6 | THELAKER Ryan returned to FLCC to work in the conservation department and became assistant coach in 2008. Head coach since 2013, he has led FLCC to several Northeast Championship titles. He values most the growth he sees in student athletes. “For students who don’t have a place, when they nd a place that is comfortable and build their con dence, it is awesome to see that.” Like Ryan, Jennifer Dunn ’13 returned to FLCC to teach. Jennifer, who received the Outstanding Nursing Alumni Achievement Award, started as a clinical adjunct instructor. In 2024, the College tapped her to build the new licensed practical nursing program. e inaugural LPN class graduated in August. “Coming here to FLCC gave me insight into what I wanted to be,” she said. “ e instructors that gave me the knowledge to become a nurse are why I’m here, and I use their methods, their passion, their compassion to mold how I interact with students.” Ryan Vogt ’13 holds a doctorate in mathematics and works as an applied research mathematician for the National Security Agency. Ryan, honored with the Outstanding Young Alumni Achievement Award, has made STEM outreach an impressive side gig. Since 2021, he has returned to New York every six months to give talks and demonstrations at public schools. He has reached more than 15,000 students to date. Ryan began college thinking he hated math, but that all changed in classes with Ronald Metzger, Timothy Biehler and in particular, Charles Ho man. “When I was done at FLCC, I said, ‘I want to be a mathematician,’ which a couple years before would not have been on my bingo card. e math professors had a profound impact on me,” he explained. Travis Money ’00 used similar terms in talking about Bruce Gilman and John Van Niel, who astounded him with their encyclopedic knowledge during a travel course to the Canadian Maritimes. “I was just blown away at how much they knew, and it had a profound impact on me that day. I realized I wanted to learn more and share that knowledge with the next generation,” he said. Ryan Vogt ’13 accepts the Outstanding Young Alumni Achievement Award at the main campus on Sept. 26. Two faculty members, Selim Araci, professor of engineering, and Sam Samanta, professor of physics, introduced him. They marveled at what he has achieved by age 32, including publishing in leading journals and developing innovations in quantum computing.
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