Ashley Pagaro testifies on equitable Seal access and credit standards
Ashley Pagaro, a Lehman College junior and first-generation college student from the Bronx, says she learned government only after returning to CUNY at 25. She supports the resolutions and asks CUNY to set one clear credit standard published before students apply.
Good afternoon, Council.
Good afternoon, Chairspersons Joseph and Dinowitz, and members of the New York City Council Committee on Higher Education and Education.
Thank you so much for having me here.
My name is Ashley Pagaro, and I'm a junior at Lehman College.
I'm an honor student pursuing a dual degree in data science and AI and business animation with a minor in urban community development.
I serve as vice chair of the Student Legislative Assembly at Lehman and an alternate delegate to the CUNY USS Student Senate.
And as of this past Sunday, vice chair elect for technology fee affairs.
I'm a first generation college student born and raised in the Bronx.
I'm here to support resolutions 418, 451, and 620.
I left high school at 17 and I earned my JAD at 24.
I enrolled at CUNY at 25, and everything I know about government works after I came back to CUNY.
I learned it in student government office and committee meetings and on advocacy trips to Albany, and I got that chance at 25.
But a student should be able to get that chance at 16.
On Resolution 620, the seal works where it's offered, showing that New York City went from 31 schools offering it in 2021 to 166 offering it in 2024 to 2025 academic school year.
That growth shows real, real want for it, and it still leaves most of our public schools out of it.
Right now, a student's access, it really depends on whether their school has the staff and the time to build it.
the SEAL committee and run that program.
That is a question about the adult capacity, but the students are the ones that are paying for that answer.
Students in the Bronx should not have fewer civic opportunities than students across the river.
The CUNY University Student Senate asked the council to add one more thing.
High school achievements such as the seal of bill of tree are often worth different amounts of credits.
And depending on where a student rose and students who transfer, they can lose that value.
And if CUNY awards credit for the zero civic readiness, we ask that it be one clear standard across all campuses published where students can find it before they apply.
And on resolutions 451, this year's voluntarily, the next gen civics acts sets the floor.
A semester of hands-on civics for every student in grades 9 through 12 means every graduate leaves with something valuable, whether or not their school runs a SEAL program.
So we asked the council to pass all three and asked the DOE and CUNY for a public count of which schools and which campuses are participating so that we can see who is being left out.
Thank you so much for your time and your consideration.