By Elisabeth Costanzo Stewart

SUNY Broome admitted 35 new students on Tuesday, January 24, 2023, all of whom shared one major thing in common. Each student admitted was a member of Deposit High School’s senior class. For the first time in the history of both SUNY Broome and Deposit High School, the entire graduating class was officially accepted to SUNY Broome, thanks to the College Express Partnership. After observing the overwhelming success of the Windsor Central High School’s College Express Partnership, which was developed in 2019, the administration and school counseling team at Deposit High School wanted their students to participate as well. 

“While there is a core, general framework for a College Express Partnership, Anya Samiljan of the Admissions Office works with each partner school to craft a personalized College Express Day, tailored to the specific needs of each district,” shared Brittney Richardson, Staff Associate for Fast Forward Program/Early College & Orientation. 

Deposit’s senior class, many of whom were wearing custom College Express t-shirts, traveled 40 minutes by bus for an immersive day on campus. This is the first time that a College Express event has been hosted on SUNY Broome’s campus and the format and location worked beautifully for the Deposit cohort. Throughout the day, the students shadowed college classes, benefited from a series of presentations from all areas of academic and student life, ate lunch in the dining hall, and had some intramural fun with Student Activities. 

Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Penny Kelly, addressed the senior class and shared from her personal experiences as a SUNY Broome student. “I’ve found that throughout my time as a student and throughout my career in higher education, that a community college is the answer to everything. Whether you just take a class over the summer, complete microcredential, or spend a year or two with us earning a degree to transfer or enter the workforce, there is something to support everyone’s goals,” shared Dr. Kelly. 

Welcoming Deposit’s senior class was a campus-wide effort. Staff from Admissions, Athletics, EOP, Housing, Student Activities, and Student Financial Services worked to creatively present practical and digestible information vital for future college students. Faculty from the departments of Business, Chemistry, and Psychology & Human Services kindly welcomed Deposit students to sit in on classes, sharing their syllabi and encouraging participation and questions. 

Deposit students received a surprise visit from SUNY Broome’s Admissions team who arrived bearing acceptance packets and pizza.

Deposit’s College Express Day was initially supposed to take place on December 15, 2022, but was postponed due to inclement weather. As a surprise, members of the Admissions team traveled to Deposit days after the storm to deliver acceptance packets and celebrate with a pizza party. 

While students participating in College Express Partnerships are not obligated to attend SUNY Broome, they are encouraged to keep SUNY Broome as an open option. For friends Kylee Wilson and Cassidy Farrell, studying at SUNY Broome next fall is part of the plan in different ways. 

“I don’t know what I want to study, so exploring my options at SUNY Broome makes the most sense for me. Cassidy knows that she wants to be a vet tech at Delhi, but having SUNY Broome as another option is definitely comforting,” said Wilson. 

SUNY Broome’s next College Express Partnership will take place on Friday, February 3 with Binghamton High School.

Deposit seniors Kylee Wilson and Cassidy Farrell enjoying their day on campus.
Photo Credit: Matt Ebbers

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