First-Gen Student Support Showcased

A Newsday article about first-generation college students on Long Island and the array of support that universities provide to them prominently includes New York Tech. Incoming first-year student Lindsey Duarte is “the first in her family to go to college and credits the school with helping her navigate living in a residence hall, her academic options and financial aid,” the article states. Associate Provost for Student Engagement and Development Tiffani Hinds shared that New York Tech has a committee that “really thinks about that the first-generation student experience, and then we try to think of ways in which we can provide resources to them.”

Vice President for Enrollment Management Joseph Posillico noted that up to 35 percent of New York Tech students are first generation, and the retention rate is the same for them as other students. “That’s important to us, because we are trying to get the student from applying and enrolling all the way to graduation,” he said. Mekayla Foote (B.S. ’24), who benefitted from the support in place for first-gen students said, “If I was confused and needed help, they had the right person to guide me,” adding that graduation day “was the best day of my life.”