In the latest effort to ensure Brooklyn College’s voice is heard as the New York State Budget continues to be crafted, President Michelle J. Anderson traveled to Albany, New York, for the Somos conference on March 8 and 9. Somos is an annual forum for elected officials and other policymakers to learn about and discuss issues affecting Puerto Ricans and the Latino communities. (Left to Right) Brooklyn College students Ivona Kulusic-Ho, Samantha Lee, and Damir Shavkatov attend the Somos Conference with President Michelle J. Anderson. The trip comes a month after President Anderson was in Albany for the 53rd Annual Legislative Conference of the New York State Association of Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislators, where she discussed Brooklyn College’s budgetary needs with a host of legislators and other elected officials, including State Senator Iwen Chu ’07 M.A. and State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. President Anderson also met with State Senator Andrew Gounardes (26th District) on February 9 to discuss the funding the college needs to thrive. Gounardes, chair of the Committee on Budget and Revenue, and Anderson reviewed CUNY’s budget request for fiscal year 2025 of $352 million in operating funds and $1.2 billion in capital funding, which includes $100 million for renovations of Roosevelt and Ingersoll halls. Students Participate in Mock Debates on Floor of the New York State Senate Chamber As part of the Somos conference, three Brooklyn College students participated in the Model Senate Project, held in partnership with CUNY, the New York State Assembly, and the Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force. The students (pictured with President Anderson from left: Ivona Kulusic-Ho, Samantha Lee, and Damir Shavkatov) held mock debates with representatives from other CUNY campuses on the floor of the New York State Senate Chamber. “I am extremely proud of all of the students who engaged with this program and showed off their expertise in the arena of public service,” President Anderson said. “We aim to educate and mentor the next generation of diverse leaders, and this was another example of how talented and dedicated Brooklyn College students are.” Since the Model New York State Senate Session Project was developed in 1997 by CUNY and the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force of the New York State Legislature as part of the annual Somos Conference, the project has trained more than 1,400 students for careers in public service, including the late State Senator Jose Peralta, who participated while attending Queens College. Students are nominated by their college and receive intensive, two-week training to develop their leadership ability and undergo a crash course on New York government before heading to Albany, where they debate public policy in the Senate Chamber. Designed to teach future leaders about policy, politics, the legislative process, and advocacy, the program features seminars and lectures from leading New Yorkers like State Senator Gustavo Rivera, who worked as a facilitator for the project while enrolled as a Ph.D. student at the CUNY Graduate Center. Read more about the Model New York State Senate Project here.
