As a child of deaf adults, Julita Nunez ’24 was born into two worlds—One where sign language formed the bonds of communication between her and her parents, and the other outside of the home where she used her voice to connect with friends and teachers at school.
Throughout her childhood in New York City, Nunez saw firsthand how people with disabilities were often at a disadvantage. Advocating for her parents defined her youth, and impacted how she has interacted with everyone around her. During shopping trips, she would translate between her parents and sales associates, and when they were out to dinner, she would help relay menu selections between her parents and the wait staff.
“I’ve always strived to make sure that accommodations were being made for them, and to make sure that their voices were being heard. Seeing my parents’ struggles and lack of opportunities made me want to help other people with disabilities. I also learned in high school that people were not always prepared with accommodations for those with disabilities and it made me realize I wanted to be part of that change,” she said.
When Nunez first enrolled at SUNY Potsdam in 2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, she entered the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), which was created to increase the number of under-represented minority and low-income students pursuing careers in the sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics, health, or other licensed professions. A few years later, she took on a leadership role as the CSTEP intern, meeting one-on-one with younger students to map out their academic paths and help them prepare for their future.
“CSTEP offers opportunities for low-income students, especially from metro areas like New York City, to explore different fields that they may not have had access to back home,” she said. “The greatest benefit of the CSTEP program, at least for me, is the readiness that it provides—preparing students for their undergraduate experience, making sure they’re on track, and helping them figure out their path in life.”
“Potsdam has helped me find myself. The community, the friendships, both personal and professional, are the things I will take with me forever, because they have shaped me into the person I am today.”
In the Lougheed Center for Applied Learning, she took on a similar leadership role as a peer advisor in career services, where she worked with students and alumni on their resumes and cover letters. As part of her role, she assisted incarcerated individuals in the Potdsam@RCF program. In the fall of 2023, she was handed a stack of resumes and handwritten cover letters by inmates enrolled in the program. To prepare them for life after prison, Nunez carefully edited their documents, and left detailed notes with her recommendations.
“She wrote them all on sticky notes. The resumes and cover letters were covered, they looked like they were feathered," said Jenica Rogers, executive director for the Lougheed Learning Commons. "She was really thoughtful about it and focused on helping these guys. I’m so grateful for her because she made it possible for us to offer the same comparable service to those students that we offer to our students that we see face to face.”
After receiving her undergraduate degree at Commencement on May 18, 2024, Nunez has launched an impressive career as an employment training specialist at the Helen Keller National Center on Long Island, very close to her childhood home.
“I’m helping people with disabilities get and retain jobs, and assisting them with career readiness like making sure they have resumes and cover letters, and also providing them with accommodations at their sites,” she said. “This opportunity stems from taking advantage of the opportunities that I had at SUNY Potsdam and combining those with my personal experiences. Everything I did at Career Services is literally what I’m doing at my new job, while working with a specific population. I’m extremely excited.”
Article and photos by Jason Hunter