By Andy Murphy ’17
More than 600 high school and college students joined faculty and staff from nearly 40 colleges and universities at the New York State Capitol this month for the annual New York Student Aid Alliance Advocacy Day.
Khadijah Williams ’15, Sarah Czelusinak ’15, Courtney Houston ’16, Tamara Jackson ’16 and Stephanie Martinez ’16 were among the Siena College undergraduates who shared their stories with government leaders.
Those students are among the more than 370,000 New York students that depend on state aid programs to afford a college education. These programs include the Tuition Assistance Program, Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program, the Science and Technology Entry programs and the Liberty Partnerships Program.
“Without student aid I wouldn’t be here,” said Williams, a Siena HEOP student. “It’s important for our decision makers to know the importance of these programs.”
The Siena contingent also included Vanessa Borum, assistant director of HEOP. Borum and the students spoke with Senator Neil Breslin and Assemblyman Phil Steck during their visit.
“Not only did I gain confidence by standing up for something I believe in, but I felt like I made a difference too,” Czelusniak said. She and Williams were featured in this Capitol Confidential blog post on the Times Union website.
Stephanie Martinez explained that she is from a single parent household and her mother thought a college degree wasn’t affordable until she was placed in the HEOP program. “Being in HEOP made it possible to attend Siena and my dream of graduating from college is within reach now,” she said.
Martinez is on track to become the first of her siblings to earn a college degree.
At Siena College, 89 percent of students receive some form of aid. Click here to learn more about Siena’s student aid programs.
