LaGuardia Community College now has a dedicated office on its Long Island City campus for students who are immigrants or whose families are affected by immigration. The college held a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, October 27, for the Office of Immigrant Student Empowerment in Room C-786, and LaGuardia says it is the first office of its kind at any CUNY community college.

The office has actually been working with students since August. The ribbon cutting marked its permanent home on campus, and it was timed to the national I Stand With Immigrants College and University Day of Action.

What the office does

The office was set up with support from The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation. Its job is to connect immigrant and immigration-impacted students with legal, financial, academic and community resources, so that they can stay enrolled and finish their degrees.

According to the college, its work is organized into six areas:

  • One-on-one support and navigation, including referrals, financial aid help and career guidance
  • A student ambassador and leadership program, in which students mentor their peers
  • Programs and events built around immigrant students' identities and experiences
  • Immigration legal information, partnerships with legal service providers and rapid-response guidance when policies change
  • Training for faculty and staff on supporting immigrant students
  • Advocacy for college-wide policies that support immigrant students

Legal help runs through partnerships with CUNY Citizenship Now! and LaGuardia's Student Advocacy via Frontline Efforts (SAFE) Committee. Since August, the office has also connected students to scholarships, stipends for experiential learning and emergency assistance through the Friedman Fund for new New Yorkers and the college's LaGuardia CARES program.

Who runs it

The office is led by Denise I. Vivar, who joined LaGuardia in 2026 after managing the Immigrant Student Success Center at John Jay College. She reports to Dr. Alexis McLean, LaGuardia's Vice President for Student Affairs. Alejandra Perez-Meza works in the office as a college access specialist.

LaGuardia President Kenneth Adams told the crowd that the college hopes the office will serve as a model for other campuses. Dr. Cynthia Carvajal, who directs CUNY's Office of Undocumented and Immigrant Student Programs, pointed out that some states, California among them, require public colleges to provide dedicated support for undocumented and immigrant students, and said LaGuardia's office puts CUNY at the front of that work in New York.

Others at the ceremony included CUNY Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Denise B. Maybank, Assembly Member Claire Valdez, Starry Yan of the Immigrant Welcome Center in the Queens Borough President's office, and Melissa Cucalon, a community liaison for Council Member Julie Won and a 2023 LaGuardia journalism graduate. A psychology student who receives support through the Friedman Fund spoke about the help she has had from the office with guidance and scholarships.

What students should know

The office's page on the LaGuardia site also carries a plain-language FAQ for undocumented students. Among the points it covers: undocumented students can apply to and attend CUNY, SUNY and private colleges; eligible students qualify for in-state tuition in New York under a law signed in 2002 if they attended at least two years of high school in the state and meet the other requirements; and the New York State Dream Act opens state financial aid, including TAP and the Excelsior Scholarship, to eligible students.

The office has more events on its calendar in November, on November 3 and November 10, in the college's E Building.

How to reach the office

The Office of Immigrant Student Empowerment is in Room C-786 in the C Building on LaGuardia's Long Island City campus. It is open Monday through Wednesday and on Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students can email OISE@lagcc.cuny.edu.

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