On Board Online • November 10, 2025
By Ben Greenberg
Marketing Manager/Copywriter
At this year's Annual Convention, a "Student Voice" track included three educational sessions that featured students discussing initiatives at their schools that are helping them find empowerment and success. Below are summaries of each session.
Latina mentoring in Uniondale
"If I had not been in this program in Uniondale, I wouldn't have gone to college," Monica Linares said during a Convention session titled, "Empowering Latina Students: Leadership, Mentorship and Civic Engagement." A 2024 Uniondale graduate, Linares is a sophomore at Molloy University on Long Island.
Uniondale's mentoring program is part of the New York State Latina Mentoring Initiative (LMI). Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the launch of LMI on Oct. 21, 2021, which was Latina Equal Pay Day. Uniondale became an LMI program site in September 2022.
Estrella Olivares-Orellana, director of multilingual learners for the Long Island district, serves as site coordinator.
LMI programs are in a variety of settings, including schools, hospitals and professional offices. In Uniondale, mentors and mentees meet on Saturdays twice a month at the high school.
Dr. Olivares-Orellana said that she considers a range of factors when pairing mentors with mentees, such as English proficiency and country of origin.
School board Vice President Addie Blanco-Harvey is a mentor for the program. She has organized field trips to Premier Endodontics of Long Island, where she is the director of operations.
"The students come to the office, hear from the doctors themselves," she said. "It opens up their minds."
Blanco-Harvey, who is Salvadoran, also organized a popular food event in which she taught everyone how to make pupusas, the national dish of El Salvador. "The majority of our Latino students in Uniondale are from El Salvador. it's important that they see their principal, their superintendent, learning how to make their food that they make every week at home, and valuing that tradition," said Olivares-Orellana.
Uniondale officials try to stay in touch with the 75 or 80 mentees who have gone through the program. "One of the biggest things that we are trying to create is to have a sisterhood, so we have former mentees who want to come back and be mentors," Olivares-Orellana said.
To learn more about the New York State Latina Mentoring Initiative, go to ccf.ny.gov/latina-mentoring-initiative .
Questar III and HVCC STEM High School
The Questar III & HVCC STEM High School is an early college high school program located on the campus. The dual enrollment program, which combines high school and college support, is designed to give students a head start on earning a college degree or at least one pathway certificate in a STEM-related field.
Principal Jennie Mueller said she recommends this educational model "because students can get the best value and experience from a dual enrollment high school."
She described two parallel programs that students can choose between: Smart Scholars and P-Tech (Pathways in Technology). There are eight total pathways, and five of those overlap.
"Half our students are slated to finish an associate's degree in five or six years and go right into the workforce," Mueller said. "And then the other half are slated for SMART scholars, and many of them are planning that next bachelor's degree as a step." After four years, students graduate with 24 to 60 college credits that are transferable - a feature that State Education Department officials have expressed interest in making standard in dual enrollment programs statewide.
Four student panelists discussed their experiences in the program: Ava Frazee from Lansingburgh, Hunter Perrins from East Greenbush, Kaiyah Smythe from North Colonie, and Madigan Stevens from Hoosic Valley.
Stevens, who wants a career as a pilot, chose the school in part because in the long run, it will save her money on her education. She also noted that "I'll learn how to be a college student before being thrown into where it's really crunch time and you are super stressed all the time."
Perrins was asked a question about what taking ownership of his education means. "Taking ownership, to me, means being disciplined in my education . I've noticed that it's affected many other parts of my life, such as weightlifting, nutrition, hygiene and work completion. And I notice when I put all these pieces together, it really improves my educational success," he explained.
Frazee, who wants to be dermatologist, highlighted the school's focus on helping students gain professional social skills. "I'm able to make solid connections with people that can help me in my career or college in the future," she said.
Smythe, an aspiring nurse, was asked how she advocates for the program to other students who may be considering it. She said she describes "how you build a community that's personal to you" that will help you "get where you want to go, sooner."
To learn more about Questar III BOCES and HVCC STEM High School, visit www.questar.org/instructional/hvcc-stem-high-school .
Changemakers in Westchester County
Three Westchester County school districts - Peekskill, Ossining and Tarrytown - have partnered to create a transformative leadership program for young women from Hispanic or Latina families. The Changemakers program seeks to nurture participants' leadership skills through an immersive, bilingual summer wilderness experience and related curriculum throughout the following semester focused on civic engagement, empowerment and belonging.
According to Dr. Raymond Sanchez, superintendent in Tarrytown, the program was developed in response to data showing Latina students lagged behind other subgroups in terms of school connectedness. Students are nominated for the program based on positive character, leadership potential and community involvement.
After pre-trip seminars that focus on personal growth and social change, the students embark on a week-long camping trip in Utah and Colorado that includes a four-day rafting journey through the Gates of Lodore Canyon on the Green River in northwestern Colorado. During the fall semester, they participate in a six-week after-school program culminating in the presentation of personal essays and a documentary about the trip to the community.
The program was discussed by program participants Deisy Berganza, Rossy Nivicela and Jackelin Alfaro, all seniors at Peekskill, and Miriany Beltre Bobea, a senior at Tarrytown.
Bobea described being terrified being far from home, then discovering that she could be independent. "This experience really changed the way that I think about who I am and the way that I think about how much potential I have," she said. "After this trip, I had a realization that I actually had the power to do something that I am so passionate about, and that is including people, no matter the background and where they come from," she said.
Nivicela agreed that the program altered her perceptions of her limits: "I think this experience has made me see that I can go further [away] for college."
The students were asked ways in which they have impacted their community. Alfaro described making cards that focused on immigrant rights, which she handed out in her community.
Berganza was unsure about her impact until the teacher that nominated her for the program began listing her accomplishments. "It made me realize that I'm capable of helping my community, and I can make the community a better place," she said.
Ossining social studies teacher Zaira Barajas is coordinator of the program. To view the video of the 2024 trip, go to bit.ly/4oH18ay . To learn more about Open Roads, visit www.openroads.org .