Good morning everyone. My name is Onyekachi Okeke, and I am a Senior attending Hunter College studying Human Biology & Sociology. I am also a proud alumna of the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC).
As someone who attended a 2-year and 4-year school, I found the transfer process between both schools difficult and arduous. After leaving BMCC and entering Hunter, I found I was significantly struggling in almost every area (academically, financially, mentally, and personally). The first semester was one of my toughest semesters to date. I do not believe I had adequate support regarding advising; I had no one to explain how Degreeworks functioned, and consequently, I picked random classes to fulfill the full-time requirement so I could qualify for student loans– a decision I still regret to this day. I picked classes that I shouldn’t have been enrolled in due to the pressure of enrolling in classes right before the start of the semester. I am assured that if I had more support via orientation or crucial advising, I would not have made those costly mistakes that negatively impacted me academically that semester. My academic standing was important because, at the time, I participated in the Community Scholars program, a specialized program for high-achieving transfer students. Through this program, I received help with choosing my major and having a mentor, which I believe helped me significantly. However, due to my low academic performance during my first semester, I was removed from the program. I wished that I could have had a second chance to redeem myself and remain in the program. Had I received more professional support from the program, I believe would’ve been able to stay and do much better afterward.
Additionally, at Hunter, I was mandated to take a Sociology 101 course to begin my Sociology minor. While I had already taken the class at BMCC, I discovered on Degreeworks that my Sociology 101 credit had not been fulfilled. I contacted the Vice President for Academic Affairs about this issue, and thankfully, she was able to obtain my previous transcript and manually update my Degreeworks so that my Sociology 101 requirement would be fulfilled. Unfortunately, I cannot say that others in my shoes had the same outcome when encountering this problem.
Another issue that I encountered was the difference in resources when transferring from BMCC to Hunter. At BMCC:
I struggled daily – often, I endured the day with nothing to eat, no money to purchase anything, and, on top of this, I was unable to secure a job, both on or off-campus. I was blessed with the opportunity to learn about Single Stop, which is now known as the Advocacy and Resource Center, through a friend. It had everything I needed and more. Through the substantial support of Single Stop, I obtained semesterly Metrocards (I was in dire need of this), food vouchers to purchase lunch from BMCC’s cafeteria, groceries from the campus food pantry, and tax filing preparation services. I was so grateful for this help. But, the next year, when I transferred to Hunter, I was shocked that Hunter didn’t have this resource center. Having Single Stop at Hunter College would have significantly helped with the previously mentioned resources.
My story is just one of thousands of students who experience this but do not have a platform to share their sentiments. I am asking my City leaders today to hear my story and fully invest in additional support for all CUNY campuses. Not only should every CUNY campus have a Single Stop or resource hub but also have increased transparency in credit transferring, and have access to counselors and advisors who clearly understand the transfer process so that students are not wrongly advised or delayed in graduating.
Onyekachi, or Onye for short, is a proud two-time CUNY alumna from Borough of Manhattan Community College and Hunter College. Formerly participating in Young Invincibles as a Young Advocate in Spring 2022, she accredits YI as a great influence in her passion for advocacy and community engagement. Onye is especially interested in higher education, racial and transformative justice, health care, and basic needs. As a YAB member, she hopes to continue fighting for her peers to obtain the best services possible. She also aspires to assist in the effort of making the New Deal for CUNY a reality. In her free time, she likes reading, writing, taking walks, watching videos, and baking.