Graduate Diversity Fellowship Program

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Applications for the Fall 2023 cycle are now open

Fellowship funds are determined by the campus and are based on annual funding available from New York state. Typically three full in-state tuition awards and three partial awards are offered each year*. Recipients receive a credit to their college account, and any funds in excess of college charges may be used for other educational expenses, including books and supplies, room, meals, personal and transportation.

*These awards are subject to changes annually based on funding levels from the State of New York.

About the Graduate Diversity Fellowship 

• How to Apply

  Applications for the Fall 2023 cycle are now open.

  APPLY for THE GRADUATE DIVERSITY FELLOWSHIP

  Complete the application for the Graduate Diversity Fellowship, a short online application with a 400-word or less essay, expressing how you can contribute to the diversity of your respective graduate program.

  Examples could include, but are not limited to:

  • Member of a group that is underrepresented in your field of study (e.g., male in a historically female career or female in traditionally male career, or a minority in a field of study with few minorities)
  • First-generation college student
  • Non-traditional student (e.g., single mother or father or older adult student)
  • Person with a disability
  • Coming from an economically disadvantaged background

  The deadline to apply for the Diversity Fellowship is February 15. This deadline is firm; late applications will not be considered.

• Eligibility

  To be eligible for a SUNY Plattsburgh Graduate Diversity Fellowship, an applicant must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Be a newly applying full-time graduate student to a master’s or certificate of advanced study degree program
  • Be able to contribute to the diversity of a graduate degree program or field of study
  • Have overcome a disadvantage or other impediment to success in higher education
  • Have high intellectual and professional promise
  • Have completed a diversity fellowship application, as well as an application for admission for fall by February 15
• Selection & Notification

  Selection will be made by the Diversity Fellowship Committee and based on the eligibility requirements described above, quality of prior academic record, and financial need (as reflected in a FASFA or copy of most recent income tax statement).

  Announcements of awardees will take place in April after the review committee has had the opportunity to review each candidate and make their recommendations. Selected award recipients will be notified via email and will be given a deadline by which they need to accept or decline the award. If a selected recipient declines their award, it will be given to the next runner up as determined by the review committee.

Diversity Fellowship Recipients

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Meet our current Diversity Fellowship recipients and learn about what receiving this award means to them.

Farida Abdoulkader

• Major:  Data Analytics M.S.
• Hometown: Manhattan, N.Y.

“Receiving the Diversity Fellowship means that as a Muslim black girl from NYC I get the same opportunities as everyone else. Completing undergraduate studies at SUNY Plattsburgh allowed me to learn so much and meet a diverse group of people. I have always gravitated to the business aspect of things, and now that I have earned my degree in business administration with a minor in marketing, I believe that there is still more for me to learn. Being able to continue my education here at SUNY Plattsburgh is a huge honor because SUNY Plattsburgh sees what I’m capable of. I want to earn my master’s in data analytics so that I can be as marketable as possible and won’t be just another name on a resume. I always like to say it’s not what you go through that molds who you are, but what you do afterwards that does.”

Chrissy Berino

• Major:  Speech-Language Pathology M.A.
• Hometown: LaGrange, N.Y.

“I am so grateful to have been chosen to receive the Diversity Fellowship. I was born with a rare genetic disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. My medical bills are much higher than the average person my age, so knowing I don’t have to worry about tuition on top of that is a huge weight off of my shoulders. Before starting graduate school, I worked as an SLPA for high school students. I loved being able to relate to my students as I know what it’s like to grow up with disabilities. I’m so excited to be able to continue growing and learning as a graduate clinician at SUNY Plattsburgh!”

Quinn Kelley 

• Major:  Adolescence Education M.S.T.
• Hometown: Delhi, N.Y.

“Receiving the Diversity Fellowship and even attending graduate school is an honor and a privilege. This fellowship is giving me the opportunity to attend graduate school without taking out excessive loans, and that will give me an incredible head start. It means the world to me to be able to continue my education to become a teacher, and the support that I'm receiving from this fellowship is what makes it possible. I am excited to pursue my dream career and become a queer educator so that I can help LGBTQ+ students pursue their dreams. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity and thrilled to have the opportunity to continue my education.”

Michelle Peterson

• Major:  Speech-Language Pathology M.A.
• Hometown:Trumansburg, N.Y.

“Gratitude doesn’t even begin to explain how I felt when I learned I was accepted for the fellowship. 

I think diversity is difficult to define because we are constantly growing through new experiences as individuals, and learning from those around us. The definition is almost always evolving. Everyone’s perspectives, abilities, hopes, etc., are all diverse as a result of our own experiences and that is something that has always excited me. I am proud to be a part of its many defining features. 

I've found that strengthening and prioritizing diversity with all of its moving parts has been the catalyst in what has made me who I am, and how I define my own success. It is the very reason I continue to prioritize working alongside diverse populations everywhere.

To finally have recognition for something I am passionate about and worked toward for many years is seriously a dream come true. Knowing that I am finally able to have a secure place in higher education is a new, incredible feeling to me, and for all of this I am eternally grateful.

I want to thank my family for pushing me thus far and always believing in me, my dear friends for continuing to lift me up, and lastly my community for teaching me I am worthy of so much more.”

Carole Y. Prevost

• Major:  Clinical Mental Health Counseling
• Hometown: Montreal, Quebec

“I am honoured and grateful to be an awardee of the Diversity Fellowship. It has been a long-time dream of mine to be in the clinical mental health field and I am excited to be given the opportunity to pursue that dream at this stage of my life. My experience of diversity has provided me with opportunities to learn and grow as a woman, shaping me into the individual that I am today. I hope to inspire others to believe in themselves and to know that pursuing a dream is but a decision away.”

Sherina Martin

• Major: Fitness & Wellness Leadership M.S.
• Hometown: Watertown, N.Y.

“Receiving the Diversity Fellowship award is a tremendous blessing on my life! My program offers an internship option that I once felt I would have to forgo. The assistance of this fellowship has opened up the opportunity for me to participate in an internship to bolster, supplement, and apply the knowledge I am receiving through coursework from the great instructors here at SUNY Plattsburgh. I look forward to the connections I will make and the wisdom I will gain from this experience, thus aiding my research endeavors in the future. This award has not only eased the financial burden of higher education but has greatly affirmed to me that I am on the right path in my health and wellness career.”