The CUNY Peer Leaders (CPL) is a leadership and mentoring program that brings CUNY undergraduates together from across its two- and four-year campuses, meeting at the Graduate Center, and exposes them to numerous aspects of graduate education through invited speakers and mentors who either hold or are pursuing graduate degrees at CUNY. CPL draws a large number of students of color and other underrepresented groups seeking mentors who understand their lived experiences. By bringing these students onto a campus devoted to graduate education, CPL encourages participants to see graduate education as an attainable, viable pathway and future.
CPL supports initiative #4 of CUNY’s first strategic roadmap goal: “Increase the pipeline of students of color and other underrepresented groups entering graduate and professional programs to amplify equitable outcomes.” In addition, by encouraging students to engage in self-reflection, activities that foster self-actualization, and opportunities to explore both conventional and unconventional paths, the CPL program also contributes to Goal #2, initiative #3, preparing students for successful, authentic career trajectories.
Click here to go to the active CPL website, which is regularly updated, and click on the links below to learn more about what we did during the Humanities Alliance grant period.
Meetups
The CUNY Peer Leaders meet biweekly throughout the academic year. They engage in enrichment activities and in-person meetups at the Graduate Center for leadership training and to discuss topics, like financial literacy, that are pertinent but are not talked about often enough in college. Click the button below to learn more about what we do during meetups and our annual kickoff and showcase events.
Testimonials
Former CPL undergraduates speak about what their experiences have been like in the leadership program. Click below to watch the videos and hear directly from them.
Peer Possibilities: A CPL Report by Sham Habteselasse
Current research suggests youth and young adults are experiencing a mental health crisis. (U.S Surgeon Gen., 2021) This report, authored by Sham Habteselasse, a doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program at the CUNY Graduate Center, details how CPL fosters care on college campuses.
