Who makes our mission possible?
Heroes like you.
Being a hero doesn’t require rushing into a burning building to save lives. The definition is a bit broader than that and requires only the selfless attempt (and intent) to benefit others through some amount of personal sacrifice. When you give your assets to support our mission, you become a hero—at least to the students whose lives are changed during their time at New York Tech.
What does a hero look like? Here are just a few of the supporters who have helped us change lives.
John Sorrenti (B.S. ’72, M.B.A. ’78)
Queens, N.Y., native John Sorrenti, FAIA (B.S. ’72, M.B.A. ’78), has allocated funds from his estate to support the School of Architecture and Design at New York Tech, a place that allowed him to pursue his passion and give back to society.
Sorrenti, honored with the 2024 Legacy Award from the FRIENDS of the School of Architecture and Design, has been deeply connected to New York Tech for decades. He is a founding member of FRIENDS, a group he and several friends helped form to promote a working relationship between the school and architecture, construction, and interior design professions.
“I’ve always recognized the importance of mentorship, so it was natural to do it in my own backyard,” says Sorrenti, who is the founder and president of JRS Architect, P.C. “Since its inception 20 years ago, FRIENDS has not only offered students professional connections, but it’s also raised a little over $2 million to fund experiential opportunities, like attending national American Institute of Architects conferences or traveling to Milan for a design competition,” says Sorrenti.
Now, Sorrenti has added planned giving to his list of ways in which he supports New York Tech.
“I’m fortunate that things have gone well in my life and career, and I want to give something back,” he says. “My hope is to continue to give students opportunities they
wouldn’t necessarily have because there’s nothing quite like seeing things firsthand in a professional environment. To be able to allow a handful of students to go to these functions, sometimes in other countries, and to understand the history of architecture is important to me, and I’m glad I can continue those opportunities even after I’m gone.”
Olaf Butchma (D.O. ’88)
Thanks to a successful medical career, Olaf Butchma (D.O. ’88) is now looking into the future as he makes plans in his will to support the educational institutions that helped him achieve his goals—including the College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYITCOM).
After years in internal medicine, Butchma is now the founder and chief executive officer of Titan Healthcare, a group of nurse practitioners and physician assistants who work on-site in short-term rehabilitation facilities.
“NYITCOM was still fairly young when I started there, but they had very good faculty, particularly in anatomy and physiology,” says Butchma. “I met nice people and learned a lot, and as the school has become larger, they’re doing even more for their students than when I attended. Medicine is an art, and the people who go into it usually do so for a good reason. These young students have everything ahead of them and are optimistic about the future, and I want to try to support that."
“In a way, my family and I are beholden to these schools for everything we have,” says Butchma, who has also made donations to Adelphi University and his sons’ boarding school. “These are my alma maters, and I want to hold my head high about having gone to these fine schools. Things have moved along nicely as NYITCOM has gotten larger, and I want to keep supporting better opportunities because, ultimately, it ends up reflecting on us as alumni.”