Students Participate in Advocacy Day at the State Capitol
Pictured, during AICUP’s Student Advocacy Day on April 9 in Harrisburg: Pennsylvania State Rep. Kyle J. Mullins (D-Lackawanna), Breanna M. Long ‘26, Ashley M. Paulino ‘25, Grace V. Lennox ‘26, Daysi Carreto '14, assistant director for community and civic engagement, and Pennsylvania State Rep. Bridget M. Kosierowski (D-Lackawanna).Students and staff from The University of Scranton visited the state’s Capitol for the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania's (AICUP) Advocacy Day on Wednesday, April 9. In attendance from the University for this year's AICUP Advocacy Day were students Ashley M. Paulino ‘25, Grace V. Lennox ‘26, and Breanna M. Long ‘26, and Assistant Director for Community and Civic Engagement Daysi Carreto ‘14.
The students met with Pennsylvania State Senator Marty Flynn’s Legislative Staff and with State Reps. Kyle Donahue, Bridget M. Kosierowski and Kyle Mullins.
The University sends students to the state Capitol for AICUP’s Student Aid Advocacy Day annually to stress the importance of state financial aid for students pursuing higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and to make the case for the importance of supporting independent colleges and universities such as The University of Scranton, with its Catholic and Jesuit mission.
Through this experience, students have the opportunity to engage directly with advocacy and share their impactful stories. Continued support for funding in higher education, such as The University of Scranton, provides real world impact for students interested in pursuing higher education. Without this continued support, many students would not be able to attend and pursue their dreams of higher education.
“I had such a great experience speaking with all the representatives. Going into the day, I was definitely nervous—it was my first time ever speaking with a member of the state legislature—but they made me feel at ease and genuinely listened as I shared my story and advocated for this incredibly important grant," said Paulino ‘25.
"AICUP Advocacy Day gave me the opportunity to speak up for something that will make a real difference for future students like me as they begin their college journeys. It also gave me a new appreciation for the work our representatives do on behalf of our communities and has inspired me to become more engaged and politically active in my own,” .
Long '26 commented on the visit to Harrisburg.
“Being able to share my story with representatives and advocate for higher education funding was such a good experience. Being able to attend college is definitely a privilege that not everyone has, and I think it’s important that higher education continues to receive funding to make college as accessible as possible," said Long. "Everyone we spoke with was receptive to what we had to say and made us feel welcome and it was super nice to meet with local representatives and senators and discuss concerns that affect us."
The University of Scranton is grateful to the legislators, their staff and to AICUP for a day that fostered dialogue and civic engagement and provided an opportunity for students to share their appreciation for state funding to help students pursue higher education.
