Meet Gina
Major: Public Affairs
Why they chose SUNY Empire: Credits for work/life experience and prior education. Plus, the flexibility of online education.
Gina is a mom, a wife, a sister, a student and a first responder (among many other things). Her biggest passion is helping people and being of service to others.
Fun Facts About Gina
- Gina was an elected official for 13 years. She served on the town board of Glenville, New York and was Deputy Supervisor for the last five years of her term.
- She has been a paramedic for more than 11 years.
- Gina and her husband have an old transit bus that they remodeled to travel with
"There’s always a choice."
Meet Jessica
Major: Business, Management, and Economics
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The flexibility of online education
Jessica is a natural born leader who’s honing her business management skills at ESU. She works at her family’s business in Poughkeepsie, New York while going to school.
Fun Facts About Jessica
- Jessica came to SUNY Empire during the COVID-19 pandemic because of the advantages of online education.
- She always saw herself as a leader in a business setting.
- Jessica has done some of her schoolwork from her boyfriend’s 18-wheeler while he was a truck driver.
"What is meant for you won’t pass you."
Meet Harry
Major: Master of Arts in Teaching
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The ability to take courses online and have a flexible schedule.
Fun Facts About Harry
- Harry learned Latin to read an original Shakespeare book
- He comes from a family of educators
- Harry works and focuses best at coffee shops and libraries
- He loves running and was the coach for a cross country high school team
"Failure is a part of success."
Meet Kate
Major: Visual Art (B.A.)
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The flexibility to create a personalized degree program and get credit for prior learning experience.
Kate is the owner of Advokate, a marketing agency that empowers startups, small businesses, nonprofits and artists with the marketing tools they need to be successful.
Fun Facts About Kate
- Kate is a mother of three.
- Her favorite color is yellow.
- Kate is well known in the Glens Falls, New York community for her creative advocacy.
- She loves writing memorable jingles for brands.
"Work hard and be kind."
Meet Jordan
Major: Community and Human Services (B.A.)
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The freedom and flexibility to take online classes around her work schedule.
Jordan is passionate about helping children. She has worked in both schools and summer programs. This passion is leading her to a career in social work, where she wants to give all children — especially at-risk youth — a fighting chance in society.
Fun Facts About Jordan
- She loves coffee and crafts.
- Juvenile Justice & Delinquency was her favorite course at SUNY Empire.
- Jordan is a big advocate for teaching children about different cultures to help open their minds.
"Don’t let the darkness fool you."
Meet Takeyce
Major: B.A. in Digital Media Arts
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The flexibility to earn a degree online while balancing her family and work schedule.
Takeyce is an artist, mother, wife, and media producer at an education technology company.
Fun Facts About Takeyce
- Takeyce’s paintings have been featured all around upstate New York, including the Adirondack Experience museum.
- She has her own art studio in her backyard.
- Takeyce views success as setting goals and achieving them, no matter how long it takes.
"It's your responsibility to use your strengths and talents to make the world a better place."
Meet Harold
Major: B.S. in Management
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The ability to transfer credits and the university’s focus on business ethics.
Harold is a father, husband, and Program Manager in the U.S. Army.
Fun Facts About Harold
- Harold views education as an investment in himself and his family’s future.
- He lives by the core value of integrity.
- Harold’s wife and children are the biggest supporters of his education.
"Education is more of a journey than anything. Education never stops."
Meet Kiearra
Major: Psychology (B.A.)
Why they chose SUNY Empire: Someone recommended it to her. Kiearra says, “SUNY Empire chose me.”
Kiearra is from the Bronx, NY and one of the most active students in our Education Opportunity Program.
Fun Facts About Kiearra
- She loves things that support mental health like music, meditation, praying, painting, and walking.
- Kiearra’s definition of success is stability in every area of life (financially, emotionally, socially, etc).
- One of her biggest strengths is her ability to listen and relate to people.
"If you break it down to one day at a time, you'll get through."
Meet Margaret
Major: Master of Arts in Public History
Why they chose SUNY Empire: It’s online, affordable, and fits into her busy lifestyle.
Fun Facts About Margaret
- Margaret is a Museum Educator at the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum in the Bronx.
- On top of being a working graduate student, she’s also a single mother and caretaker for her parents.
- Margaret is a dog lover. She was involved in dog rescue for several years and has two dogs of her own.
"I realize how important it is to just believe in yourself and the power that has."
Meet Danielle
Major: B.A. in Business Administration
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The ability to earn a degree online and take courses around her schedule.
Fun Facts About Danielle
- She’s a big fan of Rubik’s Cubes.
- Danielle loves hiking and spending time outdoors with her husband and daughter.
- She loves SUNY Empire so much that she’s both a student and an employee (as an Administration Assistant in Enrollment Management).
"If you want to be treated a certain way, then treat others that way."
Meet Juan
Major: A.A. in General Studies
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The supportive environment and flexibility to earn his degree online while in the Army.
Juan learned the value of hard work from his parents, who immigrated from Mexico. Now he’s applying that to be one of the first of his family to graduate from college.
Fun Facts About Juan
- Juan wants to be a teacher and inspire young people through education.
- He loves challenging himself with new experiences to grow as a person.
- Juan loves classic video games, like Pac-Man.
"Always give your 100%. If you don’t try, you will never know."
Meet Michael
Major: B.S. in Historical Studies
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The ability to customize his degree program and take online courses.
Michael is a Career Counselor in the U.S. Army.
Fun Facts About Michael
- Michael loves learning about history, and uses it to see common themes in our world today.
- He believes hearing different viewpoints is key to learning about any topic.
- Two core values Michael learned in the Army are discipline and integrity.
"Find what you enjoy in life and focus on that."
Meet Kasie
Major: MPA in Public Administration
Why they chose SUNY Empire: A coworker recommended SUNY Empire, plus the ease of registration as a veteran.
Kasie is a mother, wife, and works as a Victim Advocate for the US Navy.
Fun Facts About Kasie
- Kasie’s undergraduate studies were in engineering, and her graduate studies at SUNY Empire are in Public Administration.
- She served in the US Navy for 12 years (and her husband is a fellow sailor).
- Kasie views self-care as not only taking care of her mind and body, but challenging herself as well.
"If you expect something from your subordinates or from your kids, and you're not willing to model that behavior, then you become their excuse for not doing it."
Meet Xavier
Major: B.A. in Liberal Arts
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The convenience of online education and faculty support.
Xavier is passionate about inspiring young people, especially in places like Jamaica where he’s from. His goal is to use teaching as a means to help the next generations.
Fun Facts About Xavier
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- Xavier took most of his courses while on deployment, which taught him dedication, discipline, and time management.
- He believes that teachers play one of the most important roles in society, because they have the ability to shape minds and positively influence children.
"Be persistent and committed to make it happen."
Meet Justin
Major: MS in Nursing Administration
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The flexibility to attend school and work full time.
Justin is not only an alumnus of SUNY Empire, but an assistant professor here now as well!
Fun Facts About Justin
- Justin is a husband, nurse, and dog dad.
- He is now an assistant professor in SUNY Empire’s School of Nursing and Allied Health.
- Justin is currently doing doctoral work around creating age-friendly healthcare systems (geared towards people 65 and older).
"Challenges are actually gifts to us."
Meet Cat
Major: RN to Master of Science in Nursing Education
Why they chose SUNY Empire: Flexibility.
Cat appreciates the fact that SUNY Empire allows her to do coursework when she can. Since she works full time, and is a mom, the flexibility of online education supports her busy schedule.
Fun Facts About Cat
- Cat is passionate about her nursing career, how she can help people, and the opportunity to continuously learn.
- She believes you can find time to do anything in life, if you learn to prioritize and work effectively.
- Cat loves reading fiction, especially the Harry Potter series.
"First, be kind. Second, you can get through anything."
Meet Reece
Major: MAT in Teaching
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The flexibility of online courses.
Reece is all about inspiring the next generation. First it was as a coach. Now his next step is teaching, which is why he’s earning his master’s degree in teaching.
Fun Facts About Reece
- Reece played professional basketball in Scotland.
- He views education as a continuous feedback loop of improvement and self-reflection.
- Reece hopes to teach English and incorporate creative writing to help students express themselves.
"Follow your dreams. If you make it there, you live successfully. And if you don't — as long as you tried and reached new heights — I still think you live successfully."
Meet Sam
Major: B.S. in Early Childhood Education
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The ability to take online classes after work.
Sam is also part of our opportunity programs, which provide enhanced academic support and other perks (including financial assistance for most programs).
Fun Facts About Sam
- One of Sam’s favorite things about SUNY Empire is the ability to move at her own pace.
- Sam’s mother is her biggest inspiration and support system.
- She loves bringing joy to people’s lives and aspires to be a teacher who has a positive impact on young children.
"Worry about yourself. Don't worry about what other people think or do."
Meet Kerry
Major: B.A. in Community and Human Services
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The support from faculty and staff provides a smooth transition into higher education.
After Kerry reached a point at his job where he could no longer take on certain tasks without a degree, his mentors encouraged him to pursue his bachelor’s degree.
Fun Facts About Kerry
- At the age of 16, Kerry was diagnosed as HIV positive, which inspired him to work with and support this community.
- Kerry is a part of the Black Male Initiative program led by Dr. David Fullard, which had a powerful and positive impact on his life through its supportive community.
- Kerry enjoys dancing, singing, and the performing arts.
"Tomorrow is always another day to do better, and as long as you keep moving, nothing can stop you."
Meet Gabby
Major: Master of Public Administration (MPA)
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The flexibility and community.
Gabby is a family-oriented leader and a senator of the Student Government Association at SUNY Empire.
Fun Facts About Gabby
- She wants to get into politics as a way to help make the world a better place.
- Gabby’s core values are integrity and loyalty.
- She deals with stress by practicing meditation and breathwork.
"I absolutely love politics. And I'm passionate about the potential of making the world a better place, of going into a system that, while well-established, has quite a few flaws that need to be addressed. I'm really excited to take on the challenge of now creating a wonderful world and community in which we live."
Meet Justin
Major: M.A. in Educational Technology and Learning Design
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The ability to travel for work while achieving his educational goals.
While at SUNY Empire, Justin has completed classwork from as far away as Japan!
Fun Facts About Justin
- He will be teaching in South Korea for the next year while continuing his studies.
- Justin enjoys gamifying his life and developed a web-based application that uses a points and rewards system to make his studying and housework more engaging.
- Justin is passionate about helping others achieve their goals and volunteers as a peer tutor in his free time.
"My definition of education is being able to pursue something you are passionate about and then transforming what you learn into something meaningful."
Meet Kate
Major: EdD in Educational Leadership & Change
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The flexibility of completing an online doctoral program.
Kate is passionate about expanding access to higher education and is now pursuing her degree to broaden her impact in the field.
Fun Facts About Kate
- Kate leads a busy life! In addition to being a student, she serves as the Dean for Student Affairs at SUNY Adirondack and is a mother of three.
- Kate is utilizing her workplace's tuition reimbursement program, making SUNY Empire an exceptionally affordable education for her.
- If Kate were to give a Ted Talk, it would be about her research on combating enrollment declines of low-income students at community colleges after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"My definition of success is assisting people with accessing higher education so that they can make a difference for themselves and their families."
Meet Golda
Major: B.S. in Nursing
Why they chose SUNY Empire: The flexibility and cost of tuition.
Golda recently graduated with her B.S. in Nursing and is now working on her M.S. in Nursing Administration.
Fun Facts About Golda
- She’s originally from Ghana, West Africa.
- Golda believes everyone can pursue their dreams, regardless of their age.
- An affirmation she uses to stay motivated is, “I can do all things.”
"You can do all things."
STUDENT STORIES
Welcome to the SUNY Empire student stories page. These are highlights of students sharing their unique experiences, perspectives, and passions.
We’re excited to share these with you. Maybe — just maybe — you’ll find a little bit of yourself in every person here.