As vice chair of the Queens College Committee for Disabled Students (CDC), Liliette Lopez, left, who has been legally blind since she was nine months old, works to create a welcoming campus environment for students with disabilities. Student Association Senator Malinie Cyril helps out at a recent CDC welcome breakfast for new and returning students. <\/strong><\/p>\nLiliete Lopez has been legally blind since 9 months, when her head accidentally hit a concrete floor. At age 13, when her family emigrated from Nicaragua, she spoke Spanish but could neither read nor write. Today, through her advocacy for CUNY\u2019s 9,000 students with disabilities, this 34-year-old student leader inspires others with her vision of what they can become. Her own goals set the pace: earning a master\u2019s degree in urban public planning and running for Congress.<\/p>\n
Sixty miles from Managua, Lopez had no such dreams because there were no resources for the blind.\u00a0 A sickly child, she eagerly listened and memorized while her parents read her Disney stories and newspapers, quizzing her on the content. They described everything to her, from ballgames to the Sandinistas. \u201cThat\u2019s why I am able to picture the world,\u201d Lopez says. \u201cThey taught me how to believe in myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
When her family settled in the Bronx, the teenager not only had to learn to speak English but study Braille so she could begin to read and write it. At Lighthouse International she gained computer and office skills; developed her math, writing, and vocabulary; and earned her GED. Thanks to the SEEK Program, whose intensive workshops prepare high-school students for CUNY, \u201cI was able to graduate with honors from Hostos Community College,\u201d Lopez says.<\/p>\n
Named a \u201cQueens Person of the Week\u201d in December by NY1 video and a \u201cRising Star\u201d in January by the Queens Courier,<\/i> Lopez has garnered a galaxy of honors, prizes, and scholarships. The Courier<\/i> interview highlighted her far-reaching efforts to educate others about \u201chistorically disenfranchised individuals,\u201d her community service, and her participation at public hearings from the college to the state level. \u201cNegative attitudes are the real disability,\u201d she noted there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree keys I always keep in mind,\u201d Lopez notes, \u201care passion, motivation, and education. If you have passion for what you do, you will have time for everything.\u201d Lopez collects toys and food for the homeless, is social director of the QC Committee for Disabled Students, treasurer of the CUNY Coalition for Students with Disabilities, vice chair of Disabled Students Affairs of the University Student Senate, and a leader in the QC Legislative Project and senator of Student Government.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t consider myself special,\u201d Lopez demurs. \u201cI consider people around me special for giving me the opportunity to show them what I\u2019m capable of, for allowing me to be part of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musical tastes:<\/strong> Alternative rock, especially Nickelback. \u201cMy favorite group from the oldies is the Beatles, whose songs helped me to learn English.\u201d<\/p>\nLittle-known fact:<\/strong> At age 15 U.S. doctors diagnosed why Lopez had been sick all her life. A successful liver transplant gave her \u201ca second chance,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Name: Liliete Lopez Major: Political Science and Urban Studies Year: 2012From: Nicaragua Why QC: Highly recommended by her mentors Christopher Rosa, University Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for CUNY, and Charmaine Worthy, University Coordinator of Student Activities for CUNY “I consider people around me special for giving me the opportunity to show them what I\u2019m […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"page_category":[],"wf_page_folders":[137],"class_list":["post-730","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1977,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/730\/revisions\/1977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"page_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/page_category?post=730"},{"taxonomy":"wf_page_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.qc.cuny.edu\/communications\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_page_folders?post=730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}