Carly Glassé receives May’s Citizen of the Month Award from county executive

Goshen, N.Y. – Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus has named SUNY Orange student Carly Glassé as May’s Citizen of the Month Award recipient. Glassé, of Goshen, was recognized for her contributions at SUNY Orange and her dedication to the community. She was also honored at the County’s Legislative session on Thursday, May 5.

“Carly has had a positive impact on the college and our communities in multiple ways,” Neuhaus said. “She serves as a role model to her peers, proving that going back to college at age 30 is challenging and difficult but possible. I know that Carly has a bright future and we are all proud of her commitment to making Orange County an even better place.”

Over the past month, Glassé has received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence and was selected as one of only 20 community college students nationally to be named to the All-USA Today Academic Team, becoming the first SUNY Orange student ever to receive that honor. She was also named by Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) to its All-New York State Academic First Team and she is a semifinalist for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Transfer Student Scholarship.

Glassé, a regular member of the Dean’s List at SUNY Orange with a 3.9 grade point average, will graduate this August with her degree in Business Administration. She intends to attend Pace University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business. At SUNY Orange, she serves as the student representative to the SUNY Orange Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of the Foundation Board’s Alumni Committee. She is also vice president of both the College’s chapter of PTK as well as the Business Club.

Glassé did not attend SUNY Orange until she was 30 years old, more than a decade after attending college at the Art Institute in Philadelphia. She decided to return to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Glassé, a 2007 Warwick High graduate, worked as a Special Events Manager at Limoncello in Goshen and saw that the restaurant industry was struggling.

In addition to her studies, Glassé now works part-time at Safe Harbors of the Hudson. She has many other noteworthy accomplishments outside of the classroom.

In 2019, Glassé was presented with the Rising Star Award from the Orange County Junior League. The award recognizes men and women, between the ages of 21 and 41, who demonstrate outstanding leadership skills in their community, from the public, private, non-profit and/or volunteer sectors. A year later, in 2020, she received the Orange County Mental Health Association’s Volunteer Service Award.

She was a mentor with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program from 2014-2021, and also served as the president of Illuminate Goshen (a nonprofit based in Goshen N.Y.), a position in which she spearheaded and participated in many art-based community projects.

Glassé, who attended Warwick Valley High School, has volunteered for or led a variety of international humanitarian aid efforts, including Nicaragua Humanitarian Mission Trip - Bridges to Community in both 2015 and 2017; Mexico Humanitarian Mission Trip - Homes for Hope in 2017, and Dominican Republic Humanitarian Mission Trip - Bridges to Community in 2019. From 2017 through 2018 she was a project manager for a mission trip to Trebisht, Albania, to rebuild a fire-ravaged school. She enlisted a dozen unaffiliated participants, most of whom had never taken part in a hands-on mission trip and raised more than $80,000 for materials and travel expenses.

Glasse’s dream is to run a non-profit organization that deals directly with making sure people have access to basic needs.

“Carly is determined, motivated, and focused in everything she does, from academics to on-campus involvement to community service. Her compassion for others is remarkable and her energetic spirit is contagious.,” said Dr. Kristine Young, SUNY Orange’s President.

Neuhaus introduced his Citizen of the Month Award, which acknowledges outstanding Orange County residents, in January of 2017. To nominate someone for the Citizen of the Month Award, please email ceoffice@orangecountygov.com or mail a letter to “Citizen of the Month” at 255-275 Main Street Goshen, N.Y. 10924. Be sure to include the nominee’s name, hometown, a list of their accomplishments, why you are nominating them and any other pertinent information.

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