Mount Saint Mary College senior Brillyd Lopez-Vidal of Newburgh, N.Y., a first-generation Accounting major and President of the Latino Student Union, will graduate on Saturday, May 16.
For Brillyd Lopez-Vidal of Newburgh, N.Y., a senior Accounting student at Mount Saint Mary College, the path to her May 2026 graduation was about more than just textbooks and exams: It was a journey of crossing borders, breaking language barriers, and finding a second family in the heart of Newburgh.
As a first-generation college student who moved to the United States from Mexico in 2019 – and learned English as she attended her high school classes – Lopez-Vidal’s arrival at the Mount was the culmination of a long-held dream.
“I remember I used to pass by the Mount, and I was like ‘Oh, I want to go there; I want to be there,’” she recalls.
The industrious student got her wish when she was accepted into the college’s Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP). The program provided the bridge she needed to overcome not only financial, but academic hurdles.
“HEOP is like a family,” Lopez-Vidal says. “I think everyone in HEOP says that. They became my family here and they supported me and they were always cheering on me.”
Academically, the Accounting major with a minor in IT had to put in “double the effort” to master the material while perfecting her English. She credits professors like Cecilia Dos Santos, instructor of Education, and her advisor Neirouz Watad, associate professor of Accounting, for their mentorship.
“They saw something in me and I really appreciate that,” she explained. “They gave me the opportunity to be successful here at the Mount.”
Her hard work resulted in an incredible list of accolades. Lopez-Vidal is a member of the Tri-Alpha, Alpha Chi, and Delta Mu Delta honor societies, and was named both an Aquinas Scholar and a Ralph Scholar – honors reserved for only the highest achieving Mount students. She’ll be graduating with nearly a 3.8 grade point average.
Beyond the classroom, she transformed from a student who was “afraid to speak” into a campus leader. She served as a Resident Assistant, the Treasurer for the Women Empowerment club, and the President of the Latino Student Union (LSU). Under her leadership, LSU’s Loteria Night event recently won the award for the best club event on campus.
“I think perseverance was the key to my success in college,” she notes. “I always put a lot of effort into learning the material for my classes… I have the language barrier but like I’m going to give 100 percent in class to pass.”
As she prepares to begin her Master’s degree at the Mount this August and eventually sit for the CPA exam, Lopez-Vidal’s advice to incoming students – especially those coming from other countries – is simple: “Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.”