Ali was born and raised in Karachi, Pakistan where he completed his General Certificate of Education- Ordinary Level awarded by the Cambridge International Examinations in Pure Sciences. He then came to the United States to pursue higher education.
Ali enrolled at LaGuardia Community College in Spring 2015 where he earned his A.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering and graduated in Fall 2017. He then transferred to City College of New York to pursue his B.E. in Mechanical Engineering at the Grove School of Engineering.
Ali’s relationships with his professors at LaGuardia helped him decide to pursue his ultimate goal, which is to earn his PhD and work as a professor.
His ambition to help others is what initially drove him to become an SSM. Being an SSM, he expects his students to understand that education is essential, but so is college life, and connecting with one’s college community. Thus, he wants them to learn to enjoy their time as college students and get involved on campus.
Amanda is a Manhattan born, New York native who entered the workforce immediately upon graduating high school. She made her return to higher education in Fall 2018 here at LaGuardia C.C.
Amanda’s wide range of academic interests are what led her to choose the flexibility of a Liberal Arts: Math & Science degree. Amanda credits her choice of major as a main factor of her academic success.
Being able to take classes she was genuinely interested in along with the required core sparked a sense of inner awakening. She has found a new sense of purpose and direction during her time at LaGuardia.
She hopes she can share her experiences with her students to help them reach their own personal “ah ha” moments as well as enhance students’ self-confidence.
She aims to provide her students with all necessary resources to succeed. Upon graduation, Amanda plans to transfer to a four-year college to pursue a Bachelor’s of Science.
Angie moved to New York three years ago from Ecuador, and recently graduated from LaGuardia in Spring 2019 with an Associate’s degree in Fine Arts.
She plans on getting a Bachelor's degree in studio art at Queens College. She has always been very passionate about arts which was her incentive to move here, being born and raised for 18 years in Ecuador she had a different perspective on how things worked in the world; after living here she has changed and become an independent woman who believes her experiences can help guide and comfort other students that are in the same situation as she was.
After her FYS and her Art and Design seminar course, she realized that being an SSM was the position that she needed to guide students.
Anna Steto is half Greek and half Albanian and moved to New York City in 2015. She currently studies at LaGuardia Community College and is majoring in biology.
After graduating from LaGuardia, she would like to go to Hunter College or Stony Brook University. Anna is a motivated person who likes learning about how the human body works and is passionate about working in a microbiology lab and doing research.
She realized that she would like to go into the medical field when her grandmother died of unknown reasons. Anna, after finishing medical school, would like to be a doctor.
She wants to improve the health system in her country and save as many lives as possible.
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.
Desire Staley is a native New Yorker. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Desire graduated from LaGuardia Community College with an A.A in Psychology. Desire is currently attending a senior college pursuing a major in Psychology and International Studies. Once she achieves her degree, she is determined to pursue a career path in global public health for applied psychology.
Desire plans to work for an international organization as a mental health counselor. She is passionate about providing counseling and mental health services for children, trauma victims, refugees, or families in need. As a Student Success Mentor, Desire plans to provide support to students to help them progress to their potential academically, personally, and professionally. Furthermore, Desire is motivated to help students move forward in their academics and be aware of the resources LaGuardia has available.
Jessica Amar was born and raised in New York City. Her parents were both from Punjab, India. Jessica graduated from LaGuardia Community College in December 2018 with an A.S. Degree in Criminal Justice. She is currently attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is working towards her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.
She wants to become a professor for the Criminal Justice department as well as become a manager of a company. Jessica is extremely glad that she is an SSM because she likes working with others. Jessica likes guiding students in the right direction as well as helping them to become successful. She believes in giving and sharing.
Jessica hopes that her students will learn that they are not alone in college because we all are here for the same goal.
Juan Carlos Gil was born in Mexico City. He and his family immigrated to the United States in search of the American Dream. He currently attends LaGuardia Community College and will be graduating with an Associate’s degree in Human Services/ Mental Health by the end of the fall semester 2017.
He is currently the President of the Human Services club, a member of PTK, and an ASAP scholar. He hope to one day pursue a Master's Degree in Social Work and has applied to several senior colleges to make his dream come true. He would like to work with LGBTQ Youth that are at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, facing chronic homelessness, and aging out of the foster care system.
Juan Carlos has a passion for helping others and finding ways for people to be successful in their lives. He is passionate about education and sees the good in everyone. As an SSM he has the chance to demonstrate the skills he has learned in each of his classes as a human services major. He provides valuable information to incoming first year students that enable them to have a successful college career.
Juan expects his students to learn and become disciplined in time management, and to know all of the incredible resources available to student at LaGuardia.
Lhamu Dolma Hyolmo came to The United States in January 2016 at a very young age. Her previous university wanted her to change after her first semester because of her age. She feels lucky to have found CUNY LaGuardia as they accepted her transfer admission and gave her hope for a bright future. She used to sit in the corner of the class and be shy, but everything changed after her first semester. Her first semester gave her a hard time since she was trying hard to adapt to this big city where she almost lost the idea of who she was and what she was supposed to do with her life.
Through LaGuardia, she was able to meet so many people who were able to make significant changes in her life. CUNY schools are diverse, and she found herself within so many people's lives. She got a chance to represent LaGuardia in an international honor society called Phi Theta Kappa as a chapter secretary. Being a part of that community helped her to boost her self-confidence. Lhamu didn't want others to be like her and lose sight of themselves. So, she promised herself to make changes in people's lives.
Lhamu worked as a peer advisor for business students for one semester. Currently, she works as a Student Success Mentor and wants to help students to excel in their first year. The only thing she always wants to share with her students is never to underestimate their abilities and encourage them to dare to dream more.
LaGuardia was her home back then, but Lhamu graduated in August 2018 and then transferred to CUNY Baruch college where she is currently majoring in Accounting at the Zicklin School of Business. She aspires to become a Certified Public Accountant.
Luis De la Cruz was born in Venezuela but he was raised in Peru. He studied accounting for about 4 years in Lima, Peru but he wasn't able to complete his major for personal reasons. At the age of 22, he moved to New York City with many aspirations and he decided to study a new major which has become his passion: Civil Engineering.
He graduated from LaGuardia Community College where he obtained his associate's degree in the Fall 2019. Now, he will start attending City College to pursue his bachelor degree. His dream job is to work for the Department of Transportation.
As a SSM, his enthusiasm and optimism will be valuable to help, support, and guide new students. Also, he enjoys participating in different programs in and out of LaGuardia to keep learning and meeting new people. Now, he intends to share these experiences and opportunities to make students succeed in both their professional and personal lives.
Luz Bueno
lbueno@lagcc.cuny.edu Luz Bueno graduated from the Adult and Continuing Education High School Equivalency Program in Spring 2016. In Fall of 2016, she majored in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Management. Because Luz was born in South America (Colombia), Spanish was her first language.
The first obstacle she had to overcome was the language barrier, as well as mastering new computer skills. The first few years of her college career, Luz took all the ESL remedial courses she needed in order to move on to college-level writing. In Summer of 2017, Luz became a recipient of the Peter Jennings Fall scholarship.
She was highly recommended from HSE Adult Continuing and education Program for her academic efforts and great GPA. In Spring 2018, she became a Student Fellow in the Adult and Continuing Education Program, where she helped educate students about Federal, State and community resources/opportunities at LaGuardia Community College.
Through the Adult Continuing and Education Program Peer Mentor, Luz gained the necessary experience and skills to support other students. In Summer of 2019, she changed her major to Fine Arts because she wants to follow her passion for Fine Arts and receive an A.S. degree in Fine Arts. As a Student Success Mentor, Luz takes the opportunity to grow as a person, student and professional.
Also to continue supporting students to connect with college resources and be successful in college. She does this with the hope that the students she mentors may also become peer role models to other students like them.
Kristina Graham
kgraham@lagcc.cuny.edu Kristina Graham was born and raised in North Carolina and has now lived in Queens, NY, for over 10 years. She is currently studying Film and Television at LaGuardia Community College. Kristina hopes to continue gaining knowledge and experience in media-related fields.
One of Kristina’s passions is storytelling;especially storytelling through the visual arts of photography and videography. She applies storytelling to share her interpretations of the world in general and complexities of human emotions in particular. Kristina’s aspirations range across several disciplines, such as media, counseling, and teaching.
However, no matter what professional directions she pursues, Kristina’s hope as an SSM is to inspire students to be both passionate about discovering one’s own talents and also compassionate about difficult journeys of self-discovery that others take.