Community Engagement Day 2023

On April 19, 326 faculty, staff, and students from New York Tech’s Long Island, New York City, Jonesboro, and Vancouver campuses participated in 26 initiatives during the university’s fifth Community Engagement Day. Participants contributed 759 hours, equating to approximately $27,000 in economic impact. Volunteers engaged with their surrounding communities in the following ways:

• New York Tech students from the National Society of Black Engineers, Black Student Union, and the College of Osteopathic Medicine met with Capital Prep High School seniors in Harlem to discuss college life and to watch the students present their capstone social justice research projects.
• The New York City Black Chamber of Commerce (NYCBCC) hosted an entrepreneurship bootcamp for New York Tech students and NYCBCC members on the New York City campus.
• The League of Women Voters hosted a voter registration table and civic engagement workshop on the New York City campus.
• New York Tech community members teamed up with DOROT, a nonprofit organization addressing the challenges of an aging population, to create more than 100 greeting cards that were sent to older adults.
• New York Tech partnered with Sgroi Financial and Northwestern Mutual to present webinars on financial literacy, including budgeting and investing to members of the university and the local community. 
• New York Tech staff cleaned and beautified an outdoor classroom for the Developmental Disabilities Institute on Long Island.
• Students and staff packed 50 lunches and served them to the unhoused in New York City.
• New York Tech volunteers made 45 meals for the Ronald McDonald House on Long Island.
• NYIT-Vancouver hosted a Student Showcase sponsored by Fortinet, where 180 students with 13 local businesses.
• Digital Grandparents, a nonprofit committed to providing older adults with access to computers and the Internet, came to the New York City campus and recruited 38 volunteers to provide technology training to senior citizens.
• Alpha Sigma Tau hosted Pillows for Paws to make beds for shelter dogs.

This article was contributed by Amy Bravo, senior director of career success and experiential education, and Askia Van Ommeren, assistant director of experiential education.