Tag Archives: FirstGeneration

First Generation Students Pave the Way for Others

Macaulay students Mahir Sadad ’23 (Queens College) and Sumaiya Mahin ’22 (City College) have been selected to mentor immigrant high school students as part of an innovative new partnership.

The CUNY Immigrant Student Ambassadors Program is a collaboration between CUNY and the NYC Department of Education Division of Multilingual Learners.

“I think that the lack of resources out there for immigrant high school students needs to be addressed,” said Sumaiya. “And the Immigrant Ambassador Program is a great way to begin that.”

Mahir and Sumaiya, both members of immigrant New York City communities, will provide near-peer mentoring to similarly-situated high school students to help with them explore, prepare, and apply to the postsecondary pathway of their choosing.

For Mahir, being an Ambassador is both a reflection on the pride he feels for his high school and the challenges he faced as a first generation college student. “Immigrant students, faced with language and cultural barriers, often lack the resources and a community to guide them through the process.” he reflected.

“I want to pay it forward to another high school student in my shoes.”

Sumaiya also has a strong desire to help younger students. “I want to be part of a community and program that supports rising immigrant students and their education.”