For the second consecutive year, Stony Brook University student-athletes met with local middle and high school students as part of the Long Island Latino Teachers Association (LILTA) Summer Programs. The initiative aims to provide insight into college life for aspiring students and encourage higher education.
The program, held on campus, brought together more than 55 students. It is organized through the university’s Community Relations Office in partnership with LILTA, a nonprofit focused on increasing graduation rates and supporting college enrollment among Long Island youth. This collaboration has been ongoing for nearly a decade.
“We are grateful for LILTA’s partnership and collaboration on this annual visit to Stony Brook,” said Erika Karp, associate director of University and Medicine Community Relations. “We are excited to learn with these students and look forward to this program every summer.”
Arnika Edwards, assistant athletic director for Student Career and Leadership Development at Stony Brook, played a key role in coordinating activities at the Sports Complex.
On July 9, forty high school women attending the Young Women’s Summer Institute visited Pritchard Gym. There, members of the Women’s Volleyball Team demonstrated volleyball skills and answered questions about their experiences as college athletes. Following the demonstration, Dr. Kristin Hopkins—director of Stony Brook Medicine Women’s Sports Medicine Center—and Beverley Baptista-Anderson, practice manager for Orthopaedics, led a lunch-and-learn session. Dr. Hopkins spoke about her career path in sports medicine and discussed opportunities in medicine and orthopaedic surgery.
A separate event took place on July 17 when sixteen middle school students met with the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Teams at Stony Brook Arena. The teams conducted a mini-clinic followed by a question-and-answer session. Erika Karp and Kristin Cuomo, community relations liaison, facilitated icebreaker activities before leading a campus tour. Students also had lunch at East Side Dine-In to experience campus dining.
“We hope this year’s LILTA students left campus feeling motivated to pursue a college degree,” Karp said.
