“I’M FIRST!” CELEBRATING OUR FIRST-GENERATION STUDENT MAJORITY AT THE COLIN POWELL SCHOOL first-generation students at CCNY, and it gave students a space to mingle, connect, and build a support network.
Upwards of sixty percent of Colin Powell School students are the first in their families to go to college, and we are fully committed to helping first-generation students make the transition to college, build community, and succeed academically and professionally. That is why the second Tuesday of November, National FirstGeneration Student Day, is so meaningful. It is a day to celebrate the efforts and commitment of the majority of our students and their families. This year we hosted a celebration in our new student lounge on the 6th floor of the NAC Building. The event included food and dance and highlighted the resources available to help
It can be difficult to navigate the waters of what college has. So we really try to make it easier for them to transition from high school to college by having these types of events to expose them to everything we have to offer here. Cynthia Gutierrez, Director of Mentoring and Alumni Relations, and herself a first-generation college student.
The event was featured on local television news station WPIX.
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: SUPPORT FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY The Leonard-Litz LGBTQ+ Foundation provided the Colin Powell School with a generous threeyear gift to support the School’s new Mixner LGBTQ+ Equal Rights Fellowship program and CCNY’s LGBTQ+ Student Center. Both of these initiatives, launched last year, reflect a deeper institutional commitment to ensuring that our LGBTQ+ students build community among one
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THE CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORK
another, a goal which is sometimes difficult to achieve on a commuter campus. Our LGBTQ+ students should feel safe and seen; even more, and in the spirit of the Colin Powell School’s mission to develop new leaders, we want to help our LGBTQ+ students learn how to wield their collective power for positive change in our city and society.
