New Paltz student takes NYSCEEA internship award

SUNY New Paltz senior Ada Bellantoni 18 (Geography) has received the 2017 Student of the Year award from the New York State Cooperative and Experiential Education Association (NYSCEEA) for her work as a student intern.

A self-supporting, first generation New Paltz student from Staten Island, N.Y., Bellantoni has held part-time jobs on and off campus since arriving at the College, but in 2017 added a number of internship and community engagement commitments.

Her most in-depth internship this year was with the City of Kingston, where she took on multiple different roles during spring, summer and fall appointments.

Bellantoni’s work for the City Planning Department proved so indispensable that they decided to keep her around; Bellantoni accepted a paid position with the Department this fall.

“My sincerest thanks go to everyone who has taken a chance on me, enabled me to succeed and helped me to recover from stumbles I’ve had along the way,” Bellantoni said in accepting the NYSCEEA award. “I am truly blessed and honored to have been presented so many incredible opportunities in my career thus far, and this honor stands as a promise that the hard work does not go unnoticed.”

Despite securing a career opportunity through this internship, Bellantoni continued to seek ways to add experiences to her academic and professional résumé, on and off campus. She took a second internship with the New York City Council Transportation Committee, held executive roles with New Paltz student government and club chapters and completed a Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) project focusing on urban planning.

“Ada’s project was a success, and is leading towards a larger effort to create a national archive of transportation planning documents, hosted by the College,” said Assistant Professor Scott Le Vine, Bellantoni’s advisor on the SURE project. “This is a further example of Ada dedication herself beyond standard expectations, in furtherance of her passions and career ambitions.”

The NYSCEEA Student of the Year award is given in recognition of students who go above and beyond in their pursuit of experiential education. Le Vine and Career Resource Center Internship Coordinator Beth King co-nominated Bellantoni for the NYSCEEA award, and King presented the award at the NYSCEEA Conference in November.

For more information on internships available to SUNY New Paltz students, please visit the Career Resource Center.

Learn more about the New York State Cooperative & Experiential Education Association online.