"I find incredible excitement and satisfaction in seeing people realize
exactly how smart they are, commit to learning and understanding, and use their intelligence to improve their own lives and the lives of others."

Creating programs and seeing them through are my passions. As the Director of the ASAP Program at Queensborough Community College, I created the organizational structure and defined the responsibilities of each ASAP staff member. At the inception of the program, I also was instrumental in the recruitment of the students who enrolled. One of the most memorable moments of my work with ASAP came in the beginning, during that first summer of 2007, when a student who didn't think that she would make it into ASAP took a summer remedial class followed by a workshop-and she PASSED! She came to me with her guardian, both with tears in their eyes, to thank me for the wonderful opportunity created by ASAP, without which she would not have been able to attend QCC. The progress of our students and dedication of my outstanding staff has been an inspiration. There is no doubt in my mind that it would make a lot of sense to re-fund this program. I would like to thank Mayor Bloomberg, the CEO, CUNY, and the QCC administration for their support and for allowing me the honor of being one of the pioneers of the ASAP Program.

Bobbi Brauer
Director, ASAP Program
Queensborough Community College

John W. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Director, ASAP Program
Bronx Community College

As an ASAP Academic Advisor and a Student Development Counselor, I am entrusted with the responsibility to strategically design and execute academic plans suited for each of my students according to their curriculum.

You might ask: why Bronx Community College and why Academic Advisement? I vividly recollect the tremendous subtle shock I encountered as a freshman here at Bronx Community College. The same challenges that enveloped me then are present in my students' lives today. Driven by a compelling disposition for perfection, never giving in, high values and the need for continual growth, I now tactfully assume a counselor's and academic advisor's role. This compelling passion to help others has grown over the years. It is visible and for the most part people gravitate toward it. My open-door policy allows students a sense of equal opportunity and access to all my resources. The greatest advantage I have as an academic advisor and counselor is helping students to recognize their academic potential and mental abilities, and guiding them to look at situations from diverse perspectives other than their own. I view myself as a motivator, one who encourages others to tap into their souls and reach resources that have not yet been uncovered and also to allow those hidden and unreached talents to become additional building blocks for the development of their life stories.

Cyd Williams
ASAP Academic Advisor & Counselor
Bronx Community College

As an academic advisor, I have several responsibilities. I provide students with referrals to college and external support services, develop advisement plans for students, help students get tutoring if needed or requested, coordinate the ASAP seminar series and other workshops, meet with students individually to help them maintain academic progress toward graduation, and assist students with Learning Community selection, registration questions, scholarship applications, study abroad program opportunities, and financial aid information. I advise students to take advantage of all the great benefits that are available to them NOW: this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The work pays off, like in that moment when one of my students stopped me in the middle of the hallway, on my way to a meeting, to tell me that she had won the Kaplan scholarship.

Ingrid C. DeLeon
ASAP Academic Advisor
LaGuardia Community College

I am inspired by the student who struggles--who struggles to make ends meet, who struggles in the classroom, who has challenges at home--but is unwavering in his or her ambition to complete a college degree. There are so many memorable moments in this work, like when I take students somewhere like a museum or a show that they have never experienced before and I know that I have done something meaningful for them. Nothing, however, will compare to that moment when I watch my students receive their hard-earned diplomas in cap and gown. That will be the best memory of my work with ASAP.

Danielle Izzo
ASAP Liberal Arts Student Manager
Queensborough Community College

I was hired as an academic advisor for the newly created ASAP program at Bronx Community College in the summer of 2007. Previously, I worked as academic advisor at the same institution and taught at Queens College, Hofstra University and Fordham University. Because of ASAP's integrated approach to student services, I now have the opportunity to get involved in many more activities than does the typical academic advisor. This is an aspect that I particularly love about what I do. In addition to advising students about their academics, I created and maintain a database for the program, generate reports for my fellow advisors and program director, conduct workshops for the students, track the students' financial applications and other program requirements, coordinate registration, and provide technical support for the faculty teaching in the program.

While working as a college professor and as a general academic advisor, I always felt frustrated because I only had contact with my students for a short period of time. They used to come and go, and I often wondered what the future brought to them. In ASAP I get to know my students much better; I have the privilege to help them grow intellectually and as individuals over a significant period of time in their lives. I confess that I often dream about the commencement ceremony, where I will share their pride in their accomplishment.

I also like what I do because I get to share my joy for learning. A pragmatist will point out that education translates into better jobs. While I agree with this view, I particularly value the intangible aspects of education: education helps us make better sense of the world and ourselves. I truly enjoy when I see my students mature and become better equipped for the professional world, better parents, and more responsible citizens--in a word, when they gain wisdom.

Finally, I feel proud of being part of the ASAP team and particularly the BCC ASAP group. Every day, I learn from them. They inspire me with their commitment to students, professionalism, work ethics and experience. They are truly exceptional!

Francisco Legasa
ASAP Academic Advisor
Bronx Community College

As a Job Developer, I assist students with their interview skills and resume preparation, provide career advisement and workshops, and place students into part-time and full-time jobs and internships. I was intrigued by ASAP, and loved finding an opportunity to be a member of a new program; I was coming from a corporate background, and wanted exposure in an educational environment, but the main draw to this program was that I wanted to help students. It is gratifying to see them embark on employment opportunities. To see students happy with their own accomplishments is a motivating force: I like to see students gain experience in real-life job interviews. I like to see the change in behavior that comes with acquiring a job or an internship. I like to watch students grow.

The most important advice I give to students is that acquiring an education is important. "You can always get a job," I tell my students, "But you need your education to attain a worthwhile career." My coworkers and students inspire me. I am helping students take the initial steps toward their future careers--it is wonderful to be part of that process.

Jonathan Daniels
ASAP Job Developer
Queensborough Community College