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Meet the Mentors

Meet the Student Success Mentors

The Student Success Mentors (SSMs) work in the FYS C-447 lab. They are current students at LaGuardia and some have graduated and transferred to other CUNY four-year colleges. Learn more about them, their experiences and what motivated them to become mentors by clicking on each name below.

Arnold Moctezuma School: LaGuardia Community College Major: Programming and Systems Read more Arnold Moctezuma Bio coming soon...	Ashli Smith School: Queens College Major: Writing and Literature Read more Ashli Smith Ashli Smith grew up in Queens, New York. She hopes to one day get her PhD in English so she can pursue her dream and become a college professor. Upon attending LaGuardia Community College, Ashli wanted to become a doctor. That quickly changed when she realized that science wasn't something she enjoyed. After talking to her English 101 professor, she realized that her love for literature was bigger than she had realized. She quickly changed her major and has been happy ever since. She would like fellow students to know that it’s okay to change your mind or career path in college. It took her a year after being enrolled in college to learn what she wanted to do. LaGuardia has a lot of opportunities and a lot of helpful faculty. Just know that they are here to help you each step of the way	Asma Shuaib School: Hunter College Major: Early Childhood Education Read more Asma Shuaib Asma Shuaib is a Palestinian-American. She graduated from LaGuardia Community College in the Spring of 2017 with a degree in Early Childhood Education and has now transferred to Hunter College where she is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. Growing up in Palestine has built Asma’s confidence, determination and eagerness to help make a difference in young children’s lives, which is one of the reasons why she wants to teach. Her biggest goal is to teach worldwide and enhance education in developing countries. Asma, who never liked going to school, is now passionate about encouraging others to continue with their education. She believes that LaGuardia has given her a chance to modify her view on the importance of education and school. Asma is very excited to now be working as a Student Success Mentor. She believes this position gives her an opportunity to give back to LaGuardia, by supporting students in navigating their way at LaGuardia!	Ayesha Rupa School: Queens College Major: English Read more Ayesha Rupa Ayesha Rupa was born and raised in Bangladesh and moved to the United States in 2011. She started living in Queens with her family and joined LaGuardia Community College in 2014. During her time at LaGuardia, she studied Childhood Education and Psychology. On June 2017, she transferred to Queens College where she majors in English. She aspires to be a teacher in elementary school because she enjoys spending time with children. Since LaGuardia was her first academic institution in the United States, she had to overcome some challenges as a new student. Now she thinks that as an SSM she can share her experiences, which may help her mentees, if they ever find themselves feeling lost during their first year in college. She wants her students to know about different clubs, events, scholarships, workshops and other co-curricular activities. These will enable them to learn more about college resources, and develop new skills, graduate on time, and successfully transfer to four-year colleges.
Caitlin Dean School: LaGuardia CC Major: Deaf Studies Read more Caitlin Dean Caitlin Dean graduated from LaGuardia Community College in June 2016 with with their AA in Deaf Studies. They currently work as both a Student Success Mentor and an ASL tutor with the Modern Language Lab. At LaGuardia, Caitlin combines their passions for languages, working to build community, and helping others educate themselves. Caitlin hopes to create positive classroom environments where students feel comfortable establishing themselves as new students and empower them to claim the strengths they each already possess. As a queer person, it is especially important to them to help students realize their own power as a community when they share skills, insights, and advocate for the benefit of each other.	Carlos Galindo School: City College Major: Political Science Read more Carlos Galindo Bio coming soon.	Carly Sanchez School: John Jay College Major: Forensic Psychology Read more Carly Sanchez Carly graduated from LaGuardia Community College with high honors earning her Associate of Arts degree in Social Science and Humanities. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in the BA/MA Forensic Psychology program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Carly once struggled with self-doubt during her search of belonging. Through her faith and perseverance, she conquered her fears and became actively involved in the campus community. At Lagcc, Carly was a member of the Leadership Club, Christian Club, Phi Theta Kappa, Honors Society, and President’s Society. As a mentor, she hopes to inspire students to learn how to advocate for themselves, make their mark on campus, and continue their educational journey. “Education helped save my life, I discovered my identity. I am humbled by my accomplishments, more importantly, I learned that I belong”. She believes that inclusiveness and embracing diversity are the keys to student success #everystudentmatters. Her genuine love for students has sparked her interest in becoming a Professor. As the Criminal Justice Discipline Leader of the SSM program; she desires to increase awareness regarding the inclusion of formerly incarcerated students. She also hopes to become a Juvenile Detention Counselor and Youth Advocate. Her long term goal is to become a Christian Psychologist, where she will use biblical counsel in the rehabilitation of juveniles. - Isaiah 61:1	Cristian Sanchez School: Lehman College Major: Social Work Read more Cristian Sanchez At the age of five, Cristian and his family journeyed to America from Mexico to pursue the famous American dream of success. Without knowing one word in English as a child, Cristian has blossomed into a successful young student. Upon graduating from LaGuardia Community College with A.A. degree in Psychology, Cristian has transferred to Lehman College with the intent to receive his Bachelor’s in Social Work and begin practicing as a Social Worker. By being an SSM, Cristian along with other SSMs are addressing the obstacles and challenges freshmen students from minority groups face when pursuing a higher education.Cristian intends to convey a message of perseverance and determination to his students who may have also faced similar challenges as immigrants.
David Brandt School: Hunter College Major: English & Political Science Read more David Brandt David is a lifelong New Yorker. Born and raised in Manhattan, he is a product of the New York City public school system. He grew up with education not just being an option, but an expectation. His mother was also a CUNY community college graduate who eventually earned a Masters in Education from Brooklyn College. This helped set the foundation for David’s educational goals. He holds an A.A from LaGuardia Community College and is currently finishing his studies in English and Political Science at Hunter College. David has a lifelong passion for helping others, in addition to public education, which he has eagerly applied in his role for the past three years as an SSM. David has published on his experience with electronic portfolios and the benefits of their use among community college students. His long term goals are to work in educational development and attend law school.	Derrick Chew School: Hunter College Major: Sociology Read more Derrick Chew Derrick was born and raised in New York City. His parents were both from Malaysia who came to America for a better future. He graduated from LaGuardia with an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts: Social Science and Humanities, and graduated from Hunter College in December 2016 as a Sociology major. He is currently transitioning to a career while exploring the possibility of pursuing another degree. He has been active in clubs in both schools: in LaGuardia he has been an active member of Japan Club, and now in Hunter he is the Vice President of Capoeira Club, both of which have created many new opportunities and expanded connections. As an SSM, Derrick strives to show people how to overcome the many obstacles in college and how to become successful in any endeavor.	Dominique Tatom School: John Jay College Major: Criminal Justice Read more Dominique Tatom Dominique was born and raised in Brooklyn for most of her life. While her circumstances weren’t the best, she quickly learned to adapt to uncomfortable situations. Dominique enrolled at LaGuardia Community College in Fall 2014 to major in Criminal Justice. She is adamant about making a difference to beat the disturbing statistics of being a ward of the state. Dominique attests that her personal experiences are relevant in her daily life and it plays a huge rule in her academic career. Dominique decided to become an SSM because she knows the difficulties of transitioning into college. She wants to support, encourage and inform other students about what LaGuardia can offer them to help achieve their goals. Dominique understands the effort, patience, and empathy her role as an SSM would require. She enjoys challenging herself academically and individually because she believes it helps her develop her character. Dominique is passionate about being an aid to those who feel left out, misunderstood or in need of help.	Elainie Lendebol School: Hunter College Major: Biochemistry Read more Elainie Lendebol Elainie was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, and at the age of seven she moved to the state of Florida where she lived for twelve years. During that time she endured many of the difficulties that came with being undocumented. Nonetheless, her obstacles reinforced her dreams of becoming a medical professional. Right after acquiring her residency, she moved to the state of New York, where she began her college education at LaGuardia in 2012 as a first generation student. Elainie graduated in Spring of 2015 with an Associates’ degree in Biology, and is now continuing her education at Hunter college as a Biochemistry major. Her ultimate goal as a pre-med student is to become a medical doctor, aiming to form part of mission trips and making a difference in less-developed countries. Her goal as a Student Success Mentor is to encourage students to get involved in different programs available on campus with hopes that they will become motivated to not only finish LaGuardia, but to also build strong networking connections that will benefit them long after their graduation.
Estefany Gonzaga School: Baruch College Major: Business & Graphic Communication Read more Estefany Gonzaga Estefany Gonzaga was born in Mexico City but was raised in New York City. She is a single mother of two children. She is a first generation college student in her family. Estefany’s mother attended LaGuardia Community College but due to language barriers she stopped attending. Estefany continued in her mother’s footsteps and graduated from LaGuardia on June 2014 with an Associate's of Science Degree in Business Administration. Estefany is now a student at Baruch College working on her Bachelor’s of Arts in Business/Graphic Communications. She wants to pursue a career in the Advertising Marketing Communications industry. Her current role as an SSM has ignited some passion for teaching. She is inspired by the stories of her mentees and she is always looking forward to inform students about resources and opportunities that are available to them.	Genesis Baque School: City College Major: Architecture Read more Genesis Baque Genesis graduated from LaGuardia Community College (LaGCC)with an AS in Fine Arts and Design in Fall 2014. Now she is transferring to Pratt Institute to pursue a career in the field of architecture. During her time in LaGCC she has made a priority to help succeed students who are attending LaGuardia Community College. Genesis volunteered as a tutor in the ESL department facilitating a conversation class for international students helping them to feel more comfortable speaking English. Genesis has been a Student Success Mentor at LaGCC since June 2014 and her mission is to increase the retention and graduation rates by providing all the resources available in the college such as peer mentoring, scholarships and personal support to freshman and returning students. Genesis was an active campus citizen. She was part of the Honors Program, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and President's Society. These are programs that she recommends because they provide to the members the tools to succeed after graduation, tools that she also shares with freshman students in the classes that she leads.	Guillermo Briceno School: Queens College Major: Philosophy Read more Guillermo Briceno Guillermo Briceno was born and raised in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Living near the legendary CBGB’s, and St. Mark’s, he grew up understanding the eccentricities of life, and the diversity of people who exist in the world. With a great appreciate for animation and cinema, Guillermo became obsessed with the different kinds of sequential arts that exist in the world, and during high school he interned for various small movie studios and production companies. It was around this time he also became interested in mythology, world religions, and New Age thought. After high school, Guillermo spent a great deal of working, and traveling to various locations around the country, and even abroad, spending time in Chile, and Japan. In his mid to late twenties he decided to return to college as a fulltime student, majoring in Philosophy in LaGuardia Community College. While in LaGuardia, Guillermo became very active in the college life scene; leading the Japan Club as President on several occasions, organizing events, collaborating with various organizations within the college and off campus, and even traveling up to speak at the State Senate as a representative of the Student Advisory Council and LaGuardia. Before graduating, Guillermo was offered a membership in the National Society of Leadership and Success as a founding member of the LaGuardia Community College chapter. After working in several different departments on campus, Guillermo is now a Student Success Mentor for the First Year Seminar initiative, where he helps new students with their first year experiences.	Habiba Choudhury School: LaGuardia CC Major: Liberal Arts Math and Science Read more Habiba Choudhury A Bangladeshi-American; Habiba Choudhury grew up in Queens, New York. During an early age, she knew an education is evident to achieve success, however, obstacles hindered her progression, until she returned to college and understood her capabilities. In Fall 2016, she enrolled in LaGuardia Community College to pursue a Business Administration degree, which transitioned into Liberal Arts: Math and Science. After the completion of an associate’s degree, she aims to transfer to Yale University to double major in Economics and English Literature to eventually lead towards an MBA and PhD. She aspires to become a Chief Executive Officer, English Literature Professor, philanthropist, and author. A passion to write and teach became a gateway to pursue various disciplines; and an admiration for business drives her to pursue a career in the corporate world. As a Student Success Mentor, motivation begins within, however, the exploration to motivate and educate others to reach their full potential will be an ultimate drive as an SSM. As fellow first-year students, dedicate time and believe in yourself; surely, dreams become reality, all it takes is perseverance.
Hafsa Tahir School: Baruch College Major: International Studies Read more Hafsa Tahir Hafsa Patel grew up in Queens and has lived in NY her whole life. After some obstacles, she started college and although she thought it would be extremely difficult, she prospered and is looking forward to starting Queens College in the fall semester with a double major in Accounting and Economics because she has always been interested in numbers and theories. Hafsa’s aspirations are to work at one of the big four accounting firms and eventually open up her own firm so she can be her own boss. As an SSM, she wants all of her students to learn about all the opportunities that LaGuardia has to offer and help students succeed to graduation. Hafsa expects her students to learn by demonstrating that mistakes are opportunities for one to learn and grow as a person.	Hashim Abdullaev School: Queens College Major: Middle Eastern Studies Read more Hashim Abdullaev Hashim Abdullaev was born in a very old Persian City called Bukhara and grew up in Russia. In 2012, he came to New York City and tried to enter LaGuardia Community College; however, he failed his entrance tests and after a while he went back to his hometown. In July of 2014, he came back to New York and luckily, he got an opportunity to retake his entrance tests after having spent 12 weeks in the CUNY Start program. He successfully passed his placement tests and, in the Spring 2015, he started studying at LaGuardia. He chose International Studies as his major because he is concerned about Religious Intolerance in today’s world. He is a fluent speaker of four languages, which he wishes can allow him to bring the attention of many people around the world to the problems of discrimination and intolerance. Hashim would like to use the opportunity of being a Student Success Mentor in order to share his unique experience with students and moreover, help them throughout their educational career at LaGuardia Community College.	Hyun A Lee School: Hunter College Major: Sociology Read more Hyun A Lee Hyun was born in the U.S. but raised in Korea. She came back to the U.S. in 2013 when she enrolled at LaGuardia Community College. She graduated in 2017 Spring with an A.S. degree in Business Administration. Now, her journey continues at Hunter college as a Sociology student. She served as 2016-2017 Alpha Theta Phi Chapter President in the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, represented LaGuardia as an ambassador through the President’s Society program, and provided guidance to her peers by working as a Peer Advisor. A quote by Ayesha A. Siddiqi, “be the person you needed when you were younger,” is her life motto. She enjoys observing growth in her peers, thus, her dream is to become an educator in higher education. Also, one of her life goal is to create a foundation that will encourage creative souls to express themselves as a member of society. As an SSM, her goal is to create an inclusive atmosphere for her students to feel comfortable enough to explore every piece of themselves. Together, she and her students will begin the journey to finding one’s own passion.	Jenny Perez Bruno School: City College Major: Biology Read more Jenny Perez Bruno Jenny Perez Bruno was born in La Vega, the Dominican Republic and moved nine years later to New York City, settling in Manhattan. She graduated from LaGuardia in 2014 with an AA degree in Biology. When she first came to New York, the first school she went to was Salomé Ureña de Henríquez for six graders. Once there, she started learning science and started developing her skills and passion for the human body and nature. Yet this very passion for school and all the new experiences she obtained in NYC were filtered through her upbringing. In fact, Jenny’s own mother was so inspired by her academic achievements that she enrolled in college as well, and she graduated in 2014. She is working as a Patient outreach coordinator at Harlem Hospital convincing pregnant women to donate their placenta and Umbilical cord. Upon graduating from City College in the Fall of 2017, Jenny plans on applying to Medical School in New York to pursue her dream of becoming a pediatrician.
Jessica Chauca School: Queens College Major: Education: Latin American Studies, Elementary Education & Spanish Read more Jessica Chauca Jessica was born and raised in Ecuador. She started at LaGuardia as a student in the CLIP program. Once she learned English, she decided to pursue a major in Bilingual Education since she has always been concerned about the education system. She would like future generations of immigrants to learn English without leaving their native language and culture behind. Currently, Jessica is at Queens College pursuing a major in Latin American Studies, Elementary Education and Spanish because she believes that learning about different backgrounds and language features will help her understand her future students better. Jessica is a passionate learner and she think that we learn something new everyday even in the most insignificant ways. She loves being an SSM because she actually has the chance to experience the feeling of satisfaction when she sees her students using the resources that she provided. She encourages her students to use their time wisely and to work in groups because she believes that teamwork is better in the process of learning.	Juan Carlos Gil School: LaGuardia Community College Major: Human Services / Mental Health Read more Juan Carlos Gil Bio coming soon...	Julissa Camilo School: Queens College Major: Spanish and Secondary Education Read more Julissa Camilo Julissa was born in Dominican Republic and moved to New York when she was four years old. While at LaGuardia, she was apart of many activities such as ASL club, Cheerleading and Step. She graduated from LaGuardia Community College with an AA in Liberal Arts: Deaf Studies. She then attended Queens College where she double majored in Spanish and Secondary Education. Her goal is to not only become a Spanish teacher but also an American Sign Language teacher. What motivates Julissa to be a SSM is when her students realize how useful the first year seminar is; once they realize this she explains how this is why she is there. Unlike her students, most of the things Julissa learned were through word of mouth. She expects her students to learn mainly through group conversations and sharing her personal experience. She also loves the opportunities that are presented as an SSM, the professional development, networking, and form of community.	Karen Gonzalez School: Baruch College Major: Business Communication Read more Karen Gonzalez Though born in Ecuador, Karen has always lived in New York City. Being a native Queens resident, Karen always reaches for the best in her education. She returned after a five year hiatus to obtain a degree here at LaGuardia Community College. She is majored in Business Administration like many business students with her goal to work in “Corporate America.” However, she truly found her passion in teaching and helping others. In taking the First Year Seminar, Karen realized that her skills and values could be used in other facets like becoming an educator. Having certain reluctance in this decision, Karen felt motivated and engaged with the quality of teaching here at LaGuardia which led her to become a Student Success Mentor. Her passion lies in implementing an idea that can connect many students to different resources and opportunities as it did with her. As an SSM, Karen serves as an aid to students in identifying, educating and helping students understand the fundamentals of their future. She expects students to learn the key concepts of their discipline and grow as professionals.
Karla Sanchez School: LaGuardia CC Major: New Media Technology Read more Karla Sanchez Karla Sanchez was born and raised in Ell Salvador. In 2009, she moved to New York looking for an opportunity to finish her higher education and achieve her dreams and career goals. After settling down in New York, she was accepted to LaGuardia Community College where she is now pursuing an A.A.S Degree in New Media Technology. During her first year at LaGuardia, she has achieved good academic performance which leads her to be part of Dean’s List for the Spring and Fall semesters. In addition, she is an active ASAP student and has participated in differents activities and seminars that have been helping her to prepare for her academic & career goals. After finishing her A.A.S degree, her next move is to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Design at City Tech College and become a Visual Designer to follow her passion for art and technology. Currently, Karla has received the opportunity to become a Student Success Mentor where she expects to share her experience as a student at LaGuardia with first-year students. She hopes that her story about her journey at LaGuardia can inspire other students to commit to their goals so they can accomplish their dreams.	Katherine Gutierrez School: Columbia Univerity Major: Financial Economics Read more Katherine Gutierrez A Colombian woman who is trying to achieve the so called “American Dream”. Katherine Gutierrez was born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia. She moved to the United States in 2012 and started her journey at LaGuardia in 2014. She was part of the Student Government for two years, University Student Senate delegate and Vice-chair, Model New York State Senate alumni, Model United Nations Alumni, President's Society Alumni, America Needs You Fellow, ePortfolio Scholar, Phi Theta Kappa member, Honors Society member and many other organizations. She Graduated in Spring 2016 with an Associates in Business Administration, and she is currently pursuing a degree in Financial Economics at Columbia University. Enrolling at LaGuardia was one of the best experiences that Katherine could have ever imagined. She was able to break the limitations set by others and demonstrated others that one can pursue what one loves no matter where we come from. She is grateful of the resources and supporting staff at LaGuardia because being involved in the college has helped her become more confident about who she is and who she wants to become in life. Katherine wants to continue helping her community by volunteering and providing awareness to the youth; that they can follow the dreams they set for their future.	Kevin Bonilla Velasquez School: Queens College Major: Secondary Education (History) Read more Kevin Bonilla Velasquez Kevin Bonilla Velasquez was born in El Salvador but was raised in Queens, NY. He graduated from LaGuardia Community College with an Associates in Arts Degree in Secondary Education. While at LaGuardia, Kevin was a member of the Future Educators Club where he met other like-minded students who were just as passionate about becoming educators as him. Kevin made the Dean’s List at LaGuardia on multiple occasions. He has always been ready to help his fellow classmates which is why, while at LaGuardia, he’s worked as a Peer Advisor and as a Peer Tutor helping students navigate the campus and take advantage of all the resources available to them. Kevin has now transferred to Queens College where he is pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education (History). He hopes to become a history teacher. As an SSM, Kevin enjoys sharing his knowledge and experiences with his mentees.	Khadiza Begum School: Baruch College Major: Operation Management Read more Khadiza Begum Khadiza Begum was born in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Bangla is her first language and English is her second Language. She earned her A.S. degree in Business Administration from LaGuardia Community College. She currently attends Baruch College where she majors in Operation Management and minors in Communication. While at LaGuardia, Khadiza became very involved in different student clubs and organizations on campus such as Economic club, where she served as President of the club and the Bangladesh Student Association (BSA) where she was an active member. As a student, she also served on the College Senate. She was a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society (PTK), a member of the ASAP program, and a member of Honors Student Advisory Committee (HSAC). Khadiza chose to become a Student Success Mentor because she has a passion for helping people. She was very lucky because during her first year, her brother attended LaGuardia and showed her the campus, the academic calendar, among other thing. When she found out about the SSM program and what it was for, she knew immediately that she wanted to be a mentor so she could help other students in the same way her brother helped her. She believes that if you do not have someone to guide you through your first or second year in college, it can be a very daunting experience that can discourage you from continuing your education.
Luis Baron School: City Tech Major: Network Computer and Technology Read more Luis Baron Luis Baron was born in Cali, Colombia. He was a student at LaGuardia Community College and graduated in 2015. He now attends New York City College of Technology where he is majoring in Computer Network Technology. Currently, he is studying to get the CISCO license as a Nets Specialist. Luis started in 2012 as a student in the CLIP program at LaGuardia to improve his English skills. He is a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society. This society is for students with GPA above 3.5. He was a member of the ASAP program, and has also been on the Dean's list three times for being a successful full-time student. In high school, Luis found his passion for teaching while helping his high school classmates. Luis hopes to create a positive environment in the classroom where freshmen can feel comfortable with the strengths they bring with them to the classroom. As an SSM, Luis wants to tell students that they are capable of doing more than what they believe and to never doubt about their decision of coming to college.	Lydia Vanessa School: Baruch College Major: Accounting Read more Lydia Vanessa Lydia Vanessa; a name that confuses many people when it comes to “last name” and “first name”, yes, they are both first names, and yes, her real last name is not Vanessa. Lydia Vanessa is a proud Indonesian who came to New York in September of 2012. Her ambition is to work in a prestigious company. Unlike her dream, her interests are cooking and travelling. She loves to eat and makes her own meal since she was young. She is a very preserve person; she finally opened up herself a little when she joined the SSM family in at LaGuardia. Meeting new people and interacting with different people motivates her to become a better person who can inspire other people. As a student and as a mentor, Lydia’s dream is to make other people successful; not only academic wise, but also in personal development as well. She always thinks that being a successful person would be great, but being successful together would create a perfect empire for the society.She is a proud alumni of LaGuardia Community College. She learned a lot while she was there. As much as she loves LaGuardia, she has to move on to the next big thing for her: a four-year College. She is currently learning and gaining a deeper meaning of Finance at Baruch College. To reach her dreams, she is aware that this will not be the last big thing in life as she plans to do more.	Maritza Bonola School: John Jay College Major: Forensic Psychology Read more Maritza Bonola Like many other immigrant students Maritza Bonola was brought to the U.S.A. at the age of six. She is from Puebla, Mexico. As a child she had no word regarding whether she wanted to immigrate to the US or stay in her native country. Life happened and she immigrated to a foreign country where she was forced to adapt. Today, Maritza appreciates the opportunity that life gave her when coming to this country. She believes that in this country she has opportunities that perhaps in her country she would have never had. “ I immigrated to this country as a child through dangerous circumstances, I plan to make the trip count, my mother brought me here for a better life, I will not fail her or myself”. Maritza recently graduated from LaGuardia Community College with an Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice. She has continued on to John Jay and is pursuing her Masters in Forensic Psychology. She has a passion for equality and education. Maritza is a strong believer that knowledge is power. Her mission in life is to mentor young adults, minorities in specific, “ We are automatically expected to fail in every aspect of life, we are not given the same opportunities that other people have, my mission is to prove that expectation wrong”. My education along with my experience will be a tool to help everyone succeed and live a happy and healthy life”. Maritza believes that in order to end or reduce mass incarceration one must focus on the lack of education and opportunities.	Maui Arcuri School: LaGuardia CC Major: Math and Science Read more Maui Arcuri Maui Arcuri is a LaGuardia student who moved to New York City from Hawaii. Why would someone move from Hawaii to a busy city one might ask. “Well, what’s stopping you from leaving New York” he may incur. He has a love for jazz music and it is one of the reasons he came to NY. Maui studies computer science in hopes of one day, not actually working in IT or development, but creating his own business. Perhaps he will use the experience he will learn in college and apply it towards developing a creative business. Or perhaps he might end up being a beach bum. Who knows?As a Student Success Mentor, he hopes to help students learn all the resources and the importance of college education in order to prevent future beach bums (unless they really want to be one).
Peta-Gaye Dixon School: Brooklyn College Major: Childhood Education & Child/Youth Studies Read more Peta-Gaye Dixon Peta-Gaye Dixon was born and raised Jamaica. She migrated to the United States approximately 4 years ago to advance herself not only financially, but also intellectually. This drive led her first to LaGuardia Community College where she successfully pursued her AA degree in Childhood Education and now to Brooklyn College with a dual major in Childhood Education and Child/Youth Studies. She will eventually obtain her Masters in Special Education and Arts in Education. “Everyone has the ability to attain greatness, regardless of their situation” because of this mindset, she intends to become a Special Education Teacher for elementary students. This career choice has been a lifelong passion of hers because she enjoys helping others grow and become the best version of themselves. The first semester at LaGuardia was difficult, but because of the help available, she was able to overcome her challenges which is the main drive for her as an SSM. With the lessons from prior/current situations encountered, she intends to share tips, tools, suggestions, and basically an overall LaGuardia cheat-sheet which will make her students’ college experience not only manageable but also memorable!	Phylicia Emanuel School: Brooklyn College Major: Secondary Education Read more Phylicia Emanuel Phylicia Emanuel was on born January 1, 1986 and is a native of Brooklyn, NY. She has 2 children and is a full time student. Phylicia graduated from LaGuardia Community College in the winter of 2017 and now Attends Brooklyn College with hopes of graduating in 2019 with her bachelor’s in Education in hopes of becoming a Social Studies teacher for the grades 7-12. Even though her progress at LaGuardia was a bumpy road, she still strived to graduate and remain on the Dean's list. Being a mom is hard enough, but to go to school and work at the same time is just simple it takes motivation and a will to push forward through any and every situation. After graduating from Brooklyn, Phylicia, plans on continuing her education in receiving her Master’s and also working full time as not only a social studies teacher but also as a mentor to those who are in need. Her passion grows with helping underprivileged children who do not have certain resources that will allow them to achieve greatness. As an SSM, she plans on working hand in hand with the students in her class and also the professor so that she will be able to help with anything that the students will need help and assistance in. Phylicia hopes that at the end of her semester facilitating her classes, the students will understand all the resources that are available at LaGuardia and utilize them to the best of their ability so that their journey at LaGuardia will have minimum bumps in the road.	Rahina Yeasmeen School: Baruch College Major: Operation Management Read more Rahina Yeasmeen Bio coming soon...	Ruby Charles School: Lehman College Major: Social Work Read more Ruby Charles Ruby was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to her single Haitian immigrant mother. Growing up, Ruby was exposed to values such as being kind, being honest, and to pursue an education. These values were passed down from her mother and have stayed with her to this day. In fact, these values contributed to her decision to attend LaGuardia Community College and receive her Associates Degree in 2014. It is here that Ruby strengthened her values and truly gained a new perspective of education and her future. After her accomplishment of being a LaGuardia graduate, she continued her education by transferring to Lehman College where she majors in Social Work. Now, Ruby is a senior and plans to graduate in May 2017. She hopes to make a difference in people's lives and carry out her dream to help others. As a Student Success Mentor, Ruby plans to share her values with incoming students and to be a part of their success.
Saroja Vivekanandana School: LaGuardia CC Major: Nursing Read more Saroja Vivekanandan Bio coming soon.	Tania Villacis School: Lehman College Major: Human Resources Read more Tania Villacis Tania was born in Ecuador where she married, and later moved with her husband to New York City. She has a beautiful son. Tania started her journey at LaGuardia Community College in 2013 when she became part of the CLIP program. This experience helped her improve her reading and writing skills. Because English is not her first language, being part of CLIP allowed Tania to become more comfortable adapting to a new environment while learning a new language. As she transitioned to college life, she was eager to continue challenging herself and started working in the Peer Advisor Academy. Tania majored in Business Administration at LaGuardia and graduated with her Associates degree in 2017. Currently, she attends Lehman College where she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources. She wants to share her knowledge with students and guide them regardless of the challenges they may face. Tania will utilize her leadership skills to help students feel prepared during their first year and beyond.	Veronica Pineros School: Hunter College Major: Childhood Education Read more Veronica Pineross Veronica Pineros was born and raised in Jackson Heights, Queens. She is still currently enrolled at LaGuardia Community College and will graduate in June with an AA in Liberal Arts and Humanities; Childhood Education. She will be attending Hunter College in the fall of 2015. She is studying childhood education with a co-major in psychology. She aspires to become a principal in an urban elementary school to try to infuse art in education. Her passion is teaching children that art can be taught in every academic subject and school can be fun again. What motivated her to become a SSM are her experiences instructing Literacy and ESL students. The experiences that she has obtained over the years has made her stronger in learning, how to engage students to want to learn. She expects her students to find the drive in wanting to learn like she did. She wants her students to feel comfortable communicating with her and to take her experiences, so they can become successful college students.	Vienna D'Ornellas School: LaGuardia Community College Major: Nursing Read more Vienna D'Ornellas Vienna was born in Elmhurst, New York. Her mother showed her kindness, strength, and hard work, and her father exposed her to education, dancing, and extra curricular activities. When Vienna was just 8 years old, her father lost his battle to cancer. Although she continued to stay strong, part of her identity was lost. She no longer knew who she was nor did she realize about her potential. Fast forward 10 years, she now aims to graduate from LaGuardia Community College with a degree in Business Administration. Next she hopes to attend Baruch to major in Management with a minor in Communications. Her dream is to create a nonprofit organization for women of all ages in need of shelter, food, clothes, job assistance, mentorship, and free counselling. As a Student Success Mentor she desires to share her experience as a student at LaGuardia with her students and to remind them they all have a chance to build a legacy.
Yasmeen Munasser School: Baruch College Major: Liberal Arts Math and Science Read more Yasmeen Munasser Yasmeen Munasser was born in Yemen and raised in Queens. She attended LaGuardia Community College in the Spring of 2016 as a transfer and first-generation student. She studied Liberal arts: Math and Science and graduated in the Spring of 2017 with an Associate of Science degree. She is currently in Baruch College’s Mathematics program pursuing a Bachelors of Arts. Higher education was not a cultural norm in her Yemeni community, nevertheless, she fought for her right to receive an education. She aspires to be a financial engineer. She wants to one day apply her knowledge to a project that could help improve people's' lives. Being a woman in STEM is very important to her. She is passionate about informing young women that STEM fields are some of the fastest growing fields and that women deserve a chance accessing these opportunities. As an SSM, she wants to be able to ease the college experience for first year and transfer students. She is passionate about being a helping hand and helping other students get all the information they need and want about what LaGuardia offers. She anticipates her students to know the importance of education, and to be mindful of the many rewarding factors and opportunities that lie ahead as LaGuardia students.	Zakia Mahabub School: LaGuardia CC Major: Computer Science Read more Zakia Mahabub Bio coming soon .