Student Voices Winter 2023 by The College of Westchester

STUDENT VOICES

Welcome the 2022-2023 Student Government Association Executive Board

The SGA Executive Board members are elected annually by the CW student body. They are joined by the Advisory Council, a group of dedicated student leaders who play an important role in CW’s student life. Councilmembers must meet rigorous qualifications to join and maintain membership. Are you interested in joining? Email sga@cw.edu.

President: Neranyi Roman

My name is Nera Roman, and I am a Business Administration major. My focus while serving on the SGA Executive Board is to make sure that the college continues to be inclusive of all kinds of students I want the students to walk around feeling comfortable with expressing who they are without fear of being judged by anyone. I want us to become a team on which you can rely

Vice President: Rubi Jean Batiste

My name is Rubi Jean Batiste and I am your Vice President in the Student Government Association (SGA) for the 2022-2023 academic year I am currently studying Medical Assistant Management in the Day Division. I am open to your ideas, interests, and concerns to help you enjoy your college life. I don't want you to feel shy about making new friends here! Studying at CW is a great opportunity to gain confidence and grow: just as it has been of great benefit to me, it will be to you. Likewise, I will do my best to work on projects and activities that enrich student life at CW for all of you.

Secretary: Dania Alwadi

My name is Dania Alwadi and I am currently pursuing my associate degree in Medical Assisting Management After graduating, I plan to continue at CW and move onto getting my bachelor's degree. As a student myself, I want to make sure all of our voices are heard. We all deal with issues from work and school, and I plan to work alongside the rest of SGA to help make student life better and fun As secretary, I will keep track of and hold all information and recommendations students have so the SGA can act upon it.

Treasurer: Chris Salloum

Hello, my name is Chris Salloum and I am pursuing my Bachelor’s degree in Accounting. My goal after graduating is to enter law school and pursue a degree in corporate law. I also love using Excel and plan to use my knowledge of the program to help keep track of the budget for the clubs My goal as treasurer is to make sure all financial records are properly managed and that all clubs receive the appropriate amount of funding for events when requested

Voter Registration Drive

Voting is the most effective way to make your voice heard. Every vote matters and every voice counts.

Students registered to vote in the Student Center on September 20 and learned about the importance of voting

Thank you to the League of Women Voters for registering students and sharing information about voting.

PRETZELS WITH THE PRESIDENT

In early October, students met with CW President Mary Beth Del Balzo in the lobby and the Student Center to enjoy pretzels.

CLUB DAY

MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

Students celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week in early October with a variety of wellness-focused activities, including themed wellness cards, tips for reducing stress and anxiety and even a selection of wellness-themed stickers. Thank you to wellness counselor Leith Colton for her support.

HISPANIC HERITAGE

MONTH CELEBRATION

Students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month in the Student Center on October 6 where CW honored Hispanic history, culture, and heritage! CW students recognized and commemorated the diversity of Latin America, and the impact this rich culture has had on our nation. Students celebrated through a variety of activities, including coloring country flags, creating a community map highlighting our backgrounds and travel aspirations, a dominoes table, a photo booth, and of course, Latin music and food.

First Generation Luncheon

FAMILY WELCOME

The CW family celebrated National First Generation Day with students and faculty. This intimate luncheon engaged first generation students together with faculty and staff who were first generation graduates in a poignant discussion around the first generation experience – all with a delicious lunch on November 8. We raised awareness about the realities of first generation college students that face unique barriers to higher education. We are so proud of our first generation CW students!

The Family Welcome event on October 11 was an opportunity for family members of first year students to meet staff and faculty at The College of Westchester. The night included dinner in a casual setting where family members could speak to students’ professors and learn more about The CW Community. The takeaway of the evening was that CW and families of students are a partnership. We want to help students through their journey in higher education and some ways in which the school can do that is through Career Services, Student Life, Advising, Mental Wellness, The Learning Center, and Advising. While the student’s journey to earn their degree is their own, they don’t have to go about it alone.

SGA MEET & GREET

This fall semester, the Student Government Association hosted its first Meet & Greet on October 12 It was held in the lobby, and both Day and Evening students enjoyed free candy while meeting their SGA Executive Board representatives. Many students had a great time and used this chance to express their questions and concerns to the SGA members It was nice to see what students had to say, and we hope to do this again soon!

By: Dania Alwadi

ALLIED HEALTH CLUB’S BREAST CANCER AWARENESS EVENT & FUNDRAISER 10/19

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an opportunity to show support for those who are bravely facing their diagnosis and treatment, and to share the message that early detection can make all the difference in beating this disease. Our CW students proudly support this campaign.

This semester, the Allied Health Club sponsored the annual Breast Cancer Awareness Event and Fundraiser on October 19. Students and faculty were able to purchase raffle tickets for a chance to win several prizes, and there were also many baked goods and breast cancer awareness merchandise to buy. In support of the event was Gilda’s Club Westchester, a local nonprofit that provides free support, education, healthy lifestyle tips, and social programs for anyone impacted by cancer. Our CW students proudly supported this great campaign and through the fundraiser, they were able to donate $550 to Gilda’s Club of Westchester. The Allied Health Clubs thanks everyone who helped put this together, and we can’t wait to do it again next year!

By: Dania Alwadi

MOVING NIGHTS WITH THE GAMING CLUB

The Gaming Club hosted fun moving nights this past October and December. Disney’s Coco was played in honor of Hispanic Heritage month. Fresh popcorn was served and CW students enjoyed other snacks.

-Trick or Treat-

HALLOWEEN TREAT BAGS FOR EVENING DIVISION

If you thought that Halloween celebration was only for Day Students, think again! Evening Students joined in on the Halloween celebration with fun Halloween treat bags! Happy Halloween CW!

OPERATION CANDY DROP LAUNCHING

11/1

Following the Halloween candy overload, the Stars & Stripes Club collected leftover Halloween candy. They later made candy treat bags with thank you notes to deliver to veterans at the Bronx VA hospital. Thank you to our veterans and to all who donated candy!

SGA Food Drive launching

SGA hosted their annual Food Drive in order to help out Feeding Westchester, a leading local nonprofit combating hunger. Collections took place throughout November and were greatly appreciated. In total, the CW community donated 208 pounds of food as well as a generous cash donation to local nonprofit Feeding Westchester. According to Feeding Westchester, the donation will provide 173 meals to those in need. At this event, our academic community came together in an act of thoughtfulness and selfless generosity on behalf of those who suffer from food insecurity.

By: Rubi Jean Batiste

What better way to get to know the community than with Coffee with a Cop? Officers and detectives from the White Plains Police Department took the time to get to know our students on November 2. Officers and students engaged in meaningful conversations around yummy donuts and piping hot coffee.

NationalOnlineLearningWeek campaignlaunched

National Online Learning Week, celebrated November 7-11, recognizes the importance of distance learning and the endless opportunities it offers to students who want to continue their education. Distance learning has transformed the lives of a multitude of CW students and our community is better because of it. We are so proud of the students who submitted their stories this year and to all of our students in the online division. Always keep pushing and striving for your dreams CW!

Lauri's persistence is helping her achieve her dream of becoming a college graduate It hasn’t been easy an easy journey.

Roxann, a hardworking CW Warrior found in Distance Learning the perfect fit to complete her college degree.

Touya moved to a different state, but is still pursuing her bachelor’s degree completely online

Karol is a true CW warrior and she completed her Associate Degree despite her circumstances.

After 20 years, Mark returned to college and is on his way to complete his college degree online.

If Kimone is doing it, you can do it as well

For Tawanna, it wasn’t an easy decision to make as she was afraid to come back to school after a decade. Read More

Operation 11/11

Operation 11/11 honors our Veterans as students wrote thank you cards to send out to our troops Thank you to the Stars & Stripes Club for sponsoring such a wonderful event in honor of Veteran’s Day. A special thank you to our student veterans not only for sponsoring the event, but also for their service.

Enactus’ Entrepreneurship Expo

The CW community came together to highlight the entrepreneurial efforts of students, faculty, and alumni at the Entrepreneurship Expo on November 15. Those who participated had the chance to display their products and services in order to reach a wider audience here at CW. This was also a learning opportunity for all involved; the business owners, the members of Enactus, and CW at large learned valuable knowledge that they can utilize in the future as a result of this event.

By: Rubi Jean Batiste, Pedro Villa, and Chris Salloum

SALARY NEGOTIATION BY STUDENT

TARA-KAY MILLER

Hello CW Warriors; my name is Tara-Kay Miller

I am working on my bachelor's degree in Business Management and Marketing with an expected graduation date of September 2023. For my Applied Project Management Concept class final project, I organized a guest speaker event focused on salary negotiations, held on November 15 I selected this topic because, throughout my journey as a student and a professional, it was the one area that was not discussed enough

As I started gaining more experience and obtaining jobs in corporate America, I became aware that many of my peers negotiated their salaries during the job offer process I remember being taken aback and wondering why I did not do the same and why it never crossed my mind that it was perfectly acceptable. Job seekers must be prepared and given the tools to succeed.

Negotiating your initial salary and requesting increases are essential in deciding what position to accept and feeling appreciated at work Asking to be paid what you are worth is not taboo, although perceived as such. The below video features a fun and informative presentation and discussion led by Professional Development Coach Rachael Gatling, owner of Change Your Story Students were shown strategies for researching the labor market, which will aid them in salary negotiations The goal was for students to leave the event feeling empowered and better prepared for the working world.

I hope you find it useful as you prepare to negotiate your next salary offer

By: Tara-Kay Miller

Fall Sweets-N-Treats

TheFallSweet-N-Treatswas atotalsuccess!CWstudents, faculty,andstaffenjoyeda varietyofdessertsandeven ahotchocolatebarto celebratethefallseasonon November16!

Toys For Toys Drive

Ourholidaytoydrivewasa successthisyearandwewere abletocollectthreelargebins fulloftoysforchildrenranging fromages0-17.ToysforTotsisa nationalprogramoftheMarine Corpsthatengages communitiesacrossthecountry incollectingnew,unwrapped toysforlocalchildreninneed. Thankyoutoallwhodonatedto thiswonderfulinitiative.

Holiday Talent Show

Keepingwithtradition,the BrothersandSistersUnitedClub hostedtheirHolidayTalentShow onDecember6.Student performersshowcasedavariety oftalents,rangingfromvocal performances,guitar,standup comedyandaclose-outfinale danceshowfromJDC.Greatjob toallofourtalentedperformers.

Holiday Treat Night

OnDecember14,students,facultyandstafffromtheeveningcollegegatheredin theStudentCenterforaneveningoftreatstocelebratetheholidayseason.

Thoseinattendanceenjoyedahotchocolatebar,teaandawideselectionof holidaydesserts.Therewasevenaraffleforthreegiftbaskets.Itwasawonderful waytowelcometheholidayseason!

Nicole has been selected for this distinguished accolade by the Evening College Faculty because of her 3.8+ GPA, demonstrated academic excellence and overall dedication to her studies.

Nicole Filder was born and raised in the Bronx and graduated from Saint Catherine Academy. She previously attended two other colleges before landing at her new home, The College of Westchester. After a long hiatus from the classroom, Nicole decided to return as an adult learner, taking advantage of the great opportunities, flexibility, and valuable education CW has to offer; she is pursing her goal in completing her bachelor’s in Business Administration, and that goal will become a reality for Nicole in May 2024. In addition to Nicole being chosen as Student of the Semester, she was recently recognized as a CWCF Scholar Recipient, receiving the Alumni Scholarship.

Nicole has been in the workforce for over 20 years bringing her many talents to the government sector where she hopes to obtain a more senior level position in an effort to make a difference in her community. Nicole would like to thank her family for their consistent love, support, and motivation while on this journey. We congratulate Nicole on all her accomplishments.

Congratulations to Nicole Filder, who has been selected as Student of the Semester for the evening college.

Congratu ve been s

Neranyi and y the Day College Faculty because of their 3.8+ GPA, demonstrated academic excellence, and overall dedication to their studies.

Neranyi was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to the United States at the age of 16 She lived in Pennsylvania, and studied at Reading Senior High School After taking a break from school activities, she was determined to attend college and eventually enrolled at The College of Westchester because of its “warm and caring” staff.

Neranyi currently has a 4.0 and has received president’s list recognition through all semesters at CW She is also the president of the Student Government Association She will graduate in December 2023 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Her educational goal is to achieve a Ph.D. level of education and become a professor.

Neranyi is also interested in learning and exploring different cultures and speaks four languages fluently She wishes to live life in a way that helps relieve the suffering of others

Rubi Jean was born in the Dominican Republic in the National District, and attended high school at the Centro Educativo ABC in Santo Domingo Norte, Villa Mella In Santo Domingo she took a course in accounting at the Instituto Nacional de Formación Técnico Profesional (INFOTEP) during the pandemic just for personal knowledge.

Weeks later, in June 2021, Rubi Jean came to live in the USA with her mom and two younger siblings; all live in Yonkers, New York Rubi Jean chose to study at The College of Westchester because she believes it is a good first step to lay the foundation for both her academic and professional life in this country.

Rubi Jean is a Medical Assistant Management student and expects to graduate in 2023. She has been on the President's List for each of her semesters so far, maintaining a 4.0 GPA . Rubi Jean is also part of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She is Vice President of the Student Government Association for the year 2022- 2023 and President of the Enactus Club Rubi Jean’s biggest goal in her medical career is to become a Neurosurgeon one day.

We congratulate all students of the semester for their academic achievements!