Free community college tuition offered to more than 900 Long Island students through SUNY Reconnect

For Deer Park resident Jacqueline "Jackie" Montiglio, earning a college degree later in life wasn't about prestige — it was about setting the standard for her two young daughters.

Montiglio, a physical fitness instructor, teaches chair yoga and other classes to older adults at Town of Babylon facilities. As she looked toward the future, she set her sights on something that was left behind.

"As I get older and now that I have children, I realize it's time to get a degree and I should lead by example," Montiglio, 49, said.

But Montiglio, who came several credits short of earning a degree in audio engineering when she was younger, ran into a problem: While trying to figure out how to pay for college, she found herself stymied by the high cost of living on Long Island, along with the expenses associated with raising her children — Angelina, 8, and Isabella, 7.

Adult learners like Montiglio received a lifeline this fall, with the launch of a new state program that offers free tuition for a two-year degree to students aged 25 to 55. Known as SUNY and CUNY Reconnect, the program also pays for books, supplies and other fees for state residents who don’t already have a college degree and are looking to enter high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, nursing and advanced manufacturing.

Students at Long Island's community colleges pay about $6,000 per year, without federal or state aid. The goal of the program, state officials have said, is to make higher education more accessible, while also building the state's workforce.

For Montiglio, the program is helping her pursue a degree at Suffolk County Community College to become an occupational therapy assistant. She hopes the major will open doors for her as she advances in her career.

Some weeknights, she said, now consist of her and her eldest daughter doing homework together. 

"We're all working together to know that knowledge is power," she said. "It doesn't matter what age you are, you have to finish your goals."

Advancing 'upward mobility'

The Reconnect program was established earlier this year with the adoption of the state's $254 billion budget, which allocated $47 million for the scholarships.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who championed the initiative, said in August that more than 16,500 people had applied to the program statewide. On Long Island, more than 900 students are enrolled, according to data provided by Nassau and Suffolk community colleges.

In a statement to Newsday, SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said the program "will advance upward mobility and improve the lives of thousands of New Yorkers, including students at SUNY Nassau and SUNY Suffolk Community Colleges. SUNY has provided additional funding and worked with our community colleges to ensure they are prepared to support even more adult learners in high-demand fields."

Among the top majors that Reconnect students have enrolled in are health care studies, nursing and education, according to the local data.

At Nassau Community College, vice president of community and governmental relations Jerry Kornbluth said the program is off to a strong start and they already have students looking to enroll for the spring semester. 

"Many of these students are returning to college after time away and they're already showing great determination and enthusiasm," Kornbluth said. "Feedback that we've gotten has been overwhelmingly positive."

Edward Bonahue, president of Suffolk County Community College, said the program "provides a powerful opportunity for individuals to reimagine their educational journey."

College dreams

Lineth Dominguez, 34, of Freeport, is one of those individuals. She is pursuing her associate’s degree in computer science at Nassau Community College.

Dominguez said she emigrated to the United States more than a decade ago from Honduras, where her goal was to study math and eventually become a teacher. She said she taught herself English by watching videos that she translated through Google and studying other English-language material. She also took online business courses, she said.

She said she came to the United States with many dreams.

"The biggest dream I had was to join college," said Dominguez, a legal U.S. resident. "It was really hard because I didn't have the resources, the time or the knowledge on how to enroll."

Dominguez works full time at a Freeport hotel and is a mother. She said she was able to enroll in school with the assistance of Nassau Community College officials, who guided her through the financial aid process.

She started as a liberal arts major but later switched to computer science, a field that is projected to see a "much faster than average" growth in the next decade, according to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"I think I find it more fascinating [than] the math classes and the business administration classes," she said.

She is currently enrolled in two courses — calculus and Java programming — and hopes to eventually work in robotics.

"We need some support sometimes," she said of the Reconnect program. "[The] financial situation is really hard right now. I'm happy there's a program helping students."

'A level up'

For Gary Garcia, college wasn't always in reach.

"I didn't even get my high school diploma," the Huntington resident, 28, said. "I had to get to work because we couldn't pay bills at the time."

The Bronx native said he obtained his GED and then went to trade school to become an electrician — a program he is still repaying.

Garcia currently works as a maintenance technician with 7-Eleven, where he said his duties include plumbing, restoring faulty lighting and fixing ventilation issues. Looking to push his career forward, Garcia said he is working toward an associate's degree in HVAC technology at Suffolk County Community College.

In addition to HVAC courses, he is also taking courses in communications and business.

"You got to look for a level up in your career to try to pay these bills," he said, noting the high cost of living on Long Island.

Garcia hopes that by earning a college degree, he will better both his future and that of his 1-year-old son.

"My goal is start my own business ... and be able to teach him and hopefully he can learn more than me and take it to a different level," Garcia said.

The Reconnect program, he said, will allow him to "keep money in my pocket" as he works to achieve his goals.

"It's really great to have something to help you, while you're taking care of other stuff," he said. "It takes a load off your back."

Newsday's Michael R. Ebert contributed to this story.