Masiel Lopez Almanzar ’20, an English major from Queens, is this year’s recipient of The Lonnstrom HEOP (Higher Education Opportunity Program) Excellence Award.
The annual award was established in 2014 by Douglas Lonnstrom ’66, Ph.D., a Siena professor of quantitative business analysis, and his wife, Cris, to support HEOP students in pursuing their careers and goals after graduation.
Almanzar was selected for her passion for service and dedication to Siena and the HEOP community, which HEOP Director Yasmin Fisher ’10 said “truly embodies the Franciscan values that Siena holds very dear.
“We are very proud of her accomplishments and felt this award was well deserved, as she embarks on her next phase of life. HEOP works for its students, and we are very grateful to the Lonnstroms for their support of our program.”
While at Siena, Almanzar was a tutor at the Writing Center and a member of the Black and Latin Student Union. She also volunteered with AmericaCorps on a research project on homelessness in Albany. She gathered data on the population so that the Interfaith Population for the Homeless and St. Joseph’s House could better serve their clients.
This June, she will begin training for Teach for America. Acceptance into this program is highly competitive. She will be teaching English as a second language at an elementary school in Baltimore.
Almanzar, who also received this year’s HEOP Academic Achievement Award, said she is grateful for the support of her HEOP counselors.
“Jen Costello and Emily Ha helped me to achieve my goals, both academic and personal. Emily encouraged me to apply for Teach for America – something I wasn’t sure I could do. Everything I worked for is coming to life.”
She said she will use the Lonnstrom award funds for her living expenses in Baltimore.