By Elisabeth Costanzo Stewart

As SUNY Broome enters the height of the “College Express” season, questions naturally arise about the results of these mass admissions events. Do these admitted students actually end up coming to SUNY Broome? Are they successful? 

The answer is a resounding yes! Had it not been for a College Express event at Binghamton High School and a life-changing introduction, one of SUNY Broome’s rising student leaders, Ramon De Jesus-Soto, would have never considered studying at his local community college. 

Today, the Criminal Justice: A.A.S. student and proud representative of SUNY Broome’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) serves as the Student Assembly’s Vice President for Academic Affairs. So, not only did Ramon decide to come to SUNY Broome, but he also decided to make it a better place.

Ramon De Jesus-Soto was born in Binghamton, New York. Shortly after his birth, his family relocated to Massachusetts, followed by a stint in West Virginia. While in West Virginia, Ramon’s parents separated, leaving Roman, the second of seven children, at the helm to care for his siblings. 

“My parent’s separation deeply affected me and caused me to spiral into a deep depression,” De Jesus-Soto reflected. “My father is from Puerto Rico, and his English is poor. I took over my mom’s role as the family’s main interpreter. I got so overwhelmed by translating all of our paperwork and managing our day-to-day lives that I didn’t want to go to school. My morale was so low.”

Things took a turn for the better when Ramon’s father remarried and moved the family back to Binghamton. No longer bearing the brunt of the responsibilities at home, Ramon was able to focus on being a student. Unfortunately, his years of truancy came back to haunt him, obligating him to repeat the ninth grade. 

Just as Ramon was tempted to default to his “High school is dumb, I’m so over this” mentality, he was invited to enter Binghamton High School’s inaugural Patriots Aspiring To Succeed (PATS) cohort. Founded in 2022, the PATS program provides students with personalized academic and social support. Via intentionally small class sizes, PATS students work alongside a team of designated PATS teachers and a school counselor to ensure that they successfully graduate on time. 

Before he knew it, Ramon went from dreading school, to looking forward to it. Bolstered by encouraging attention from top-notch teachers, De Jesus-Soto’s grades went from barely passing, to A’s and B’s. Noticing his newfound enthusiasm, Ramon was asked to represent PATS in a series of meetings with Binghamton City School District’s superintendent and administrators to discuss feedback from the student’s perspective. 

After sharing some suggestions to improve communication between the high school and its students and voicing his concerns about some campus logistics issues, De Jesus-Soto was shocked to see that his ideas were not only noted, but acted on, immediately. For the first time, Ramon started to think about his future as a change agent. 

“I was finally enjoying high school. I was doing well in my classes and was starting to get really involved in activities. But even with all of those positives, I had this lingering feeling of discouragement,” De Jesus-Soto explained. “Being held back in second and ninth grades was finally making an impact. I hated that I couldn’t catch up with my classmates.”

In an aggressive move, Ramon doubled up on his classes to complete his sophomore and junior years concurrently. Driven by his desire to be an example to his younger siblings, he plowed through his courses in survival mode. 

“My parents didn’t finish high school, so I am the definition of ‘first generation’ for both high school and college,” De Jesus-Soto said. “Every time I felt overwhelmed, I just said to myself, ‘You’ve got to get through this.'”

By the time senior year rolled around, Ramon was burnt out. While he was highly motivated by extracurricular activities like the Life Hacks club and by his part-time job as a dietary server at the Good Shepherd Fairview Home, he was losing interest academically.

Cut to “College Express Day” at BHSl. Ramon walked into the Helen Foley Theatre, quietly petrified that he wouldn’t be able to graduate on time. Just then, surrounded by a sea of his classmates holding “Accepted” and “College Bound” posters, Ramon’s school counselor, Glenn Whittington, asked if Ramon would follow him, promising, “I have someone that I want you to meet!”

Whittington, a proud SUNY Broome alum, wanted to introduce Ramon to the College’s Director of the Educational Opportunity Program, Venessa Rodriguez. “He’s a true diamond in the rough,” Whittington praised. “I think that SUNY Broome’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) would be the perfect way for Ramon to continue his PATS’ momentum.” 

With that, Whittington dashed off to help another student while Rodriguez and De Jesus-Soto got acquainted, first in Spanish and then in English. While Ramon initially politely described SUNY Broome as “not his cup of tea,” meeting with Venessa Rodriguez changed everything. 

By the time De Jesus-Soto arrived on campus for EOP’s four-week Summer Advancement Academy, he was convinced that studying at SUNY Broome was meant to be. 

“The summer program was such an amazing experience,” De Jesus-Soto shared. “I met so many special people – fellow students, alumni mentors, and faculty and staff. While we were all unique, we were threaded with common bonds and experiences. After the first day, I knew I was in the right place.”

Ramon balances his classes and his part-time job at Good Shepherd with an extensive list of campus clubs and organizations for one specific purpose – to make positive changes. He recently represented SUNY Broome at the State University of New York’s (SUNY) Student Assembly conference, the first of many. His plan for this year, in addition to performing well in his classes, is to work alongside his administrative counterpart, Dr. Penny A. Kelly, to ensure that all of their decisions are student-centered.

“I’ve found that if I have a purpose and have faith in myself, my drive kicks in, and anything is possible.”

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month Advice, Ramon shared some celebratory advice for the campus community. “Grab a map and explore the nations that identify as Hispanic. Learn about each country’s culture and food. Personally, I’d love to see flags all across campus celebrating the Hispanic heritage nations.” 

Ramon serves as the Student Assembly’s Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Photo Credit: Matt Ebbers

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