Dear Fellow Lakers, Community college leaders often say their institutions change lives. What do we mean by that? Generally, we are not talking about a total transformation of an individual’s outlook, priorities and direction – though that does happen. What we do mean is that community colleges are often what people need, when they need it. We are always ready to open our doors and support our students’ desires to explore, learn, grow, and change their lives for the better. The stories of our alumni in this edition illustrate this well, starting with Adam Keuer ’13. Adam was expecting his second child and working in retail management, unhappy with long hours. He had taken technology classes previously without getting a degree. FLCC was nearby with a program that would allow him to finish what he had started years earlier. Now an assistant IT director, he has a career that provides both engaging work and life balance. Kimberly Alessi ’18 entered the IT field as it emerged. Self-taught, she worked alongside others with degrees in the industry until her job was outsourced. Kimberly used state retraining funds to enroll at FLCC and relaunch her career with confidence. As she put it, “The degree was an important milestone and stepping stone for me to say, ‘Guess what? I do belong here.’” Justin Castronovo ’19 had a good idea of the general direction he wanted to take in college. A conversation with Sam Samanta, coordinator of the smart systems technologies program, helped him fine-tune that path. “I needed that mentor figure to say, ‘Hey, here’s something I think you would be good at, and I think you would enjoy,’” Justin said. He is now a human-machine interface (HMI) developer for a naval contractor. I tremendously enjoy learning, and also observing each day, how FLCC changes lives, whether it’s a simple nudge or a more substantial redirection. Our faculty and staff truly care about our mission and making a difference for our students. The By the Numbers feature in this edition gives you a clear idea of how many lives our College touches in a year. I hope you find this edition illuminating, encouraging and inspiring! Respectfully, Robert Nye President, Finger Lakes Community College 2 | theLAKER President Robert K. Nye Chief Advancement Officer Louis Noce Director of Development Brie Chupalio Editor/Chief Writer Lenore Friend Director of Public Relations and Communications Contributing Writers Nicholas Julien Justin Kuczma Design and Layout Sarah R. Butler Photography Nick Julien Jan Regan Rikki Van Camp Amanda Whitbeck COVER PHOTO OF KATHERINE GONZALEZ ’17 AND SAM DEWEESE ’14 BY RIKKI VAN CAMP The Laker is produced by the Advancement and Communications offices at Finger Lakes Community College. Views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or official College policies. Finger Lakes Community College does not discriminate based on an individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Connect with us Finger Lakes Community College 3325 Marvin Sands Drive Canandaigua, NY 14424 Email: alumni@flcc.edu (585) 785-1205 www.facebook.com/fingerlakescommunitycollege @flcc_connects @flcc_connects from the president
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