A Capital Region BOCES graduate has been selected as the New York Association for Continuing and Community Education (NYACCE) 2026 Student of the Year.

Antonio DiSanto is a January, 2026 graduate of the Adult Education High School Equivalency (HSE) program and a 2023 graduate of the Skills for Employment, Life and Functional Independence (SELFI) program. He currently works for the Northeastern Regional Information Center (NERIC), keeping Capital Region BOCES faculty, staff and students connected.

The award—which will be presented on April 31 at The Marriott in Albany—recognizes DiSanto’s “dedication, perseverance and achievements.”

DiSanto was nominated for the award by HSE teacher Frank Finch, who praised his graduate as eager and personable.

“Antonio demonstrated unusual growth in his pursuit of a diploma, and a rare quality—he added positive energy to all those around him. Everyone finds it easy to root for him,” Finch said. 

“He’s a smart, thoughtful guy; conventional learning methods simply had not allowed Antonio to show what he’s capable of, which is excellence. The best is yet to come for Antonio,” he added.

DiSanto said he is humbled by the accolade.

“It feels nice [to get the award]. I think it’s a great opportunity, and I am happy to be a recipient,” he said.

Through the BOCES SELFI program, DiSanto was exposed to the world of employment opportunities in technology and turned a work-based learning opportunity with NERIC into a job as an Information Technology Generalist Trainee—which is a position he continues to hold today.

“The goal back then was to achieve the skills necessary to get a job, and that worked out. I wasn’t sure early on if technology was for me, but after I started as a student worker intern, I realized that’s where I wanted to be,” DiSanto said.

“I like doing the hands-on work, repairing computers and working on the back-end infrastructure,” he added.

DiSanto worked full-time for NERIC while attending the HSE courses six hours a week.

He said the program was made easy by his classmates and teacher.

“It was a little difficult at first, but working with my classmates and my teacher, I was able to get it done,” he said.

DiSanto credits BOCES with changing his life.

“It’s been very important for me and given me a lot of opportunities to grow,” he said.

DiSanto is the Capital Region BOCES graduate this decade to receive the statewide award.

In 2020, HSE student and English as a Second Language graduate Javier Villatoro was honored by NYACCE. Additionally, two Capital Region BOCES faculty members have been honored by the association. In 2023, Finch received Teacher of the Year accolades from the association and in 2019 the late- Joanne Clegg, Ph.D. was recognized.