The-Laker-Issue-Spring-2022

the LAKER | 9 thoughts – and possibly first dreams of making wine – into a visual display on their first-ever wine label.” Emer, a 2020 Canandaigua Academy graduate, started as a biotechnology major because she had excelled in math and science. After a semester at FLCC, she reconsidered, prompted in part by her experience in a high school digital photography class with Eric Harter. “I just took it on a whim. I thought, oh, this will be fun, like a filler class. Using the Adobe apps and taking photos and editing them: I fell in love with it. And I would stay after class and do even more photos. I just did it because I loved it. “Looking back on that class and seeing the passion I had for it pushed me in the direction of maybe I should try something like graphic design where I can incorporate art and creativity,” she said. Emer contacted the graphic design program coordinator, Liz Brownell, who helped her switch her major and approved her taking the design competition class and a prerequisite at the same time. Her other professors also provided flexibility for her to concentrate first on volleyball, then on her design. “Every one of my professors was really supportive and really congratulatory toward my achievement in volleyball, and they let me focus on that for the week,” she said, referring to the team’s trip to Rochester, Minn. for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Volleyball National Championship. The Lakers placed 7th overall, then Emer returned home with just two weeks to finish her label and prepare for her presentation. “It was honestly really nerve-wracking. This was my first big public speaking event. My sister was there to coach me through. I learned confidence is key. I just tried to present myself as more confident than I was.” As the top designer this year, Emer received a $500 scholarship funded by Niagara Label, which produces FLCC’s wine labels. – Lenore Friend Meet Michael Penn Michael Penn, instructor of viticulture and wine technology, joined FLCC in fall 2021, following experiences that took him to vineyards and wineries around the world. Born on the West Coast, Michael grew up on a small island near Seattle. He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at Colorado College in 2004. “I decided to change course a little and dedicate my life to learning how grapevines grow and turn into the most delicious wine possible. This pursuit has allowed me to work and study in vineyards and wineries across the known world of wine,” he said. This includes wineries in France, Australia, New Zealand, Washington and California. For five years before joining FLCC, Michael was the winemaker and viticulturist at Green & Red Vineyard, a 5,000-case estate winery in St. Helena, Calif., focusing on Napa Valley Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Sauvignon Blanc. His academic interests include how soils develop and interact with grapevines and wine flavor, how to farm grapevines in a way that sequesters more carbon dioxide than it releases and how microbial ecology affects grapevine health and wine fermentations. “I’m very excited to become a teacher at FLCC, as I am stepping into a program with a very well thought-out and designed curriculum, and I already see some areas where I can improve the program,” Michael said. He succeeded Paul Brock, who retired last summer but continues to stay connected, for example, with the annual Vintners and Valentines fundraiser. Emer O’Brien’s Synthesis label campus happenings