Mohammad Abdur Rahman is an international student from Bangladesh, coming here in 2015 with the Presidential scholarship to the University of Bridgeport. After spending a year at UB, he transferred to CUNY LaGuardia Community College.
He graduated from LaGuardia Community College with Communication Studies (Public Relations) Major in Spring 2018. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's at CUNY Baruch College in International and Intercultural Communication.
After his Bachelor’s Mohammad, wants to earn his Master’s degree as well. With strong academic knowledge and vast experience in the International and Intercultural sectors, his plan is to work for global, international, multinational, or public organizations. Besides, he likes teaching and has plans to teach in his field of expertise in the future.
Now, as a proud Student Success Mentor, his most fascinating experience about this SSM program is the engagement with a hugely diverse student body here at LaGuardia Community College. He wants to continue his journey as an SSM to shape the way for his students with the right direction and best instructions that will lead them to a successful College experience and prepare them for their careers.
After working as a Brand Trainer, Monami realized that she needed a career change in order to fulfill her strong desire to help others. After becoming a Liberal Arts major in Spring 2018, she was able to find success as a student and find her path in life through the guidance of her professors and mentors at LaGuardia, where she graduated with High Honors in Spring 2019.
She now attends Columbia University where she majors in Urban Studies. Eventually, Monami hopes to work in educational reform, because as a second-generation American who sometimes struggled in an education system that wasn’t made with her in mind and then as a student who thrived at LaGuardia, she knows that success comes readily when a system is designed to support you.
As an SSM, she hopes to help new students feel supported so that they can reach their goals in the LaGuardia community.
Nyima, originally from Nepal, moved to the United States in 2016 seeking educational and financial opportunities. Though she struggled understanding the new college culture in her first semester, it didn’t stop her. The support that she received from faculty and different resources throughout her journey, and her determination helped her thrive both academically and individually. She is currently in her last semester and will be graduating with an Associates in Liberal Arts: Math and Science.
After graduation, Nyima will be continuing at Hunter College majoring in Biology. Her vision is to have a career in healthcare and hopes that majoring in Biology will provide a foundation for her further studies. Nyima believes in giving back to the community and making a difference. She strongly believes education is a path to not only create a better life but for a larger purpose of serving the community.
As an SSM, she hopes to encourage and support her students in their academic journey by sharing her own experiences.
Originally from Nepal, Pema has been living in United State since 2016 pursuing his higher studies. He graduated in spring 2019 with an Associate’s degree in Business Administration and is planning to transfer to Baruch so that he can acquire a bachelor's degree in finance, and pursue his dream to become a financial manager.
Beside his academic interests, Pema is also enthusiastic about helping others which has led him to volunteer for several on-campus clubs that advocate for student empowerment. Over the years, he has been actively assisting students, offering them guidance on on-campus resources and contributed to their academic success.
Seeing students he offered advisement to succeeding in their academics, and his general enthusiasm for advocating student empowerment, has reinforced Pema’s sense of responsibility to work more in the area of student success. Considering the importance of student success in his own life, he decided to become a Student Success Mentor so that he can continue his interest of motivating students to get more active and to succeed on-campus.
Peta-Gaye Dixon was born and raised Jamaica. She immigrated 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 tip-sheet which will make her students’ college experience not only manageable, but memorable!
Phylicia Emanuel was born on New Year’s Day and is a native of Brooklyn, NY. She has two 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 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 just 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 both the students in her Studio Hours as well as her faculty partners so that she will be able to help with anything that her students need assistance in. Phylicia hopes that at the end of her semester facilitating her Studio Hours, students will understand all the resources that are available at LaGuardia and to utilize them to the best of their ability so that their journey at LaGuardia will have minimal bumps in the road.
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Rahina Yeasmeen
ryeasmeen@lagcc.cuny.edu Rahina Yeasmeen was born and raised in Bangladesh. She came to New York in October of 2010 with a high expectation of studying in a place where she could explore her intelligence. Being admitted at LaGuardia Community College helped her not only to pursue her ambition, but to survive and flourish.
She graduated from LaGuardia on January 2015 with an Associate’s Degree in Accounting. She is currently studying at Baruch College to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy. She is greatly motivated to inform students about different resources and options that can help them to be more knowledgeable and skillful.
Originally from Albania, Rei enthusiastically moved to New York to follow his dream of becoming a software developer. As a LaGuardia student, Rei has actively participated in co-curricular activities such as: Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Campus Life Peer Leader, President’s Society, and has also participated in the CUNY Hackathon for Spring 2018.
These various co-curricular activities fostered his passion for helping others as well as guided him towards realizing his long-term aspirations. Rei plans to use this experience as a motivational tool to inspire his students to dare to do more. Rei enjoys photography, soccer and learning new languages. He is skilled in multiple languages, Java, C++, critical thinking, and leadership.
Born in Brooklyn, Ricardo is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. At LaGuardia Community College, Ricardo was an active student and was a part of Phi Theta Kappa Honor's Society, the Veterans Club, and a Peer Advisor. He also served as a representative for the VA V.I.T.A.L. Program, an initiative started by the Department of Veterans Affairs designed to help facilitate the transition from service member to student. During the Fall 2018 Social Sciences Conference, Ricardo had the honor of coordinating a panel discussion of Veteran students and staff which focused on their experiences in the military and difficulties of the transition civilian life.
Ricardo is currently pursuing his BA in Psychology at the School of General Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York He hopes to one day be able to provide mental health services to Veterans and youth from at-risk neighborhoods in New York City. His commitment to the LaGuardia community along with his desire to mentor and train other students to achieve their definition of success is what made him return as an SSM.
Rosa Guevara was born and raised in The Bronx. After seeing the system fail her family, she decided to become a reporter and shed light on important issues with her journalism skills.
Currently a Journalism major, Rosa has valued each resource given to her in regards to her major. She is an active staff writer for her student newspaper, a member of LaGuardia’s Honors Internship Program, and had the opportunity to intern in the Spring of 2019 at NBC News - NBC Latino Additionally, , she has done freelancing work for local newspapers and hopes to continue that at Baruch College in Business Journalism with a minor in Public Relations.
As an SSM, she is passionate in providing the same resources that we’re once given to her. Becoming compassionate about each student's journey and using that to identify as herself.
Before arriving at LaGuardia in March 2016, Salih Mansur had studied widely in design and communication arts, and had earned degrees in several of these areas before taking a five-year break to figure out what he really wanted to do. During this time, on top of freelance multimedia work, Salih did his best to keep his mind in shape by taking courses in test techniques, accounting, business communications, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) while attending self-development, discovery, and transformation seminars.Since he’s always wondered why beings do what they do, and along with the self-improvement courses, those five years gave him some time to think about studying psychology and the human mind at LaGuardia which was one of his best decisions.
Salih aspires to become an educational psychologist which he believes that he can do well since he had a hard time keeping up with his studies from the age of 13 to 21. Salih can use these experiences to help simplify and make education accessible by everyone through technology and mind techniques.
Salih’s passion is to help everyone get the basics of education, and he believes the world could be a better place through it. He is happy and motivated to be an SSM because he believes he can help many people discover their passion through ePortfolio and have the proper academic infrastructure to further their education. Salih expects his students to learn from his experiences, and to study themselves to be the best they can be.
After moving to New York from Bangladesh, Samad faced many financial hardships that threatened his ability to pursue his dreams. Through hard work and determination, Samad proved to be a top-notch student having graduated from LaGuardia in Fall 2018 with the highest honor. His success is as commendable as his passion for helping others.
He works as a Student Success Mentor, through which, he helps the at risk students to remain in college and guide them to right track, by sharing his experiences as a fellow LaGuardian. In his second semester at LaGuardia he participated in First Year Seminar Leadership Program, where he mentored the freshmen and helped them familiarized with LaGuardia environment well.
Samad is also an Ambassador of LaGuardia’s President’s Society Club, a member of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, and represented LaGuardia in the CUNY Financial Literacy Program. His goal is to earn his Bachelor’s degree in CIS from Baruch College by 2020 and work for Google. Samad believes that by sharing his experiences with incoming LaGuardia students, he will motivate them to take advantage of college resources, participate in extracurricular activities, all while doing well in their academics.
Samantha Perez came from the Philippines at the age of 4 and was raised all around New York City. She is currently a Queens resident and is an avid activist in her community.
After starting her family she continued her education and graduated with her associates from LaGuardia Community College (LAGCC) in High Honors (2019). She is currently pursuing her secondary degree in Healthcare Management at LAGCC. Doing so, will give her the opportunity to open a Wellness Center as an Art Therapist. The goal will be to have a center catering to the special needs community while being easily accessible to all demographics.
Samantha strives to give back to her community. She was excited to apply to the SSM Program. Being an SSM will allow her to help students access resources to better excel in their academic journey as well as learn integrative skills needed in future careers.
Sherae A. Smith was born and raised in Queens, New York. As the daughter of immigrant parents from Belize, she was always exposed to different people and experiences. After surviving cancer, she decided to take a chance and finish her education. This led her to LaGuardia Community College where she studied International Studies. After graduating in Fall 2018 she then Transferred over to Baruch College to study marketing.
At Baruch she hopes to graduate with a degree in Digital Marketing and work for a renowned company, helping to take their brand to the next level. She plans to use her love for languages and cultures to help others. As an SSM she does this by helping her students realize their potential and that LAGCC is here to help. Seeing her students succeed is her biggest motivation. Sherae hopes that her students can take from her story and learn that regardless of age, background or personal situation, that earning a degree is possible.
Somi Ahmed was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is studying in Liberal Arts; Social Science and Humanities at LaGuardia Community College. She came to the U.S.A. in 2015, went to high school and graduated in 2017. She is a transfer student from a senior college. The reason she transferred colleges is because she did not get the motivation that she expected for the hard work that she was applying to her studies. In other words, she did not get the inspiration to keep her pushing forward. Then, she transferred to LaGuardia Community College. From the beginning to now, she worked hard and participated as much as possible. Somi participated in programs and organizations as the America Needs You Fellowship, Phi Theta Kappa, the CUNY Summer Corps, the e-Portfolio Scholars Program, the LaGuardia Library Research Contest, Asian American Voice Journal, the CUNY Service Corps- Puerto Rico, and was a Futures Initiative Leadership Fellow at the CUNY Graduate Center. Also, she has participated in tabling events for the e-Portfolio showcase and much more.
English is Somi’s second language but the language difficulty helped her to become who she is right now. She is incredibly grateful for the opportunities she has been offered in America. Coming from Bangladesh, it was difficult for her to meet new people and blend into the community.
However, through support and help, she was able to become a part of the community. Somi believes in working hard, never giving up and being positive in every situation. Furthermore, she will finish her associate’s degree in Liberal Arts: Social Science and Humanities this Fall 2019, and she wants to transfer to a SUNY or a private university. Finally, at the end of the day her long-term goal to become an entrepreneur in her home country in Bangladesh.
Sonica Lama was born in Nepal, and raised in both Nepal and India. She moved to the United States in 2016 to achieve her ambitions. She is currently studying at LaGuardia Community College, pursuing an Associate’s degree in Computer Operations. She will graduate in the summer of 2018.
She truly believes in herself, and aspires to become a Cyber Security Specialist. She loves technology, as she believes in progress. Technology has made people's lives easier and more convenient. Her goal is to lead a good life and find the best in herself.
When she transferred to LAGCC from South Dakota State University, she faced a lot of cultural differences that initially made her feel uncomfortable and out of place. She overcame those difficulties with the help and support of Student Success Mentors and International Student Services.
Due to these resources, she had a better experience at LAGCC, and she eagerly wants to help first year students and/or international students to avoid such difficulties by sharing her own experiences and knowledge. By becoming an SSM, Sonica hopes that her students will understand the importance of connecting with peers and desires to help them live and experience a better college life.
Stephen Blake was born and raised in New York all his life. He is currently majoring in Design, aiming for a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Queens College while working as a Student Success Mentor at LaGuardia Community College. Stephen’s goal is to be a professional Cartoonist and share his creative works with the world in such a way that it would connect people through the stories being told.
After graduating, Stephen realized how much LaGuardia’s campus had done for him and as a student he wanted to return the favor by being a guide for new students. Stephen has always had a passion for both helping people and being a part of their creative process to help them if they are stumped mentally. Through his studio hours, he wants students to gain a better understanding of LaGuardia’s opportunities and resources in order to be well prepared for their academic journey.
Born and raised on the Atlantic coast of Colombia, Susana grew in her curiosity and love for languages and cultures beyond the frontiers of her country. She currently resides in New York City, where she is pursuing her Associate’s in English - Spanish Translation.
Susana chose to study at LaGuardia Community College upon the recommendation of close friends and the good reputation that the college has. She expects to graduate in the Fall of 2019. Susana’s passion is to be able to help others, this is intertwined with her role as a Student Success Mentor.
The opportunity to mentor fellow students and impact their academic experience in a positive way by sharing her own academic journey is something that motivates her. As she continues as an SSM, she aspires that her students will develop the boldness to ask questions, get involved in co-curricular activities, and to believe in themselves.
Tarrell McCall was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and after dropping out of High School, Tarrell was lost and didn’t know where to go next. In 2014, he attended a Christian youth group at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, where he rekindled his faith in God. Soon after, he decided to obtain his High Equivalency Diploma.
He enrolled at LaGuardia Community College in the summer of 2018, where he discovered his love for mathematics. He is currently pursuing his Associate’s degree in Liberal Arts: Math & Science, with a concentration in Mathematics. A degree he dedicates to his grandmother, who passed in 2016.
As an SSM, he hopes to inspire students to push themselves beyond the boundaries society has set for them and help them find the confidence to tackle any obstacle.
Unique Upreti Born and raised in Nepal, Unique moved to the U.S. to pursue a better life. He graduated from LaGuardia in spring 2019 with an A.S degree majoring in Computer Science. He currently attends John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Information Security.
He previously worked as a Peer Advisor at LaGuardia as well as a President’s Society member before joining the SSM team. Unique has a passion for helping others and in 2015 volunteered with the Nepal Red-Cross Society helping those affected by the devastating earthquake that struck his home country. He plans to use his computer science degree and interest in business to help him achieve his goal of becoming an entrepreneur as well as making an impact on the world.
As an SSM, Unique plans to help new students by sharing his own knowledge and experiences to assist them in achieving their goals and graduating on time.
Zakia Mahabub was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She came to the United States of America along with her family as an immigrant in 2014. She graduated from LaGuardia Community College with an A.S majoring in Computer Science in Spring 2017. She now has transferred to the City College of New York to pursue her Bachelor's in Computer Engineering.
She loves to meet new people and explore the world around her. She believes that our choices reflect what we truly are, rather than our abilities. Her passion for helping and motivating others led her to work as a Student Success Mentor at LaGuardia Community College. She believes that LaGuardia is a place of diversity. She wants to give back to this diverse community and admires to be a part of this institution.
Latchmie was born in Manhattan, however, her parents originated in Guyana. She is currently studying Secondary Education at LaGuardia Community College. She plans to further her education by receiving a scholarship to NYU, or continuing at Hunter College or Queens College. She values education because her mother told her a statement that changed her perspective. “Anyone could take away your house or the clothes on your back. One thing they can’t take away from you is your education”.
She devoted herself to her studies and took part in the ePortfolio Scholars program, the ePortfolio Showcase and she achieved a position as an SSM. She expects to guide first year college students on the road to success by sharing experiences, tips and teaching them how to expand their horizons. She hopes her students learn as long as they put their mind to it they can make their wildest dreams come true.