03/25/2025
When Vinny Aquino reflects on his time as a member of SUNY Cortland’s Pride Club, he comes back to a common theme: community.
“I think what I’m most proud of is the community that I’ve been a part of,” said Aquino, who has served since his sophomore year as president of the university’s student organization that prioritizes LGBTQIA+ interests.
The senior psychology major recently earned a major statewide distinction to cherish as well.
Aquino has been named the SUNY system’s first-ever Harvey Milk Award for Student Leadership, an honor that provides a $2,000 scholarship in recognition of a student’s work to create a sense of belonging for the LGBTQIA+ community on a SUNY campus.
The award is named after the civil rights champion who became the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. Milk, who was tragically assassinated in 1978, is lauded as one of the most influential LGBTQIA+ elected officials in U.S. history. He also is an alumnus of the University at Albany, a SUNY campus.
“This is truly wonderful recognition for Vinny and a testament to the importance of Pride and our LGBTQIA+ community at SUNY Cortland,” said President Erik J. Bitterbaum. “I have always known Vinny to be intentional and thoughtful in his actions. He shines as a student leader who welcomes all people, embraces new ideas and models SUNY’s vision for inclusive excellence. To be selected as SUNY’s first-ever recipient of this honor is extraordinary.”
A native of Uniondale, N.Y., Aquino was nominated, in part, for his efforts to help Pride become one of SUNY Cortland’s most diverse student organizations on campus, not only in terms of gender and sexual orientation but also race, ethnicity and ability. As a trans man and person with cerebral palsy, Aquino’s lived experience helped inform his leadership.
“Vinny has created this incredible space on our campus,” said Health Professor Jena Nicols Curtis, who serves as the faculty advisor of Pride. “It is my favorite place in the world.”
Aquino recalls being elected president of Pride early in his sophomore year, during the Fall 2022 semester and much earlier than he ever expected.
“It was kind of like being thrown into the deep end with concrete shoes,” said Aquino. “It was a little awkward in the beginning, but I quickly found my footing.”
His nearly three years as Pride’s president included the direction of many meaningful efforts, from Pride Homecoming events to a New York City trip visiting the Stonewall Inn to campus conversations considering the challenges that LGBTQIA+ students face.
He also helped establish Pride’s annual fall trip to the university’s W.H. Parks Family Center for Environmental and Outdoor Education at Raquette Lake, an experience that brings LGBTQIA+ students to the Adirondack wilderness — many of them for the first time in their lives — where they participate in outdoor activities in a comfortable, supportive setting.
Even Aquino, who sometimes uses a wheelchair, has swam, kayaked and navigated the rugged terrain with the support of his peers.
“It’s just a different experience because, on campus, there’s always so much going on,” he said. “So I think it’s good to have a weekend to just slow it down and spend time together.”
That sense of community drew Aquino to Pride early in his first year at Cortland, a time of transition in a new environment, when he initially struggled to find happiness and comfort.
“Eventually, when I joined Pride and started meeting people, it was the friends I made who gave me the courage to say, ‘You know, I need to come out,’” he said. “I needed to make that leap in my life to be happier and more fulfilled.
“The first couple of weeks after I came out, I felt lighter and happier, almost instantly — like this thing that I’ve been wanting to do for so many years, I’m finally able to be myself.”
In the classroom, Aquino has excelled, earning a 3.92 grade point average. He has worked in Memorial Library and served as a trusted student voice in the Disability Resources Office. Throughout his senior year, he has pursued an internship in social work at Crown Park Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Cortland.
That experience has helped inform his career goals. In the fall, Aquino will attend the University at Buffalo, where he will pursue a dual degree master’s program in social work and public health. SUNY’s Harvey Milk Award will help fund his education.
“You know, I never did any of this in hopes of getting an award,” Aquino said. “I just did it because I felt it was what I had to do, what I wanted to do, what I felt fulfilled doing.”
While some leaders may command attention with a strong presence, Aquino is recognized by many for his modesty and his calm, reflective demeanor. He passes praise for his recent award to his peers and advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community, crediting their collective effort.
Aquino said SUNY’s recognition helps prove that thriving LGBTQIA+ communities don’t exist exclusively in big cities or university campuses.
“When you think about the queer community, you think about it being in these big cities or at these bigger universities,” he said. “No one really thinks about SUNY Cortland having this big queer community that’s lively.
“What I really hope people know is that even though Cortland’s smaller, there’s a big community here that’s willing to embrace people.”