September 24, 2024 — Sometimes a little nudge from friends is all it takes to start on a new trajectory.

This was certainly the case for Andrea Martinez-Lopez '28, a participant in Marist’s Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP), who graduated from Poughkeepsie High School in the spring and is now in her first year as a Computer Science major at Marist.

Andrea was in sixth grade when she signed up for LPP. “They gave out applications during school and my friends said we should join, and I was like, ‘OK,’” she said.

This early involvement set Andrea on a path of academic and personal development, becoming part of a strong, decades-long bond between Marist College and the Poughkeepsie community.

Andrea Martinez-Lopez '28 receiving her acceptance to Marist, and graduating from Poughkeepsie High School after participating in the Liberty Partnerships Program. Photo courtesy of Crystal Parkhurst, Marist LPP Director.

The LPP initiative, sponsored by Marist since 1990, is designed to empower students from underserved communities, offering not just academic assistance but a pathway to personal growth and future success. Having begun at Marist just two years after it was established by the New York State Education Department in 1988, the College has a long tradition of tremendous success in its objectives of fostering high school completion and preparing students for college and a career beyond.

Currently, Marist’s LPP helps about 360 students per year, from fifth grade through senior year in high school. 95% of the students in the program graduated from high school in the 2023-2024 academic year.

For Andrea, her experience included guidance on college applications and homework, but also extended to broader social and cultural experiences.

“We went to museums, Six Flags, roller skating—a lot of fun stuff,” said Andrea. “It made me more outgoing.”

Andrea said as she enters her first year at Marist following her LPP experience, she is interested in studying abroad, possibly in Greece or France.

The profound impacts of LPP extend to the Marist students who serve as mentors, as well.

“The Real Deal”: LPP Provides Unparalleled Hands-On Experience
Amalia Nachman '24 is a social work major at Marist. She says that participating in the internship program at LPP changed the course of her academic path and plans for the future.

“I didn’t think I wanted to do high school social work in any capacity,” said Amalia. “But through LPP I realized that schools are the front lines for this kind of work—where you can intervene with students before they fall through the cracks. It really opened my eyes a lot.”

Amalia Nachman '24 working with a student during the lunchtime meetings at Poughkeepsie High School. Photo courtesy of Crystal Parkhurst, Marist LPP Director. 

Dr. Daria Hanssen, Associate Professor of Social Work, has been a faculty adviser and organizer of Marist student interns who have participated in the program for almost 30 years. In the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, LPP is a critical part of a robust internship program in which Marist students take part during their junior and senior years.

Dr. Hanssen points to the many ways in which Marist students learn from working directly with the Poughkeepsie students.

“I’ll say to the Marist students, ask your mentees what they like to do for fun, about their hobbies, about what they want to be when they grow up,” said Dr. Hanssen. “And from that I think the kids begin to open up.”

“The Marist students become very important in the lives of these kids,” she said. “This is the real deal.”

While students in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences—particularly majors in social work, psychology, education, and crime and justice studies—might align most closely with the objectives of LPP, the internships are open to all students from any major.

Mentors take part in lunchtime and after-school activities, including help with schoolwork, social activities, games, sports, and any other ways they can have an impact.

Marist LPP mentors work with students on homework, college applications, and more. Photo courtesy of Crystal Parkhurst, Marist LPP Director.

For students in the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, LPP can constitute their 125-hour 3-credit internship requirement.

"Our LPP success stems from the support of Marist College and students who serve as mentors or interns," said Crystal Parkhurst, Director of Marist LPP. "We recruit students passionate about helping younger learners and giving back to the community. This work is rewarding, and I’ve seen its positive impact on both Poughkeepsie students and Marist mentors."

Life Changing for Everyone Involved
Amalia began as a junior intern, and the experience impacted her so much that she returned her senior year, looking for any chance to help that she could find. She currently works shifts providing support at lunchtime as well as after school, at both the middle school and high school levels. She is also currently applying to grad school in social work.

“The reason I pushed so hard for this to be my internship this year is because my vision for the future includes implementing a program like this at a school some day, because I see how impactful it really is.” Amalia said.

“It only took about two weeks in LPP before it hit me, ‘wow, this is where I want to be,’” she added.

Marist LPP hours are filled with fun social events including games, snacks, and other activities that foster community and togetherness. Photo courtesy of Crystal Parkhurst, Marist LPP Director.

Importantly, Marist students from across disciplines get a chance to collaborate within the context of the LPP program, further bolstering the multifaceted and experiential learning opportunities.

“They’ll work together as a team and come up with ways to get the kids to interact, but in doing so they learn a lot about one another,” said Dr. Hanssen. “The social work students learn about things like mindfulness activities fostered by Dr. Mary Stone in psychology, for example, so there is a lot of collaboration.”

All together, these programs make impacts that change lives.

“I decided to become a computer science major because I’m good at computer programming,” said Andrea. “It’s pretty cool. Maybe some day I’ll become a hacker. A good hacker.”

Beyond the excitement about starting college, the most important lessons Andrea learned in LPP are about going through life and looking for the best in other people.

“Be open to things around you and be respectful to people, because you don’t know what their experiences are,” she said.