Month: May 2017

Congratulations Graduates!

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Dear GCC Graduates,

Congratulations! You made it!

Your hard work, hundreds of dollars spent on coffee, and thousands of hours spent taking tests, doing homework and studying all paid off when you walked across the stage to receive your diploma. Even when your courses got hard or times got rough and you weren’t sure if you could do it—you persevered and you did it!

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As you congratulate yourself, it is important to thank your family, friends and professors who supported you throughout your journey here at GCC. Reminisce about your many memories, the people you’ve met, the new life-long friends you might have made, and all the opportunities and experiences you gained while learning, studying and growing here. Go to GCC’s Facebook page to see the 2017 commencement photos. Or maybe you missed some of Bill Kauffman’s great keynote address. You can read it online. Never forget where you started.

Now that you’ve graduated, good luck! Whether you are going into the working world or continuing your education, whatever your next adventure is—embrace it with hard work and determination to be the best you can be. Never doubt yourself, remembering all of the hard work you’ve gone through to get to where you are now.

Thank you for choosing GCC! Whether you chose it to get your associate degree and begin working, or if you did it to save money before transferring to a four year college or university, you made a great decision to make GCC your home for these past few years. GCC’s faculty and students will miss you, but know that your greatness will shine on.

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You are now alumni and a member of the GCC Class of 2017. We can’t wait to hear your stories. Send updates of your achievements and successes to be published in the bi-annually produced Forum Alumni Newsletter via Jennifer Zambito, assistant director of Alumni Affairs, jmzambito@genesee.edu

Wishing you the all the best of luck graduates,

Danielle Lauricella & Genesee Community College

“What feels like the end is often the beginning.”

A Fantastic Year

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To all my fellow fashion majors,

Most of us are nearing the end of our journey here at Genesee Community College and we all have different plans of what we would like to do after we graduate. Some of us will be going to a different state for schooling, some of us will be going to New York City, and some of us are still not sure what lies ahead.

I am still not sure what my future holds, but what I do know now is how much each and every one of you has inspired me. I am so grateful that I decided to come to school here and join the Fashion Merchandising program and I am so thankful for all of the wonderful friendships I have made over the past 2 years and for all of the amazing opportunities that I have been given.

Not only have the students, my peers, inspired me, but my incredible professors, Professor Dudkowski and Professor Ehrhart, have also had an enormous impact on me. When I first came to college, I was very shy and didn’t speak up in class or talk to anyone, but these two professors were able to make me feel very comfortable talking in front of the class; they made me feel welcomed and like I belonged. They were always motivating me and everyone else to be the very best we can be and they taught all of us how to take charge.

It’s been 8 days since the fashion show and I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness amongst the settling excitement we felt then. While this was an exciting moment for all of us, the thought that this is the last project we all worked on together saddens me.  We have all been working extremely hard on this since the fall semester, and I have enjoyed every single minute. With that being said, we gave it 110% and had a record breaking show!  Congratulations everyone.

Author: Bailey Johnson

Instagram: baileyyyroseee

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My Freshman Year In Review

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In high school I never thought I would end up at GCC. I always thought I would know what I wanted to do, and go to a 4 year school where I would dorm and get the ‘normal’ college experience. But senior year rolled around, and so did decision making. At the time I had ideas about what I wanted to major in, but never certain. Due to that fact alone, I decided on GCC. It was inexpensive, close to home which meant I didn’t have to spend money on room and board, and it gave me the opportunity to test the waters.

My first semester was Fall 2016. During this semester I didn’t really know how college worked, I was just figuring things out. At the time I was taking some core classes I would need no matter what I majored in, as well as some electives to figure out what I wanted to study. I was taking an English, math and history course as my core classes, ASL (American Sign Language) and Sociology as my electives. All was great and I enjoyed my classes, but come winter break I still was not sold on any specific program of study.

Starting in the Spring 2017 semester, my counselor help me decide to take a different route. I took 5 classes as usual. Another required English class, and I also signed up for CEP which is Career Educational Planning—my first online class. I also signed up for communications, biology, and a human services class. These classes served the sole purpose of helping me figure out which of the three majors I was considering would be right for me. It took just one class to figure it out! In my first day of Intro to Communications with Val Bello, and I was instantly fascinated.

However, I knew I didn’t want to be a radio host or TV personality, but rather I wanted to work with social media in the business aspect. From there I examined what majors GCC offered, and found that Business Administration: Social Media and Marketing was the perfect fit for me. While I still had time I dropped the biology and human services courses, and picked up classes in Professional Sales and Marketing. This reinforced what I wanted to study.

This semester, I had the pleasure of getting to know Professor Dudkowski, who also happened to be my professional sales teacher. He not only taught me everything I needed to know about sales and being a successful salesperson, but he also taught me a million life lessons, so I felt it was necessary to mention him as he was a pivotal influence on my outlook on life. He taught me the importance of confidence as well as perseverance. He taught me to never look upon life negatively, as everything is an opportunity to learn or grow. Not only did he teach me, but he gave me so many opportunities I wouldn’t have taken myself. Through his class, I supported the United Way and sold ducks for the Ducky Derby.  He also encouraged that we help with the Fashion Show, although I was hesitant, I eventually landed a position in a scene for Elysium, the 36th Annual Fashion Show, which I walked in this past weekend.

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I also got the opportunity to join the MarCom (Marketing & Communication) team at GCC as a student blogger. This has given me the opportunity to grow my personal blogging skills, as well as learn skills that will help me in so many ways in the future. Thanks to MarCom I also took a part in the Faces of GCC Photoshoot, where my photo (see image) may be used for various promotional purposes—including this blog! Through MarCom I have made friends and gained experience, which is all I could ask for.

 

Overall, I have had a very humbling freshman year of college. I am looking forward to following semesters I will have at GCC, and the opportunities that will arise. I encourage you to embrace your time here, learn from the people you meet, and take every opportunity that comes your way. You won’t regret it.

“Great things never came from comfort zones.”

-Joyell Johnson

-Danielle