On May 1, Cardozo students came to school representing the next chapter in their life; where they’ve committed to college.
Decision day is a huge event that celebrates the senior class every year, honoring where they’ve decided to go to college. On average, over 90% of Cardozo students end up going to college, with about 75% will attend a four-year school and a little over 15% will attend a two-year school, according to the college office.
While the application process for students begins at the start of senior year, Mr. Bonacorsi and Ms. Corporon, Cardozo college advisors, shared that students should begin gathering information about colleges from as early as freshman year. This includes going on college tours, keeping up with grades, and taking part in extracurricular activities within the school to build up students’ portfolios.
At the start of senior year, students attend one-on-one with their college counselor and go through each application. Although Cardozo is a large school and it can be overwhelming to stand out, both Mr. Bonacorsi and Ms. Corporon explained that if students stick to their interests and pursue things outside of the classroom, they will definitely stand out on their own.
Of the seniors graduating in 2026, many committed to college by the May 1 deadline. Alexia Caberera, committed to the University of Connecticut, is majoring in bio-med. She shared that the college application process for her was easy, using Common App to fill out her application.
Sani Stalker, on the other hand, applied early and found out her acceptance to Hampton University way back in October. She plans to major in biology. Victoria Conti, committed to Brooklyn College and majoring in childhood education, said that she was looking for colleges that provided her major but also her sport; softball. Considering that she transferred to Cardozo in her junior year, Conti said her application process was still good.
Catherine Lee shared that her commitment to Drexel University was focused more on the amount of financial aid she received than anything else. While she decided to major in civil engineering, Lee said she was a bit stressed because she started her application process later than others.
Bila Jol was struggling between two college choices; Buffalo and Stony Brook. Although they are both SUNY colleges, he described Buffalo as being more “lively,” unlike Stony Book. He decided to go there for the lifestyle, although Jol said that the application process for both was “rigorous,” with having to write essays in an attempt to get into the honors colleges.
Also attending Buffalo, Kayshia Patterson plans to major in biology. She explained that she wants to eventually work as a nurse, so finding a college that had a program for this specific field was important to her. Although she considered Adelphi for their nursing program, Patterson got into Buffalo on their Educational Opportunity Program, which helped her in her decision.
Staying in New York, as well, Angelina Fernandez committed to Hofstra University and will major in computer science. The campus and new programs drew her into her decision, despite her finding the application process to be “difficult.” However, Fernandez shared that turning to the college office after school hours really helped her navigate them.
Three seniors from the class of 2026 committed to Queens College, located not far from Cardozo in Flushing. Lucina Le Cheverez shared that she chose Queens College because of its affordability and proximity. Aliah Vergaz, on the other hand, shared that she committed to Queens College because they have a great program for speech therapy, as she plans to major in communication sciences and disorders. Despite her commitment, she said the CUNY app was not easy to use. Samuel Sachez, also committed to Queens College, will major in international business. He committed to Queens because he wanted to further his education and has a passion for business.
Close by, Brianna Larida will attend St. John’s University in the fall and will major in forensic psychology. She committed because the campus was really pretty. The application process was really easy, and St. Johns got back to her almost immediately because she took St. John’s courses at Cardozo and received added scholarships.
Daisy Pazmino, committed to University of Vermont, will major in social work. She committed because it’s really cold, the people there are nice, and it’s a really great college for science majors. She also shared that the application process wasn’t that hard for her because she knew where she wanted to attend college since junior year.
In addition to four-year universities, many Cardozo students opt for futures in a trade school program or the military. Ruben Cruz, for example, committed to Lincoln Tech, a trade program. He shared he chose this pathway because wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps.
For upcoming seniors, one thing that they can take from the graduating class is don’t stress the process, start applying on time, and always seek help. The college office at Cardozo is a privilege and students should never be afraid or ashamed to ask for help and guidance.
