Recent Hunter grad Briteny Xu ’21 attended President Biden’s State of the Union address at the Capitol March 7 as the guest of her Congress member, Grace Meng (D-Queens).
Xu, 24, who was a Yalow scholar and majored in Chemistry at Hunter, now studies osteopathic medicine at New York Institute of Technology. Meng invited her in order to train attention on the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal initiative that provides discounted broadband service to thousands in Queens. Xu relies on her Internet connection to attend online lectures and complete assignments, but the program is set to run out of money as early as this coming April.
“Thank you, Congresswoman Meng, for your leadership in working to save the ACP and for having me as your guest at this year's State of the Union address,” Xu stated in a press release. “My family and I have been enrolled in this program since 2022, relying on it for dependable Wi-Fi ever since. With our daily dependence on the internet, I believe that affordable access to the internet should be considered a necessity for all Americans.”
