Rosanne Aresty
By Dan Murphy
The Westchester County Youth Board recently presented the 2024 Rosemarie Siragusa Award to three dedicated advocates for youth who have helped to improve the lives of children, youth and families in Westchester County. One of those recognized was Rosanne Aresty.
Rosanne Aresty has been working in college access since 2016 in various capacities. Since 2018, she has worked/volunteered with Yonkers Partnership in Education (YPIE) as a college advisor and coach. YPIE works with students to ensure they are ready for, enroll in, and complete college. Ms. Aresty has grown from working with one student to now serving a whole school as a de facto college counselor and coaching other volunteers. Her knowledge of the college access process and her willingness to devote significant time volunteering resulted in her being assigned her own caseload of high school juniors each spring.
She has been an in-house college advisor at the Charter School of Education (CSEE) in Yonkers. She is responsible for shepherding her students through the entire college process, including the application process, providing students and families an overview of the process, developing their college lists, scholarships and financial aid information, and much more. Her volunteer work focuses on first-generation, economically challenged students from underrepresented minorities.
Ms. Aresty is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s Degree in School Counseling from CUNY Lehman College School of Education, Class of 2025. Ms. Aresty, her husband, and three daughters have been long-time Mamaroneck residents.
The Rosemarie Siragusa Award is given in memory of Rosemarie Siragusa, the founder and first chairperson of the Westchester County Youth Board. Ms. Siragusa, who dedicated her life to helping children, served on the PTA at the local, county and state levels until she became the President of the Yonkers Council of PTAs. Desiring to serve in a greater capacity, she became a trustee and an officer of the Yonkers Board of Education.
