“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
I was fortunate when it came to education. My parents did not go to college and while furthering my education after high school was discussed at the dinner table and with the school’s guidance counselor, it wasn’t just presumed that I would attend college. But we lived in a small town in upstate NY and I knew I needed to get out and go live in the world. College looked to be the way to do it—plus
I loved to read and “wanted to be an author.” Learning how to write seemed pretty important.
So this C-plus high school student went to community college, took liberal arts classes that felt like an extension of high school, and didn’t do very well—as in almost flunked out. My second year I took British Lit, World Lit and American Lit because I figured it would help me learn how to be a better writer. It was too much reading and too little comprehending. I barely graduated.
I may not have figured out where I was headed, but I was not about to quit. I learned about the Utica College Public Relations/Journalism program and what it offered for budding writers and journalists. It looked like a good fit and—lucky me!—they accepted me.
I loved it! I was active in the student public relations society, student newspaper, college radio station, and in my senior year had a part-time news job on the weekend at a commercial radio station in Utica. Again I was taking on a lot and I did not do well in all of the roles, but all of these experiences and opportunities in my final two years of college confirmed I had a passion for writing and a career I could embrace. I went from almost flunking out of community college to graduating with honors from Utica College.
Before I even graduated I had been offered a job working for a radio station in Albany, NY. My first day at work, the news director drove me to the state Capitol; gave me a quick tour; showed me where to file my stories; took me back to the station; handed me a tape recorder and the keys to the news vehicle; and then told me to go back to the Capitol to cover a 2pm press conference. Alone.
Are you kidding me!!! I was afraid I would screw up, but now I was a working reporter and I was in heaven. The road to here had taken a few twists and turns, but I had found my path. Barbara Walters was just getting a television newswoman’s first million-dollar contract; I was making a fraction of that—and on top of the world.
I went on to have a good career and make a good living: three years in radio news in New York State, more than 20 years in television news at stations around the country, and 15-years of working for myself as a video producer and communications consultant. I guess you could say I proved to Utica College and to me that I was worth taking a chance on.
So I was very honored to represent my class in the September 23, 2016, inauguration of Utica College’s first president in 18 years, and the first woman to lead the college, Laura Casamento, Ed.D. Her appointment is historic, as was the tuition reset she helped to design while she was UC’s executive vice president and chief advancement officer. In 2015, UC reduced its tuition and boarding rates by 42% so more people could walk through the doors to receive an education, find a fulfilling career, and go on to lead a productive life.
Utica College’s motto is, “Never Stand Still,” which is a powerful philosophy for all of us.
I know there are others like me who graduate from high school and are on the path to somewhere but just haven’t figured it out yet—people who will not only find their place eventually, but blossom in it if given the chance. Thanks, Utica College, for giving me a chance then, and for giving others a chance now.
October 2016
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