From the president
Ms. Melina Pascual transforms our mission into daily practice and emerged as one of Farmingdale State College’s most compelling student leaders. A Professional Communications major pursuing our Community Engagement micro-credential, Melina sustains a stellar 3.89 GPA and perennial placement on the President’s List while channeling that intellect toward public good. As a Nexpert Intern in the Office of Community and Civic Engagement, she engineers our Day of Service, spearheads the Ramp Up the Vote campaign, and curates social-media advocacy that expands food-pantry reach—always interrogating root causes of hunger and civic apathy rather than treating surface symptoms.
Her influence extends well beyond campus. As Communications Coordinator for the Town of Huntington’s Community Development Agency, Melina forges municipal–nonprofit partnerships that advance affordable housing, support senior home-rehab projects, and amplify marginalized voices. Volunteer commitments with Golden Paw Society and United Way further illustrate her ethic of compassion in action.
What distinguishes Melina is a humble, inclusive leadership style fused with strategic creativity; she listens first, then designs collaborative solutions that invite broad participation. In every setting she embodies thoughtful, action-oriented citizenship—evidence of the next generation of civic innovators we strive to cultivate.
Personal Statement
Growing up in a multicultural Long Island community taught me that public problems rarely stem from a single cause; they are woven from policies, narratives, and access gaps. At Farmingdale State College I fuse my Professional Communications coursework with community-based research to trace those threads and design solutions that reach beyond quick fixes. As a Nexpert Intern I co-create our Day of Service projects so volunteers stock the food pantry while also surveying students on the systemic drivers of campus food insecurity. Leading the Ramp Up the Vote campaign, I pair storytelling workshops with data mapping to identify and then dismantle registrational choke-points that silence first-generation voters. Off campus, I orchestrate cross-sector partnerships at the Town of Huntington Community Development Agency, aligning municipal grants, nonprofit expertise, and resident insight to expand affordable housing and senior home-rehab programs. My goal is always the same: build collaborative, evidence-based strategies that shift power to those most affected. The Newman Civic Fellowship will help me scale these models and mentor peers ready to turn empathy into structural change.