This Binghamton program empowers local students to graduate high school
Since its founding in 1988, the Binghamton University chapter of The Liberty Partnerships Program (LPP) has helped thousands of local students stay on track to graduate and pursue successful futures. Part of a New York state-funded initiative aimed at preventing school dropouts and promoting student success through personalized support, Binghamton’s LPP chapter serves as a vital resource for student achievement and access – and this year, it brought its signature event home.
For the first time ever, Binghamton University hosted the Empire Summit on campus. The annual summit is LPP’s largest statewide event, bringing together students and staff from chapters across New York for a transformative three-day experience. This year’s theme, Survivor: Inside Out, was inspired by the Pixar film Inside Out and encouraged students to explore their emotions, build inner strength and develop their emotional intelligence – all essential skills in today’s fast-paced and digitally driven world.
“In a world increasingly driven by technology, human connection can’t be replaced by AI,” Liberty Partnership Director Amy Humphrey said. “The ability to understand yourself and relate to others is more important than ever – and this year’s summit gave students a fun, engaging and meaningful way to practice exactly that.”
While the summit provided a powerful opportunity for connection and growth, it’s just one of the many ways the Liberty Partnerships Program supports students year-round. LPP provides comprehensive, individualized support to students through mentoring, advisement, academic enrichment, leadership development, and college and career readiness programs.
Binghamton’s LPP chapter currently serves more than 475 students annually across four local districts: Binghamton City, Chenango Forks, Johnson City and Susquehanna Valley. These partnerships are well-established and deeply rooted. Binghamton City School District, the largest in the program with approximately 5,000 students, has been a strong partner since LPP’s founding. Chenango Forks serves about 1,500 students in a rural, tight-knit community. Johnson City spans a diverse student population of around 3,000, and Susquehanna Valley supports 1,700 students in a community-focused district with a powerful commitment to student success.
Autumn Loke ‘10, MSW ‘17, senior counselor of social work for the Liberty Partnerships Program at Binghamton High School, shared what makes LPP unique.
“Liberty is a unique program that allows the opportunity to work with each student individually based on what their identified need is,” she said. “Liberty is not a ‘cookie cutter’ program that only provides limited services that might not apply to all students.”
Over the past year alone, LPP at Binghamton provided 6,693 hours of one-on-one advising, helping students work through academic and personal challenges. The program dedicated 2,220 hours to mentoring, giving students the encouragement and guidance needed to build confidence and resilience. Academic immersion totaled 2,194 hours, while employment preparation accounted for 1,849 hours, giving students real-world skills and workplace readiness. An additional 1,458 hours were spent on service learning, connecting students to their communities and helping them grow as empathetic, responsible leaders.
“We provide students support, services and interventions through a case management model,” Loke said. “Our approach is intense, as it involves an initial assessment (both academic and social-emotional), planning (students are engaged in creating personal learning plans focusing on academic, career and personal goals), implementation of supports and interventions, monitoring and an evaluation, all to support students in achieving their goals, improving their well-being and ensuring they are college/career ready upon graduation from high school.”
The results of this comprehensive approach are clear – the program boasts a 93% graduation rate, consistently surpassing the state average. But the numbers only tell part of the story.
“It’s deeply rewarding to watch the transformation unfold in a young person’s life when they realize they are seen, heard and supported,” Humphrey said. “Some of the most powerful moments are when former students return – not just to say thank you, but to give back, whether by working with our summer programs, mentoring current students or sharing their story to inspire others. Those full-circle moments are a reminder of the real impact we’re making.”
Whether through a one-on-one conversation or a statewide summit, the Liberty Partnerships Program is rooted in the belief that every student deserves to be supported, empowered and prepared to succeed – in school, in their communities and beyond.
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