The CUNY Athletic Conference announced the winners from their StudentsFirst Rewards Program during CUNY Night at MCU Park on Wednesday, July 16th. Lisenia Rodriguez of Brooklyn College and Makita Ellis of CCNY were awarded free tuition for a year. Ten additional winners were chosen to receive rewards, including various electronic devices and CUNYAC gift bags. Each winner and a guest received tickets to watch the Brooklyn Cyclones take on the Jamestown Jammers from an MCU Suite.

“I’m really excited,” said Rodriguez, who was given free tuition for a year from CUNYAC. “I was really shocked and didn’t know what to say but I am so grateful for CUNYAC for this reward. It was truly unexpected.”

Makita Ellis also received free tuition for a year, courtesy of MCU. “I wasn’t expecting it. Not knowing before I got here and the anticipation made it scary for me,” said Ellis. “The free tuition is going to help me financially. I’ll be able to start paying back the loans I’ve taken out for the previous years.”

“This is a great cause and it’s amazing,” said MCU Assistant VP of Business Development Corey Fernandes. “To see the faces of the winners when they won the tuition was priceless and it made my job worth it, so I was really proud to be a part of it.”

The CUNY Athletic Conference started the StudentsFirst Rewards program as an initiative to create an immersive experience for athletes and spectators alike who attend or play in a CUNY athletic competition. To earn points, CUNY students must attend CUNYAC Championship venues. Students use an online ticketing system prior to the event and check in at the ticketing desk upon arrival. Only current CUNY students are eligible for prizes and the name on your CUNY ID must match the name registered online. The points will be totaled following the end of the semester and the winners will receive some incredible prizes.

The StudentsFirst Program has proven to be a success these past two years with increased attendance at a number of the CUNYAC Championships and having representation from all CUNY campuses (not just CUNYAC Member schools). Attendance at the men’s and women’s soccer semifinals and championships nearly doubled this past year! We hope to improve promotion of the program in 2014-15 by attending a number of events on each CUNY campus, including freshman orientation.

Below is a list of all StudentsFirst Rewards winners: