My name is Lilia Kesterke, this is my third year at GCC. During my time here I have had the chance to experience a lot both in and outside of my program. I am double majoring in Fashion Merchandising and Event Planning. I grew up in a smaller town in Central New York close to Syracuse, N.Y. called Fulton. Fashion has also been a part of my life, My Grandfather owned his own clothing store in Fulton Called Bergan’s Clothing Store, and after that my Uncle’s took over the store renaming it Bergan Brother’s clothing store (which is currently located in Downtown Syracuse.) Of course my mom and her 4 siblings also all worked at the store, so my mom has also been very aware of all the fashion trends that go on and from a young age has tried to make me and my sisters into little fashionistas.

I choose GCC specifically for the fashion program, like most high school seniors I visited many different schools to find the one that best fit me. At the end I had it narrowed down to 3 different schools after visiting GCC many times, my first time to visit the campus, again to meet with Mr. Dudkowski (the head of the fashion program) finally I came back to watch the fashion show after that I was hooked.

I have been a part of two fashion shows since I have been here, The 33rd annual show called “Ethereal” as a co-producer with my own scene “Let them be Little” a children’s scene and the second was the 34th annual show “Fata Morgana” working with the tourism and hospitality students, planning and hosting the reception that follows the shows. Both were experiences that I will never forget, challenging at times but very rewarding when you finally see the end product come together. And both of the shows helped me to get an understanding of both sides to the industries.

Let Them Be Little

I am a part of AEG, Which is the community based sorority on campus, DECA, and Business Forums Club and now I am a part of the CEO Club. I also have a work-study job in the admissions office here and an internship with Lina LaMattina who is the director of the business department here at GCC. Part of what I am doing at my internship is to blog to all of you about different parts of the business programs that go on here at school, for some examples : I will talk about different clubs, events that we plan and host, and about the professors in the business department.

           I am looking forward to a semester of sharing different parts of the business department here on campus with all of you!