Mount Saint Mary College’s Brooke Simmons (left) and Kaitlyn Pazereckis (right), Criminology students from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., discuss their work for Vision Hudson Valley’s 2025 Quality of Life Report Card during a recent symposium for student research. Joining them are Lawrence Force, professor of Psychology and co-director of the Mount’s Center on Aging and DIS-Ability Policy, and Nancy Proyect, former president of Vision Hudson Valley.
Two dedicated criminology students from Mount Saint Mary College are at the forefront of the revamped Vision Hudson Valley’s 2025 Quality of Life Report Card, which serves as a barometer for the county’s social, economic, and environmental health.
Kaitlyn Pazereckis and Brooke Simmons, both from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., have been working on the document since January of this year. The Quality of Life Report Card, which last saw an update in 2015, helps to guide strategic planning and resource allocation.
The report card covers a wide array of topics, from health indicators like HIV cases, suicide rates, environmental concerns such as Lyme disease incidence, and more. Its purpose is to provide a detailed snapshot of the county’s social, economic, and environmental health, offering valuable data for policymakers, community organizations, and residents to identify areas of success and those requiring improvement.
The updated report is planned for a release in late 2025.
Pazereckis and Simmons, who have been friends since elementary school, have an academic background that provides the unique perspective on the data collection and analysis that’s required for such a comprehensive report.
“It’s incredibly important to have up-to-date information on the quality of life in Orange County,” explained Pazereckis. “This report helps us understand where our community stands and where we need to focus our resources to create positive change and truly impact the lives of our neighbors. It’s not just numbers; it’s about real people and their lives…It’s a lot of data, but it’s data that directly affects our community, our friends, and our families.”
Simmons also noted the practical significance of their work, highlighting the report’s role in informed decision-making.
“The data we’re meticulously collecting and analyzing will directly inform decisions that impact every aspect of our community, from public health initiatives aimed at improving well-being to targeted community development projects,” she said. “It’s truly a privilege to be part of something so impactful and to contribute to the future of Orange County.”
She added, “We’re going into our senior year now, and this project feels like a culmination of everything we’ve been learning.”
The students thanked Lawrence Force, professor of Psychology and co-director of the Mount’s Center on Aging and DIS-Ability Policy, for getting them involved with the project.
Vision Hudson Valley (formerly the Orange County Citizens Foundation) was founded in 1971. It’s a non-governmental organization that aims to improve the quality of life for Hudson Valley residents through public policy and advocacy in land use and transportation planning, water conservation, waste management, cultural affairs, education, agriculture, recreation, and healthcare.