Students attentively listening to the President mid-conversation
PHOTO CREDIT: MILDRED PEREZ
By Iffath Liaquat
On Sept 3, the weather was sunny as students and faculty filled Shuster Hall, grabbed a bite to eat and sat down to meet the President of Lehman College, Dr. Fernado Delgado.
Suzette Ramsundar, the Director of Student Life, asked everyone to introduce themselves as well as ask a question as they went around the table and got to know Lehman’s fourth president better.
With over 20 years of experience in academia, Delgado told a student who asked how he liked his job, “[Being my] 6th institution, this [was] the easiest transition...I love Lehman. You students are fantastic."
He also recalled back when he was a grad student, there were a few roles models who looked like him, which inspired him to do more. “In higher Ed, there are few of us,” he said, adding that we all “need more role models...I wanted to [be] that.”
Edwin Cruz, a 61-year-old sociology major at Lehman, also shared his unique journey in education. Now in his last semester of his senior year, he explained: “I wanted to go back to school. School was such a blast for me, and maybe I want to pair it with traveling. I wanted to keep myself occupied.”
Mary Morphine, Lehman’s Student Parent Coordinator, resonated with Cruz’s story and passion for learning, stating, “I personally relate to your story.” Unsure about going to college when she was younger, Morphine chose going directly into work instead. However, after a few years, she realized that she wanted to give higher ed a chance. After transferring from Brough of Manhattan Community College to Lehman, she continued working here ever since she got started as an active student leader and founder of the club Empower U. Morphine shared her plans to become a PhD student, emphasizing, “Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world.”
Her friend Brittany Lazano, vice president of the Student Government Association, brought awareness to some helpful resources to support students, explaining how the SGA helps allocate funds and student representation, while highlighting CUNY Cares. “Just let us know what you need, we’re here for you,” Lazano said. “SGA can help you [be] the change on campus."
“EDUCATION IS THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPON TO CHANGE THE WORLD.”
--Mary Morphine, Lehman’s Student Parent Coordinator
