Academics

Classes are a big part of the GCC experience – find out all the great opportunities that are in store.

Tips for Staying Stylish and Warm This Winter

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During the winter, we all want to look our best, but it’s just so hard to be warm and still look great. Here are some easy tips from my experience for you staying stylish and warm this winter. 

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Scarves are perfect accessories with a pure style and warmth. They’re always easy to match, so they won’t take you too much time thinking about how to dress.

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A boat-neck sweater is simple and great for winter. Sweaters are warm and this kind of sweaters are simply stylish.

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Put on a vest. Fur vests are stylish and they keep you warm over a thin top. I love them!

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Leather dresses and jackets are perfect clothing for you to stay warm in!

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Peacoats keep you warm all the time. Put on a long peacoat and stay warm in it!

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Especially for girls, tall boots are fantastic in winter to keep warm and stylish. Knee-high boots are my favorite.

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Stockings and leggings should be also girls’ favorite in winter because they let you still wear skirts, shorts, and dresses in a cold day. They’re also good for both school and office.Remember to keep your legs warm, ladies!

Hope this is helpful for you! Have a nice Thanksgiving!

A Non-traditional Student and a Veteran

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This blog post was written by Steven Bussard

            I am a “non- traditional” student (someone going to college that is over the age of 23 according to the GCC website) and a Veteran of the U.S. Army.  I tried college before in the 80’s, but never finished due to personal reasons.  I bounced around from job to job and state to state not really having a direction in my life. I never really appreciated the clout a college education holds until after transitioning out of the military. I had a very well-paying job in Florida, which I loved, at a simulations company, but when it came time for layoffs it was the people that had certificates or degrees that kept their jobs.  So now I am doing what I should have done so many years ago.

I am a son of a U.S. Navy Veteran.  I was born on a Navy base in Bermuda, and then my family was transferred to Norfolk, Virginia where I grew up.  For those of you who do not know the Norfolk or Virginia Beach area is one of the top ten cities with the most military installations in the U.S. My life was going in the wrong direction for quite a long time and I needed a stable environment so I joined the U.S. Army Military Police Corp at 27 years old.  It was during the Gulf War in 1991, but I never got a chance to go to Iraq because 4 days prior to my first day of basic training the Iraqis gave up.   I suppose they heard I was joining (just kidding).  After basic training I was stationed in Camp Darby, Italy which is just outside of Pisa.  I spent 3 years there and whenever I could I traveled Europe because I may never get this chance to do it later in life.  I honeymooned in Paris, France (and the people are not as rude as other Americans would like you to think), spent time in Germany, Hungary, Austria.

Through this time in the Army I learned more about respect and a sense of duty. You start to understand what role the veterans that came before you had to go through, I am sure some of those experiences were worse than mine.  There is a strong sense of brother/sisterhood in the Army and in the other services that is hard to explain to someone that has never been in the military.  I knew when I was in trouble my military brothers/sisters had my back.  I would imagine that is why once we transition out of the military we tend to gravitate toward other veterans because we know that that trust is still there, a feeling we sometimes cannot get from our own families.  That is also why we are so patriotic and respectful to all veterans from WWII, Vietnam, to now.  Even though you did not serve with that veteran the sense of gratitude and brotherhood is still there.  You see we just picked up the torch where they left off.  I like this little ode written by an unknown author “A Veteran Is Someone who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America’ for an amount of ‘up to and including their life.’” That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it. I don’t know what happened to this country since the end of WWII but the respect we should give to all veterans has declined.  To many, Veterans Day is just another holiday or a day off.  It is a day to honor those who have served their country the living and the dead. I for one will never forget that our veterans fight for our freedom every day.  Not just the ones on the front line, but all who have served.  For me, every day is a day for honoring our vets.

What is Fashion?

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What is fashion?

Fashion is a ruffle, fashion is a crease. Fashion is for the head, fashion is for the feet. Fashion is denim, fashion is diamonds.

Fashion is safe.

Fashion is risk.

Fashion is reflection.

Fashion is vision.

From leather to lace, from sandals to stilettos, from art to music, fashion is…..everything.

Fashion is subjective and open to discussion.

I am happy to announce the theme for the 35th Annual GCC Fashion Show is Fashion is…

Fashion is… seems like a broad theme for the 35th Annual GCC Fashion Show, but fashion is broad and all encompassing.

Each scene will be called Fashion is… ________.

Each individual in charge of a scene has the ability to name the scene and showcase what fashion really means to that individual and how they interpret the theme.

We want the people of Western New York to think and have an understanding about the role of fashion in our culture. We want them to develop their own definitions of what fashion means to them, but we also want to show and educate them on what we think fashion is.

The GCC Fashion Program is excited to educate you on what fashion is on April 30th, 2016!

 

The Innovation Zone

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A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go with the CEO Club to the Innovation Zone that is part of the GCEDC (Genesee County Economic Development Center), located across the street in the MedTech Building. In one of their state-of-the-art conference rooms, we meet with the Vice President of Business Development for the GCEDC, Christopher Suozzi. He gave us insight on what they do over at the Innovation Center, part of which is helping businesses get started. People who are looking to start up their company can come in with their business plans and learn how to take it from an idea to a reality. There is space in the Innovation Zone that new companies can use for meetings, video conferences, and workspace while they are looking for their own office space to start up. GCEDC also has land that they have already developed, complete with water lines, so that companies can come in and start to build their buildings and get to work quicker. Allowing multiple businesses to start in the same location creates an industrial park which, in turn, creates more job opportunities for people from Rochester to Buffalo. In summary, GCEDC entices companies to come and start their companies here by having land ready, being located in a convenient area ( between to major cities, Rochester and Buffalo) and by giving companies incentives and tax breaks for 10 years.

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Brian Bell was a guest speaker who also talked with us about being an entrepreneur and shared his own experiences as one. He is the Chief Executive Officer for First Wave Products Group, LLC. His company works on medical accounts; he said he listens to ideas that people or students have, discerns which are good, and helps get funding to make their idea possible. One of the things his company is responsible for is the “First Crush” which automatically turns pills into powder- He described it to us as a Keurig for pills. This idea came from an individual from the University at Buffalo.

When Brian talked to us about being an entrepreneur, he told us how everyone has ideas but it takes someone who is truly passionate about something to be able to execute that idea and turn it into something real. Then he and Chris turned it over to all of us in the club and asked if any of us had ideas or passions that we could turn into a business. Some of us shared our ideas of how we would take something that already exists and make it better for the environment. Some of us were working on creating something entirely new. Personally, I would like to open my own event planning company someday. Both Chris and Brian gave me advice on how to achieve my goal- they said that I should absorb as much experience as I could before opening my own business. That way, if I made a mistake, I would be able to learn from it for the future.

-Lilia Kesterke

Starting at an Early Age

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Loving to meet and interact with individuals is how Fany Loughlin found her path in life. Mrs. Loughlin’s love of interacting with people came from going on missionary trips when she was a young girl. The missionary trips also fostered a love of travel, which can be showcased by the fact Fany is a Honduran immigrant who has been in this country for over fourteen years. Fanny is the owner of a home open to students as an alternatives to dorm living and a lot of international students take advantage of this wonderful opportunity for off campus housing. Mrs. Loughlin was invited by one of her tenants, Kaisei Sugawara, to come in to our Professional Sales to speak on Friday, November 6.

Fany grew up in a big family that was centered around a business environment. She started at a young age by selling leather key chains in order to make money because her dad told she had to start making her own money. The desire to succeed and make money pushed her into college for two years until she met her future husband, who was a member of the Peace Corps. She ended up moving to the states to be with her husband where she continued to work in business in various ways. In addition to being a landlady, Fanny is attending GCC to obtain a degree in international business. She is planning to become a buyer and act as a middleman between Chinese companies and South America. She would like to represent companies and help import products to South America.

The presentation was an engaging and story like presentation that the students learned various lessons in business and life.
• Learn a language- it connects with individuals and gives you an open mind.
• Want to make your customers/tenants comfortable.
• Use the internet to learn about the world.
• Learn how to interact with individuals.
• Learn what is needed for a job or task.
• Sell yourself all the time.
• Go into business early.
• Do the extra things because it shows.
• It’s ok to make mistakes.

Fany is a very good role model for students. She pushes herself to be a better student and individual in life. Fany is a mother of two, she takes seven classes a semester at GCC, knows three languages and teaches languages to others, and she is a member of Rotary and a leadership program at her church all while running her business! Fany demonstrates that you need to push yourself to become a better person in business and in life.

 Thank you Fany for a very inspiring and entertaining presentation!

Hello, I’m Lilia!

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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.

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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!

A Learning Experience

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This blog post was written by sophomore, Hailey Rizzo.

New York City has started a fire inside me that will never die. Every time I go to this beautiful, crazy, exciting city I fall in love more and more. I’m sure this applies to many other people as well. After visiting for my third time, I was able to determine that my dreams are possible, all thanks to the big city. I never realized the amount of opportunity the city has to offer until this most recent trip. This NYC trip was amazing, but there were a few things that stuck out to me and made me understand that the city is where I want to end up.

  1. Seeing past GCC graduates

Growing up in a “small town” and going to a school such as GCC, I thought I would probably stay in upstate New York forever. After a lot of thinking and especially after seeing the GCC alumni at their current jobs, it gave me hope and made me realize that the city is the place I need to be in order to make it in this industry. It was amazing seeing every one, and it was hard to believe the amount of success they’ve already had even though they only went to GCC a few years ago. That was definitely very motivating and encouraging. All of their advice helped me answer many questions I was wondering and I’m grateful they took the time out of their busy schedules to speak with us.

2.  Buffalo David Bitton

This was my second visit to Buffalo David Bitton and I almost forgot how much I love that company. Diane Alexander is so amazing and after listening to her talk she showed me how much passion and dedication you need to have to be in this industry. Not to mention how much hard work you need to put in. She is someone who I respect greatly and I’m definitely going to try to get an internship at Buffalo next year.

3. FIT College Visit 

After it was time for every one to go home, I stuck in the city and took a tour of FIT with my parents. After looking at multiple schools for my next step, I am very happy to say FIT is most likely where I will end up. The people there were incredibly helpful and the school itself was very pleasing. Also, the dorms are right across the street, which made me feel better when I thought of moving to the big city. Like any big city, New York can be a little intimidating, but FIT made me feel safe and comfortable. The school is amazing and I can’t wait to see where I will be in a year!

These three events were a few of the many things that made New York such an amazing trip.

Here are a few pictures below of a couple things I saw, and a very crazy transformation of myself from last NYC trip to this NYC trip.

Haley 2   A very crazy transformation of the author of this blog post Hailey Rizzo from last NYC trip to this NYC trip.

 

Selling with Enthusiasm

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It was a cold and rainy Wednesday morning when Tanya Martin, the Director of Admissions here at GCC, walked into Mr. Dudkowski’s Professional Sales class. Tanya glided into the classroom with enthusiasm not willing to let the dreary weather influence her or her presentation. Tanya was invited to class because of her enthusiasm and energy. My Professional Sales class was given an assignment to interview or bring in a salesperson to speak to our class about the real world of selling. Mr. D suggested Tanya Martin, the Director of Admissions here at GCC, because she has the responsibility of selling GCC to prospective students. I jumped at the chance to bring Tanya in and I immediately raced to Admissions to persuade Tanya to come to class to speak. Tanya agreed and came in on September 30th.

Tanya had an immense amount of wisdom to give in the short fifty five minute class. She started off her presentation by saying that as a salesperson you should never be late because it makes a terrible impression, however if you bring donuts and coffee it does soften the fact you were late.

She continued her presentation by following a timeline of her life by telling us where she was from (Alfred, NY), what she majored in (Business, but later switched to Communications), where she previously worked (New York Chiropractic College and St. John Fisher), and how she sells GCC to prospective students.

Tanya sells GCC by the features and benefits the college has to offer. She asked the class to write down what they thought some features of the college were and share them with the class. The three major features the students brought up were:

  • GCC is affordable
  • GCC has small classes
  • GCC offers flexible scheduling

The benefits that go along with those features are:

  • GCC is affordable- all of your credits transfer to a 4 year college or university and you do not have to worry about paying a lot for college.
  • GCC has small classes-offers hands on learning and as a student you are able to interact with your professor. The professor genuinely wants you to succeed and they will do everything in their power to get you where you want to go. Professor Dudkowski is a great example because he sincerely wants his students to excel and he has an amazing network to help his students do just that.
  • GCC offers flexible scheduling- GCC understands that the majority of students here have a job or family and they offer the students the ability to receive a degree while working.

Tanya gave us additional advice and information throughout the presentation and included:

  • Accept as many responsibilities and opportunities as you can.
  • Job shadow or intern to find out what you want and do not want to do.
  • Find a job you love.
  • When selling, make the customer understand that they could be a part of something bigger if the purchase the product.
  • Build a relationship with the customer and genuinely care about the customer.
  • Network as much as possible.
  • Do not promise something that you cannot deliver.
  • Be persistent, but not aggressive.
  • Smile and remember that public speaking is a comfortable conversation not a scary situation.
  • Do not miss out on something in life because you are not comfortable speaking.
  • Do not ever forget that everybody is somebody.

Tanya gave an amazing presentation and it was a great reminder of what is going on in the industry and how it relates our class. Her presentation was fast paced and filled with anecdotes.  Each student in the class took away something different from the presentation and the most important thing I took away was to never treat anyone differently or rude because you never who you are going to meet or interact with in the future. I am very thankful Tanya had taken the time out of her busy schedule to come and speak with us!

Giving Tanya our GCC plaid as a thank you for coming into class.

Giving Tanya our GCC plaid as a thank you for coming into class.

My Top Three Favorite Classes In The Travel & Hospitality Program

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1. Geography

This class is definitely my favorite in the program! Professor Amy Slusser makes this class great by teaching about countries throughout the world. Her past experiences from traveling to 19 countries and the stories she has from these trips helps student understanding tremendously. Plus, you’ll definitely get a good laugh out of most of her stories. You will learn how to Study maps, capitals, attractions, and everything else interesting or critical to know about a country

2. Internship

An internship is required when studying in this program. There are so many opportunities to get an internship. I did my internship at a Country Inn and Suites in my hometown of Mt. Morris. It was a great experience. I was exposed to how a hotel works. Everything from housekeeping, front desk, kitchen, and laundry. It was very interesting to learn the specifics on how the room has to look and where you put the towels, to how you fold the pillow cases, and even how to check for bed bugs

3. Event Management

Every year the fashion program and the Travel & Hospitality program come together to form the annual fashion show and reception. The reception is organized by the Travel and Hospitality program’s Event Management class. From start to finish, this class prepares for the show that occurs at the end of April. There is a logistics team along with a design team that each possess their own duties on what needs to be accomplished.

This blog was contributed by Travel & Hospitality Management Student Marissa Truax.

A Legendary Show

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This past Saturday, Genesee Community College hosted yet another incredibly successful fashion show. Fata Morgana proved to be one of the most exciting and creative fashion shows that GCC has ever seen. There was an afternoon show at 3:00 PM, and an evening show at 7:00 PM. Between those two shows, there were 1,640 people that attended.

Prior to the show, there was a great deal of preparation to be done by the Fashion and Event Planning students. Decorations, food preparation and rehearsals were all on the agenda Friday night. Many students worked late into the night to complete the final necessary touches.

Upon entering GCC to see the show, attendees had the option to purchase flower bouquets for any of the participants. Staying true to the theme, there were belly dancers who performed before the modeling began. After this ended, attendees had the opportunity to see firsthand what the GCC fashion students had been working on all semester.

Following the show, there was a reception for all attendees and models of the fashion show. This was put on by the Event Planning students. Everyone was able to enjoy the various foods, vendors and activities which were provided. Fata Morgana was a very well received and successful show. It was also an excellent opportunity for the students involved to learn skills which will be beneficial to them in the future.

This blog was contributed by GCC Student Emily Pelton