Peer to Peer, Campus to Campus: The CollegeJourney Peer Leaders Helping Students Stay in College and Succeed
CollegeJourney is Student Leadership Network’s peer-to-peer program that supports CollegeBound Initiative (CBI) alumni enrolled at the 18 City University of New York (CUNY) colleges across New York City. Older CBI alumni serve as Peer Leaders who, alongside our College Persistence staff, provide tailored support and outreach to help students adjust to campus and stay enrolled in college. Through in-person meet-ups, text messaging, and workshops, they serve as a resource for students on the academic, social, and financial aspects of college life.
The CollegeJourney model works. The program has boosted college persistence (continuing enrollment to the next term) by over 10% across a growing cohort of students across all CUNY campuses. CollegeJourney has also grown from supporting 84 students in its first year to over 500 today! Meet this year’s Peer Leaders below.
Are you a recent graduate of one of our CollegeBound Initiative partner high schools and want to sign up for CollegeJourney? Contact us at [email protected]!
Meet Our 2026-2027 Peer Leaders
Almasur
- Graduate of Bronx Latin High School
- Currently attending City College
- Majoring in Computer Science
- Colleges supported: City College (CCNY), City Tech, LaGuardia Community College, Queensborough Community College, York
- Fun Fact: “I love hiking!”
- His college tip: “Maximize all of your campus resources!”
Danae
- Graduate of The Heritage School
- Currently attending Brooklyn College
- Majoring in Psychology
- Colleges supported: Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Brooklyn College, Guttman, and Medgar Evers
- Fun Fact: “I love to travel!”
- Her college tip: “Get involved on campus. It’s the fastest way to access opportunities, make friends, and feel like you belong.”
Jaka
- Graduate of Validus Preparatory Academy
- Currently attending Lehman
- Majoring in Business Management
- Colleges supported: Bronx Community College, Lehman, and Hostos
- Fun Fact: “I am a linguist and love to learn and study dying languages!”
- Her college tip: “Attend those networking events! You never know who you will meet and connect with.”
Punnasri
- Graduate of TYWLS Queens
- Currently attending Baruch
- Majoring in Statistics and Mathematics
- Colleges supported: Baruch, John Jay, Queens College
- Fun Fact: “I love playing chess! I want to improve my rankings. And I play the drums.”
- Her college tip: “Go to your college’s Career Center and join professional clubs on campus! Manage your time wisely; deadlines come quickly.”
Miskatul
- Graduate of TYWLS Queens
- Currently attending Hunter
- Majoring in Computer Science
- Colleges supported: College of Staten Island, Hunter, Kingsborough
- Fun Fact: “I had four jobs last summer.”
- Her college tip: “Be active in student groups.”
