Matt Long (I Will Foundation) Offers Inspirational Words to Students

Project Access, a comprehensive program at St. Francis College that helps students succeed and thrive on the college level welcomed its largest incoming cohort, Wednesday, September 29 for an evening aimed at inspiring them to achieve during their college career. (Watch the story on SFCTV)

One highlight of the night was an inspirational video and speech from Matt Long. Long, the found of the I Will Foundation, was a New York Firefighter whose side hobby of competing in Ironman Triathlons and marathons was derailed when he was hit and run over by a bus while biking to work during the 2005 transit strike. Long was near death, but refusing to give up his dream of running a marathon, he endured three years of surgeries and physical therapy and completed the 2008 New York City marathon.

Also talking to students were President of St. Francis College Brendan J. Dugan ’68, the head of the Project Access program and Assistant Dean of Freshman Studies Monica Michalski ’01, Director of Academic Enhancement Center, Education Professor Richard Giaquinto, current Project Access student Afari Owusu and Project Access alumnus, Javier Crespo who is now working as an Auditor at Ernst & Young, among others.

Project Access is made possible by the generous support of United States Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand as well as members of Congress Yvette D. Clarke, Ed Towns and Peter T. King ’65.

St. Francis College, founded in 1859 by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn, is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. Since its founding, the College has pursued its Franciscan mission to provide an affordable, high-quality education to students from New York City’s five boroughs and beyond.
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St. Francis College, 180 Remsen Street, Brooklyn Heights, NY 11201
www.sfc.edu