These Queensborough Graduates were Recognized for Outstanding Leadership, Athletic Talent and Dedication to Community
“I will always remember Queensborough as an example of what an authentic College can be.” Cynthia Saravia-Reyes (Class of 2025)
During Queensborough Community College’s 64th Commencement ceremony on May 29, several graduates received awards for academic excellence, exceptional athletic and scholarly achievement, outstanding college, and community leadership, and for promoting harmony and appreciation of cultural diversity.
The first time Cynthia Saravia-Reyes heard of Queensborough Community College was during a high school volleyball match at the Long Island Knights Club. Her coach, an alumna of Queensborough (Class of 2023), encouraged her to enroll and join the volleyball and track team. “I’m so glad I took her advice!” Now, after two years of athletic and academic achievement, Reyes has been awarded the John P. Bevilacqua Athletic Scholarship Award which honors the memory of John Bevilacqua, who passed in 2022 due to cancer related to 9/11. He was a first-generation college student, a gifted two-sport athlete at Johns Hopkins University, and a graduate of St. John’s University School of Law. Cynthia, who graduated with an associate in science (A.A.) in Liberal Arts and Sciences, said, “I am so honored to receive this distinguished award established in honor of such a special person. I will always remember Queensborough as an example of what an authentic College can be.”
“I used to shy away from social scenes and public speaking,” said Soraya Bouhiza, who graduated with an associate in applied science (A.A.S.) in accounting. However, her positive experiences as a Student Success peer mentor and a Tiger Advisor sparked her confidence to run and get elected to the 2023-24 Student Government Association (SGA) as Vice President for Evening Students. “It was an honor to serve on behalf of students and make sure their voices were heard.” Queensborough saluted Soraya’s leadership skills with The John F. Kennedy Award given to a graduating student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the College and the community.
Nazmul Arefin, who graduated with an associate in science (A.S.) in Liberal Arts and Sciences, made important contributions to the culture of student life at Queensborough. In the fall of 2023, he founded the Bangladesh Student Association and helped bring a culture of diversity back to campus by organizing events that celebrated heritage, unity, and student engagement.
He served as Student Government President for the 2024-25 academic year, was a delegate with the University Student Senate (USS) to advocate for student rights and benefits such as free MetroCard's and student-centered policy improvements to make academic life more accessible and equitable. Nazmul also worked in the Queensborough Male Resource Center (MRC) as a peer mentor. In recognition of his many accomplishments serving the community, Nazmul received The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award presented to a graduating student who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in promoting racial harmony and appreciation of cultural diversity.
And finally, there are our Valedictorian and Salutatorian, Emmanuel Ford (A.A. in Liberal Arts & Sciences) and Daniel Volin (A.A.S. in Internet & Information Technology), respectively. Both of their journeys to graduation and earning their special awards were marked by struggle and perseverance.
Emmanuel Ford was born blind with cerebral palsy, leaving doctors at the time to conclude that he wouldn’t survive. He beat the odds and survived, but that triumph gave way to an educational career filled with naysayers who believed he wouldn’t even be able to graduate high school, much less enter college. Yet again, he proved his critics wrong and made it to Queensborough where he thrived.
Meanwhile, Daniel Volin was ten years out of high school with a bartending job in the restaurant industry when the pandemic left him unemployed; and things only got worse when he was hospitalized with his second pulmonary embolism. It was there as he lay in a hospital bed that he decided to come to Queensborough to start a new chapter in his life.
You can read more about both by following the links below:
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