Lessons from Lakers

More than 130 alumni returned to the SUNY Oswego campus during the fall 2017 semester to participate in the Oswego Alumni Association’s award-winning Alumni-In-Residence (AIR) program, with 70 alumni representing Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD). More than 3,000 students attended alumni classroom visits, workshops, panel discussions and other programs that provide a forum for alumni to share knowledge and career experiences with students. Here are a few words of wisdom from those presentations.

Photo: Jim Russell ’83

Amp up your resume…

“Look for freelance opportunities and project-based work, because there are not a lot of full-time jobs for students fresh out of school. Get experience and put it on your resume. Create opportunities through working as many different types of jobs and projects as you can, and always ask if you can do more.”

Barry Gliner ’84
Communication studies
Director of post-production, Discovery Communications
Syosset, N.Y.

Life is a journey…

“The moments that make up our lives start with one single step … The only limits you have are the ones you place on yourself. And you’ll never know how far you can go until you live like the limit does not exist.”

Sophia Elacqua ’15
Marketing
Marketing manager, Manhattan Edit Workshop (Mewshop)
Utica, N.Y.

Photo: Nicole Lightfoot ’18
Thaina Gonzalez ’92

Element-al Reflections

During her keynote address at the Latino Student Union’s 40th Anniversary celebration dinner:

“All of you have done an amazing job of finding symbolism within all four elements and correlating them with aspects of our heritage: Air, our freedom; Earth, our roots; Water, our music and dance; and Fire, our culture. It’s funny because I found my LSU Elementos at Oswego from the first day I stepped on campus until today at the 40th anniversary dinner.

My Air—was being able to explore what it meant for me to be Latina of Dominican descent through the Latino literature my Spanish major presented me.

My Earth—I discovered
every other Monday when I attended LSU meetings.

My Water—gave birth to
Ritmo Latino when Patricia
[Nuñez ’93], Astrid [Jacobo’91]
and I performed for the
first time at an LSU event.

My Fire—was ignited my senior year, when Patricia, Vivi [Vivianna Carriel-Rodriguez ’94], Ana [Figueroa ’93], Ana Luz [Rodriguez ’94] and I founded the first Latina Greek organization at Oswego, Sigma Lambda Upsilon/Latinas Unidas Sorority Inc.”

Thaina Gonzalez ’92
Spanish
Manager of executive offices,
Sponsors for Educational Opportunity
Member, Oswego Alumni Association Board of Directors
Bronx, N.Y.

Photo: Jim Russell ’83

Don’t forget your umbrella…

“Why is it so hard to predict the weather? There are so many different databases, observation networks, remote sensing satellites … so what gives? But we can’t know the true state of the atmosphere at all times. Not even close. We will never know the state of the atmosphere with precision.”

Mike Coniglio ’97
Meteorology and mathematics
Research meteorologist, National Severe Storms Lab, Forecast Research and Development Division
Norman, Okla.

Photo: Jennifer Broderick

Hitch your wagon to a star…

“Find someone who has your dream job and match the things you are doing with the things they have done. They are your North Star.”

Cydni Williams ’13
Art and marketing
Channel marketing manager, Facebook
Newark, Calif.

Photo: Jim Russell ’83

Listening for opportunity to knock…

“Being able to actually listen to other people is a skill that matters. You don’t always know whose hand you are shaking; smile and be at your best.”

Anthony DeMario ’12
Broadcasting and mass communication
Senior sales development representative, Terakeet; radio announcer, 107.9 FM station.
Liverpool, N.Y.

Post Views: 3,325