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As I reflect on my first year as Interim President of Guttman Community College, I am filled with gratitude. It has been a year of learning, listening, and celebrating alongside this extraordinary community. Thank you for the warm welcome you have extended to me and for the unwavering commitment you bring each day to our students and to Guttman's mission.
This summer has given us much to celebrate. From Commencement and the Stella Awards to the high school graduations of many of our future students and their families, we have witnessed the power of education to open doors and transform lives. We celebrate students who spent the summer gaining valuable experience through internships and employment opportunities, graduates who are beginning the next chapter of their educational journeys at transfer institutions, and alumni who are launching careers and making an impact in their communities.
We have also reached important milestones as an institution, including record participation in paid internships, strong transfer outcomes, expanded behavioral health resources, and accreditation of our Health Information Technology program. These achievements are a testament to the talent, determination, and collective effort of our students, faculty, and staff.
As we look ahead, we do so at a pivotal moment. In 2026, our nation marks 250 years since its founding. This anniversary invites us to reflect not only on where we have been, but on the future we are building together. Democracy is of the people, and of all the people. Its promise is strongest when every voice is heard, every story matters, and every person has the opportunity to contribute. Yet that promise is renewed by each generation, called to strengthen it, safeguard it, and carry it forward.
That work begins with education. At Guttman, we remain committed to expanding opportunity, fostering civic engagement, and preparing students not only for careers, but for lives of purpose, leadership, and service. As a new academic year begins, I am filled with optimism for what lies ahead. The future is being shaped every day by the talent, resilience, and aspirations of our students, and I cannot wait to see all that we will accomplish together.
With gratitude,
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Elizabeth de León Bhargava
Interim President
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Students Take on The Stellas
Guttman Community College honored its students, graduates and distinguished supporters on June 15 during The Stellas 2026 Awards and Reception held at the Museum of the City of New York. The event brought together almost 200 attendees for a formal celebration at the end of the academic year, and over 60 student awards were presented for leadership, achievement and engagement.
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Students Take on Commencement
On June 17, Guttman honored over 200 graduating students on the Bryant Park Lawn for our 13th annual Commencement ceremony. Graduates were celebrated with remarks by NYC Commissioner for Health and Human Services Helen Arteaga, Executive Consultant for Technology and Governance Adaora Udoji, CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez and Guttman Community College Interim President Elizabeth de León Bhargava.
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Gary Oey Steven, Human Services '27
"Conducting academic research on LGBTQ+ topics in the majority of my courses helped me not just advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, but also helped me discover my passionate topic. As an Autistic LGBTQ+ person, I grew up being infantilized and ostracized from the neurotypical LGBTQ+ community due to my intersectionality making it challenging for individuals to understand. My social status left me hopeless until I discovered Guttman Community College.
My personal experiences led me to focusing on LGBTQ+ issues in academia and serving as Vice President of the Stonewall LGBTQ+ Club for the past four months. Throughout my vice presidency, I led a TED Talk session discussing the intersectionality of my autism and bisexual identity, how I stayed resilient to invisibility, and why should the broader LGBTQ+ community better represent the identities of autistic and bisexual individuals. Due to my dedication in fostering a safe space in both Stonewall and academia, I got promoted to serving as President of Stonewall. Since I never heard of Stonewall presenting on LGBTQ+ information in the United Nations and international law, I would be the first club leader to present on this topic. I lead sessions and present on LGBTQ+ topics that Stonewall has overlooked."
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April Burns, Associate Professor of Psychology
Associate Professor Burns presented her qualitative research at the second annual Social Mobility Summit at The City College of New York, exploring what happens when one sibling earns a college degree while another does not, what she terms, “degree discordance.” Using interview data with non-degreed individuals who have at least one sibling with a four-year degree, she asked, how are sibling relations and dynamics impacted by differences in educational attainment? How are such differences in positionality and relative status experienced and understood by non-degreed sibling(s)? And what can these sibling dynamics tell us about larger relations across educational attainment status beyond the family context, particularly in this historical moment of extreme partisan politics? This experience of proximal social mobility is a common one, applying to more than a third of the families that Burns surveyed as she recruited her research participants. Her data offered insight into the educational experiences of those who did not attend college and potential ways to better support this demographic group educationally.
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Jaymes Hernandez, Human Services '15
Jaymes Hernandez — part of Guttman's second graduating class — placed a winning bid in the Stellas 2026 Awards auction for a Queens Food Tour. Jaymes and his fiance Jessica were led by Special Advisor to the President Sandra Gutierrez for a comprehensive tour featuring stops at restaurants such as Leticias, the Birria-Landi food truck, Majaraja Sweets and Snacks, Masa Madre and La Antiquena Bakery, and it concluded at the impressive Queens International Night Market. Jaymes' favorite stop was Mad for Chicken, where he enjoyed their signature bone-in wings and kimchi vegetable dumplings. During the tour, Jaymes mentioned his love for Guttman and couldn't stop raving about how transformative it was for him to be in a school with so much support.
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Daniela Luna, Information Technology '25
Congratulations to our college website assistant, Daniela Luna, who just graduated from Hunter College with a degree in Media Studies. Daniela transferred to Hunter from Guttman, where she majored in Information Technology. She credits the support of Guttman's Financial Aid Specialist Jessica Portilla, who helped her gain a work-study opportunity in which she worked on website development for Don Carvajal Café, owned by Guttman alum Hector Carvajal '18.
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Campus Community Builders | | |
Luis Gutierrez, Assistant Director of AccessABILITY Services
"Having a disability has influenced my understanding of community in many ways. As a student, I had the firsthand experience of various obstacles that can lead to isolation and exclusion but, at the same time, having people around me who knew about my potential. This experience was the inspiration for me to become a professional in the field of disabilities services and help students create a supportive community that I once needed. Now being an Assistant Director of AccessABILITY Services at Guttman Community College, I aim at making sure that students with disabilities feel they belong to this community and their voice is heard. They should be provided with all the necessary resources to succeed in academic and personal life.
The creation of community involves the creation of various opportunities for students to communicate and self-advocate in order to celebrate disability and diversity. For example, I was able to work alongside my awesome AccessABILITY Services team at Guttman led by my director Crystal Vazquez with events during CUNY Disability Awareness Month, celebrating the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as Disability Pride Month. These events helped me to promote the ideas of education, inclusiveness, and disability pride at Guttman. It also reminded me that only together we can bring change."
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Adiana Johnson, Presidential Fellow
"My name is Adiana Johnson, and I am a second-year student at The George Washington University studying Political Science and International Affairs. This summer I had the opportunity to serve as a Presidential Fellow in the Office of the President at Guttman Community College, where I worked closely with Interim President Elizabeth de León Bhargava and Sandra Gutierrez, Special Advisor to the President.
During my fellowship, I contributed to several projects that gave me firsthand experience in higher education leadership and governance. One of my primary responsibilities was supporting the planning and execution of The Stellas Awards. I participated in planning meetings, conducted site visits to the Museum of the City of New York, helped coordinate event logistics, and assisted with presentations leading up to the event. Having the opportunity to contribute to the behind-the-scenes showed me the level of collaboration, organization, and attention to detail required to successfully plan a large-scale event.
This fellowship strengthened my confidence, professionalism, and ability to take initiative on complex projects. I am deeply grateful to President Elizabeth De León Bhargava, Sandra Gutierrez, and the Office of the President for their mentorship, trust, and support throughout the summer. I look forward to returning back to Guttman, giving back to this amazing community, and serving as a resource for students pursuing their own academic and professional goals."
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Stephanie Alejandre, College Assistant for Enrollment Management
Stephanie Alejandre, Business Administration '24, arrived in New York from the Bay Area with a clear goal to earn a degree from New York University. She decided to start her journey at Guttman because of its close-knit community, accessible resources and transfer relationship with NYU. At Guttman, Stephanie found a community personally invested in her future. Her advisor, Sabrina Ally, helped her create a schedule that kept her transfer plans on track. Keshia Daniel connected her with work-study and later helped her secure a part-time position at the College. “She’s been in my journey the whole way through,” Stephanie said.
Guttman’s partnership with NYU also introduced Stephanie to the Community College Transfer Opportunity Program, a scholarship and transfer-support program. Through CCTOP, she connected with a former Guttman student working in NYU’s transfer office, who guided her through the application process.
This fall, Stephanie is completing her NYU degree in Leadership and Management Studies. She continues giving back as a Guttman transfer mentor, helping students navigate the journey she once faced and showing how determination, joined with individualized guidance and opportunity, can turn an NYU dream into a degree.
| | Congratulations to our community partners who received awards at The Stellas 2026 Awards & Reception! Read more about each organization below. | | |
Amadou Diallo Foundation
The Amadou Diallo Foundation was presented with the 2026 College Impact Award! We were honored to have Founder Kadiatou Diallo accept the award alongside ADF board member Linda Merians, whose longstanding support has helped strengthen the Foundation's partnership with Guttman.
The Amadou Diallo Foundation has made a lasting impact at Guttman by providing full-tuition scholarships to outstanding first-year students, helping expand access to higher education while advancing its mission of racial equity and social justice.
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The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation
The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation was a recipient of the Community Partnership Excellence Award at The Stellas 2026. Accepting the award was Executive Director Cass Conrad.
Through its generous partnership, including a $75,000 emergency grant in 2025 and continued support of Guttman's Early Career Experience program, the Foundation has helped students stay enrolled, persist and gain meaningful internship opportunities.
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Henry Street Settlement
Congratulations to Henry Street Settlement for receiving the Community Partnership Excellence Award! A special congratulations to Chief People Officer Matthew Phifer and Senior Director of Business Development & Workforce Partnerships Jeanie Tung, whose leadership has helped strengthen Henry Street Settlement's partnership with Guttman.
Henry Street Settlement has been an outstanding partner, hosting Guttman students as interns and playing a key role in our inaugural Cybersecurity Certificate Program. Representatives of the organization also serve on our Behavioral Health Advisory Board, helping to ensure our program meets the highest industry standards.
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Jasper Wang and Kristin Heintz
Jasper Wang and Kristin Heintz received the Community Partnership Excellence Award at The Stellas 2026!
Jasper and Kristin's generosity is opening doors for Guttman students through the Wang Award for Resourcefulness and the Braun Award for Resilience, helping students overcome financial barriers and achieve their goals.
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Diana Delgado
Diana Delgado of Neighborhood SHOPP was awarded the 2026 College Impact Award!
Under Ms. Diana Delgado’s leadership, Neighborhood Shopp was one of the first agencies to host Guttman interns when the College first opened its doors in 2012. Ms. Delgado has worked tirelessly to coordinate internship placements for Guttman's Human Services students, helping to ensure that they are matched to sites that meet their interests and travel requirements. She is a model partner and agency leader, providing exceptional practicum opportunities for Guttman Human Services students.
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Reinforcing the transformative power of education, President de León delivered an inspiring keynote speech at the English Language Learners and International Support Preparatory Academy (ELLIS) graduation ceremony on 6/23.
- Summer campus events included an Office of AccessABILITY recognition ceremony, Honors research presentations, Caribbean Heritage Month celebration, Pride Month celebration and Lavender Graduation.
- The Health Information Technology program received full accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education, opening up job opportunities for graduates in this high-demand field.
- The Student Leadership Development program took place 8/18–8/27, including an overnight retreat and will workshops facilitated by faculty, staff and campus partners. SLD is our signature leadership experience that prepares student leaders to serve the Guttman community throughout the academic year.
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The Cornelis and Angela Klein Scholarship application is now open for Guttman students who can't apply for federal aid because of immigration or citizenship status.
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Students interested in Federal Work-Study (FWS) jobs can learn more and apply now.
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Students interested in applying to Guttman for Spring or Fall 2027 can attend an upcoming virtual Admissions Info Session on 9/10 at 5 p.m.
- Guttman's New Student Orientation began in June with online and in-person sessions happening through 9/2, followed by the Bridge Program 9/7-9/18. Orientation helps incoming students learn about the College's services and resources, and Bridge supports them in their transition to college life at Guttman.
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Fall 2026 Session 1 classes begin on Monday, 9/14! Students are registering for classes and completing TAP and FAFSA applications for financial aid.
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