Awards


 
Proving that Hostos is a place that helps forge the leaders of tomorrow, students were front and center at the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence in Leadership Awards on May 15. Each year, this award is given to two CUNY students from each campus, and once again, Hostos was well-represented thanks to the hard work of students Yunerys Liriano and Jenny Monción-Peña, who received their awards at the City College of New York’s Great Hall.

Liriano is studying Business Management. She has served as a member of the Hostos Student Government Association both as a Senator and as Campus Affairs Commissioner. She has volunteered for more than 189 hours over the course of the 2014-2015 School Year. She has served as a member of the Ernesto Malave Leadership Academy for 2014-2015. She is also an America Needs You Scholar.

As a member of the Hostos Student Leadership Academy, Liriano has served as the Chair of the Friday Ambassador Workshop Series and the Seventh Annual Winter Workshop Series. She was part of a group of students who helped to rebuild a home of Hurricane Sandy survivors with the organization Friends of Rockaway, participated in MLK Day National Day of Service assembling baby blankets for children in shelters, fed the hungry at Part of the Solution Soup Kitchen, packed bags of food for families at the New York Common Pantry, planted flower bulbs in Joyce Kilmer Park, mulched and planted trees at Mullaly Park and lead a team of Hostos students at AIDS Walk NYC. She has helped students on the Hostos campus by conducting campus tours, helping at registration and at the SGA hosted Club Fair, Valentine’s Day Event and Welcome Day Event.

She was also selected to be a participant in the 2014 National Model United Nations Conference in Washington, D.C. where she helped to represent Greece. She has also represented the City University of New York at the 2014 and 2015 Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Caucus Conference, the Somos El Futuro Conference in Albany, the 2014 and 2015 CUNY Emerging Leaders Conferences and the College of Staten Island Leadership Conference. Yunerys was selected to represent the 33rd New York Senate District at the 2015 New York State Model Senate Session Project.

Monción-Peña is studying Liberal Arts and Science. She is passionate about the sciences and literature and will be studying with the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program studying Environmental Diversity in Cartagena, Colombia this summer. Monción-Peña is the President of the Biological Sciences Club and recently served as one of two student representative on the Executive Presidential Search Committee to find a new President of Hostos Community College. She has volunteered for more than 142 hours over the course of the 2014-2015 academic year.

As a member of the Hostos Student Leadership Academy, Monción-Peña was the Chair of the Student Leadership Academy Film Series. She participated in MLK Day National Day of Service assembling baby blankets for children in shelters, was part of a group of students who rebuilt a home of Hurricane Sandy survivors with the organization Friends of Rockaway, packed bags and distributed them to over 200 families with the Second Chance Christian Center Food Pantry, sang holidays songs and gave out gifts to seniors at the Chinatown Senior Citizen Center. On the Hostos campus, Jenny helped to raise money for scholarships at the Giving Tuesday/Give to Hostos event, helped students register for classes, volunteered to document seminars as part of Black History Month and helped students apply for and receive information about scholarships at the SLA Scholarship Orientations.

Monción-Peña has represented CUNY at the Somos El Futuro Conference in Albany and the CUNY Emerging Leaders Conference. She was selected to be a part of the 2015 New York State Model Senate Session Project and represent the 63rd Senate District. Monción-Peña was also part of a team that travelled to Washington, D.C. to participate in the 2014 National Model United Nations, where the group represented Greece.

 
Hostos Students Saluted With Ernesto Malave Leadership Awards
 
Hostos also had its largest number of students receive Ernesto Malave Leadership Awards at the Vice Chancellor’s Excellence in Leadership Awards ceremony. They were Carlos Bibiloni, Abraham Miha, Makea Lowe, Jolisel Vargas López, Nayeh Yisrael, Ameen Alhubaishi, Yunerys Liriano. Hostos Professor Christin Hutchins was also recognized for serving as Carlos Bibiloni’s mentor.

And, for the first time, a Hostos student, Rouguiatou Oulare, won a Michael Solomon Award. In honor of the retirement of Michael Solomon from the CUNY Legal Affairs Office, a scholarship fund was established by his colleagues for students who have overcome obstacles (including natural and man-made disasters) in order to pursue their higher education.  Each recipient will receive a plaque and a monetary award.

Oulare has been at Hostos since the spring of 2012. She came to the United States five years ago from Guinea in West Africa. She was 17-years-old when she arrived filled with ambition and the desire to succeed. Learning English and eventually earning was her American Dream.

Now 22, Oulare overcame serious health problems associated with a brain tumor. Despite all of her struggles, she maintains high grades and was recently selected to be a member of the Phi Theta Kappa National Honors Society.


Hostos Students Saluted At Dominican Day Parade


 
(Pictured left to right) On April 30, Fátima Hernádez, Lizayda Rodríguez, Jenny Monción-Peña and Denice Caba-Santana were awarded scholarships on behalf of the Dominican Day Parade.


SGA And SLA Members Leave Campus To Learn Better Teamwork


 
Hostos Student Leadership Academy Members and Student Government Association members learned about team building at their 2nd Annual “Soar Retreat” from May 8-10.

In all, 33 students spent the weekend at a camp in the great New Jersey outdoors and participated in rope drills and other team-building exercises.


SLA Celebrates New And Old Members At 8th Annual Passing The Torch Ceremony


 
On May 21, new and old Hostos leaders were honored at the 8th Annual Passing the Torch Ceremony. Attended by more than 200 members of the Hostos family, including approximately 40 alumni.

The event allowed departing Hostos leaders to share their experiences with new students who are ready to embrace the leadership challenge. It also served as a showcase to celebrate the accomplishments of students who are leaving.

Sponsored by the Hostos Leadership Academy, the event included members of the Student Ambassadors Program, Student Orientation Services Team, Hostos Emerging Leaders  Program, Hostos Volunteer Corps, Winter Workshop Participants, Dream.US Scholarship Recipients, and Student Orientation Advancement Retreat Participants.


Phi Theta Kappa Induction Ceremony


 
On May 7, Hostos Community College inducted 195 students, its largest number ever, into the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society.

Theta Kappa Chapter of Hostos Community College
Mission of PTK – “The purpose of Phi Theta Kappa shall be to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students. To achieve this purpose, Phi Theta Kappa shall provide opportunity for the development of leadership and service, for an intellectual climate for exchange of ideas and ideals, for lively fellowship for scholars and for stimulation of interest in continuing academic excellence.”

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. 
 
Recently 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.