We celebrated the year at the CUNY Peer Leaders program with a festive final meetup on Friday, May 3, 2024. A leader brought some unicorn party hats, the program provided food and homemade baked goods, and CPL Director Melendez opened with a relaxed entry ticket: “What are you looking forward to most when the semester ends and or this summer?” Many of the CPLs are graduating, entering new and exciting programs, celebrating acceptances and scholarships, applying for jobs, volunteering and completing internships, looking forward to travel plans, seeing family, concerts and shows, and so many hopeful opportunities and adventures ahead, this summer and beyond. 

Director Melendez reminded the CPLs to complete their testimonial videos and made room for those who haven’t yet done their videos. Kelsey Milian managed the technology and helped the leaders record their videos by phone. 

After recording their vlogs and filling out the exit survey, the leaders went around the room (an informal exit ticket that made room for everyone to share something if they felt moved to speak) to share their final thoughts, reflections, and words of appreciation. Many leaders spoke about how inspired they are by their peers; what they admire about each other; how wonderful it has felt to be a part of a community; meeting diverse students from across CUNY colleges and learning beyond their home campuses; that the enrichment outings cultivated a great experience; how hard it is to say goodbye; and how much they look forward to staying connected. 

One leader said that this program is the space where real connection happens across campuses. 

One leader said, “Thank you for taking me to a Broadway show for the first time,” and everyone cheered. One of the oldest leaders said, “Many of you are young but thinking of things that really matter. It’s important to remember the strength of your voices and perspectives. Don’t let people stop that or take it away from you. This [CPL program] is a great step toward affirming your confidence and self-assurance.” 

Another leader said, “This has been a very peaceful yet challenging time and this [program] has given me time to think about who I am and what I can do. I am in a very rigid major. Coming into this program where you can be yourself and just being able to express myself has been so freeing. I’m really thankful and appreciative of this.”

Director Melendez thanked everyone for their participation and confirmed, “You all are already leaders. The leadership part is you arriving and being an active participant in the program. You’re going to be the ones hiring people, and the people in leadership roles. I can’t wait to see how you make the most of your positionality. Thank you to all of you. It has been a pleasure to work with you. The learning process is reciprocal. Thank you for everything you brought to the program.”

Kelsey Milian said, “After every single meeting with you, it feels like such a breath of fresh air. With all the work we do, we generally love and thrive being among you. We learn just as much from you and you learn from us. You have motivations and aspirations. I hope you recognize that you are enough. We believe in you. We believed in you when you applied for this program, while getting to learn from you even more — showing us even a fraction of who you are, because we are always changing and evolving — and we believe in your future.”

Thank you, all, for building such an amazing community and for making it a wonderful and inspiring year!

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