CollegeBound Initiative Alumna Wins SUNY EOP Leadership Award

Amy is a graduate of East-West School of International Studies, a partner school of our CollegeBound Initiative.

McConney Award Goes to SUNY Senior
Originally published in Observer Today on April 13, 2025

SUNY Fredonia senior Amy Li has been honored with the Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence. The systemwide award recognizes students in SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) for academic merit and perseverance.

Li, from Brooklyn, a graduate of the East-West School of International Studies, is a Communication-Public Relations major at SUNY Fredonia. She was honored in recognition of the award recently at a ceremony in Albany.

The award is named in memory of Norman R. McConney Jr. (1946-2016), a graduate of the State University at Albany and former assistant dean for special programs at SUNY. McConney, alongside former New York State Assembly Deputy Speaker Arthur O. Eve helped create the EOP as a statewide program.
As an undergraduate at Fredonia, Li has served as an EOP mentor and a work-study student in the Office of Financial Aid. She noted, “These two departments have challenged me with many leadership roles. Being a peer mentor not only means to create a welcoming environment but to help one another make college smoother.”

As an undergraduate at Fredonia, Li has served as an EOP mentor and a work-study student in the Office of Financial Aid. She noted, “These two departments have challenged me with many leadership roles. Being a peer mentor not only means to create a welcoming environment but to help one another make college smoother.”

Li added, “As an EOP mentor, I’ve always enjoyed the strong and steady connections that I’ve built with our incoming students and mentors. I believe that it’s a great way for me to work with people around my age and see the impact we can create for others.”