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We are pleased to announce new leadership for the Office of Access, Opportunity, and Achievement.

Denise Polanco has been selected as the next Director of OAOA, through a rigorous search process. Denise has served as a counselor in the office for over five years, and in that time, has provided leadership in the areas of student success and retention, holding a Presidential Fellowship in 2020-2021, and serving on the Retention Engagement Strategy Team. Prior to coming to Ithaca College, Denise earned her M.Ed. in school counseling from the University of Buffalo, and then served for several years as Program Coordinator in Student Activities at her alma mater, Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Sihaya Moraleda, also an OAOA counselor, has been promoted to Assistant Director. Over the six years Sihaya has been at Ithaca College, she has played a leadership role in recruiting eligible students to apply and be accepted to the NYS Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), working in close collaboration with the offices of admission and student financial services. Before coming to Ithaca College, Sihaya earned her M.S. in Professional Communication and held multiple professional positions supporting students transitioning to college, including three years as Director of College Counseling for Williamsburg Prepartory High School’s CollegeBound Initiative in Brooklyn.

Since coming to IC, both Denise and Sihaya have also been leaders in the New York State consortium of opportunity programs, co-founding the first Opportunity Programs Network for EOP and HEOP students and alumni, and creating and implementing the annual NYS Opportunity Programs Conference, designed to build peer connections across the region.

We are excited that this strong team, committed to student success, will continue to serve a vibrant OAOA community.