Two Empire State University Students Receive SUNY Building Bridges Grant

Empire State University students Yolanda Brown and Sine Rofofsky have been selected as recipients of SUNY’s Building Bridges civic engagement leadership awards. Working together, the pair are one of five student groups across the SUNY system to win the award, which bestows a $5,000 grant to teams leading projects that help unify their university communities.  

Brown and Rofofsky’s project is called “Bridging Perspectives: A Peer-to-Peer Cohort-Based Initiative for Culturally Aware Conflict Resolution.” According to Brown, it “focuses on creating culturally responsive, community‑centered pathways that strengthen trust, communication, and collaboration.” 

“Public higher education is uniquely able to bring students together and provide opportunities for them to learn from and with one another,” SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said. “Empowering our students to participate in constructive conversations and engage with all members of their campus communities is vital to SUNY’s commitment to civic engagement and academic excellence. This grant program demonstrates how SUNY students are leading the way to foster connection on their campuses and engage in civic engagement and civil discourse.”