SUNY Adirondack Community Roots: Alumni Collective Issue 17

COMMUNITY ROOTS

A THE ALUMNI COLLECTIVE A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE

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Lily Otto’s 12-year-old car had more than 200,000 miles on it and was barely hanging on as she commuted from her home in Wilton to attend nursing school at SUNY Adirondack.

“In nursing school, you’re broke, living off loans,” Otto admitted.

But through Healthcare Pathways at SUNY Adirondack, Otto found a reprieve: The grant-funded program that supports students pursuing health care careers paid her test fees, provided gas cards and even put new tires on her car. “That saved me so much stress.”

With a financial burden eased, Otto was able to focus on earning a degree and starting a career in nursing — an in-demand role in our community.

Recognizing the difficulty regional employers face in finding highly qualified candidates in highdemand careers, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into effect SUNY Reconnect.

This program supports community college education for state residents ages 25 to 55 to pursue degrees in fields in dire need.

Reconnect targets areas in which our

region’s workforce shortages are most acute: nursing, technology, education, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and substance abuse services. The program covers tuition, books and supplies, and mandated fees.

At SUNY Adirondack, six degree programs are included: • Computer Science; • Criminal Justice: Substance Abuse Services; • Engineering Science; • Information Technology: Cybersecurity; • Mechatronics; • Nursing Graduates of these programs then fill a critical need in our region, providing a return on investment for taxpayers that exceeds $9 for every dollar spent.

“The biggest struggle of nursing school wasn’t even schoolwork; it was financial,” Otto said of juggling classes with more than one job to make ends meet.

Her journey is not unusual for SUNY Adirondack students, as more than 43 percent are older than 25 and, nationally, approximately 70 percent of community college students are employed (30 percent in full-time jobs).

In a recent study by Ellucian, a company that provides technology services to higher education institutions, 59 percent of U.S. community college students said they considered leaving college before graduating because of financial stress and 19 percent who dropped out cited financial uncertainty as the cause.

Because of the support Otto received, she was able to graduate and start work as a labor and delivery nurse at Saratoga Hospital.

“I’m very excited to be in this spot in life, and I’m very grateful,” Otto said.

Throughout this publication, you will read about alumni who, like Otto, work in high-need fields. Each of their careers was built at SUNY Adirondack — and, today, state investment through SUNY Reconnect makes stories like theirs possible for qualifying adults.

If you know someone who could upskill to help strengthen our local workforce, share this edition of Community Roots with them, or recommend they visit www.sunyacc.edu/freecc.

ISSUE 17 | SPRING 2025

MUCH LIKE THE COLLEGE COMMUNITY, SUNY ADIRONDACK ALUMNI ARE A MICROCOSM OF OUR BROADER COMMUNITY. They come in as students, searching, find themselves here, then bring their gifts out into the world as caring agents of change. In this quarterly magazine, we celebrate all the ways our alumni shape our world, close to home and afar, with their hearts always rooted right here at SUNY Adirondack.

SUNY Adirondack, a community college of the State University of New York, does not discriminate against any employee, applicant for employment, intern, whether paid or unpaid, contractor, student, or applicant for admission or other members of the college community (including but not limited to vendors, visitors, and guests) based on a individual’s race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identification, gender expression, sexual orientation, self-identified or perceived sex, the status of being transgender, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, veteran status, domestic violence victim state, criminal conviction or any other category protected by law. The College adheres to all federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination and sexual harassment in public institutions of higher education.

The college prohibits conduct by any employee or any student who disrupts or interferes with another’s work performance or education experience, or who creates an intimidating, offensive, or hostile work or educational environment due to discrimination based on protected status or sexual harassment. SUNY Adirondack is committed to educating employees in the recognition and prevention of workplace and education discrimination and sexual harassment, and to informing students, employees and others how to report a discrimination complaint.

Inquiries about and reports regarding this notice and procedure may be made to compliance@sunyacc.edu or to one of the following: Lottie Jameson, Director of Compliance and Risk Management and Deputy Title IX coordinator, Washington Hall, Room 132C, jamesonl@sunyacc.edu, 518-832-7741; Mindy Wilson, Chief Human Resources Officer, Washington Hall 105, wilsonm@sunyacc.edu, 518-743-2252; Diane Wildey, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs/Section 504 Coordinator, Scoville 324, wildeyd@sunyacc.edu, 518-743-2337. Inquiries may also be directed to the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, 32 Old Slip 26th Floor, New York, NY 10005-2500, ocr.newyork@ed.gov, 646-428-3800.

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OUR ALUMNI BECOME …

Design Engineers Electrical Designers Emergency Room Nurses GI Nurses Help Desk Technicians Industrial Technicians Labor and Delivery Nurses Medical Surgical Nurses Nursing Professors Software Development Managers and so much more!

YORK STATE WHO FOUR NEW DO NOT HAVE A COLLEGE WORKING-AGE ADULTS IN

MILLION DEGREE OR CREDENTIAL

6%

20.7%

EMPLOYMENT FOR

EMPLOYMENT FOR

PROJECTED THROUGH 2033*

PROJECTED THROUGH 2033*

46.3%

17.4%

INCREASE IN REGISTERED NURSES

INCREASE IN EMPLOYMENT FOR NURSE PRACTITIONERS*

INCREASE IN

SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS

INCREASE IN

EMPLOYMENT FOR COMPUTER AND INFORMATION

SYSTEMS MANAGERS*

AGES ELIGIBLE FOR FREE

25-55 SUNY RECONNECT PLAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE UNDER

* By the Bureau of Labor Statistics

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“SUNY Adirondack definitely challenged me in a great way.

I was able to get a head start on things, and have that transition from high school to actually going to college classes.”

KATIE CLOUSE

Design Engineers

HOMETOWN: HUDSON FALLS, NEW YORK 2016 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK’S EARLY COLLEGE CAREER PROGRAM IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING 2020 GRADUATE OF WENTWORTH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING CURRENTLY: DESIGN ENGINEER FOR MACK MOLDING IN ARLINGTON, VERMONT Katie Clouse loves a challenge, so when she was a senior in high school, she enrolled at SUNY Adirondack full time.

“I really wanted to challenge myself and kind of get that whole college experience,” said Clouse, who was an Early College Career Academy student in Advanced Manufacturing her junior year at Hudson Falls.

“I really liked math and I always knew I wanted to be an engineer, so after looking at options, I thought ECCA was a great chance to get ahead and learn about something I could pursue in the future,” she said of the collaboration between SUNY Adirondack and Washington-Saratoga-WarrenHamilton-Essex (WSWHE) BOCES in which high school students split days between their home school and SUNY Adirondack, taking classes that satisfy requirements for high school and college.

ECCA is a two-year program, but instead of returning to her home district for half the day her senior year, she took all college classes.

“I had completed high school course requirements and decided I wanted to pursue an education at SUNY Adirondack,” said Clouse, who after graduating from high school transferred the credits she earned to Wentworth Institute of Technology, where she played volleyball and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

“I had a lot of general eds transfer, so it gave me a good head start,” she said. “And having that whole extra year of college classes at SUNY Adirondack helped to get my mind-set prepared and grow in ways I wouldn’t have gotten if I had just jumped in [at a four-year college], especially without having my family so close for support.”

She graduated during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, so she started a job search during a fairly unstable period. “I reached out as

far as I could,” she said of applying to Mack Molding. “Once I was in the area and saw the facility, I was hooked.”

Clouse is a design engineer at Mack which, according to its website, “streamlines the manufacturing process from design to fulfillment with a client-first approach and a suite of vertically integrated services under one roof.”

“My primary role is to design plastic parts for us to manufacture for customers,” Clouse explained. “We create parts for everything, from something as small as a flower pot to as big as panels for MRI machines.”

The variety of projects is part of what she loves about her job. “Definitely my favorite thing is that it’s different every day, so I’m constantly learning and experiencing something new,” she said.

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“I really enjoyed my time at SUNY Adirondack.

The professors were very helpful, very friendly. I liked the smaller class sizes, so you never felt left out and teachers always knew your name.”

JACKSON GILBERT

Electrical Designers

HOMETOWN: QUEENSBURY, NEW YORK 2020 GRADUATE OF EARLY COLLEGE CAREER ACADEMY IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING 2022 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN MECHATRONICS CURRENTLY: ELECTRICAL DESIGNER AT KNOLLS ATOMIC POWER LAB Jackson Gilbert spent much of his childhood drawing and building with Legos.

“I wanted to be an architect, then realized engineering was more the way I wanted to go,” said Gilbert, an electrical designer at Knolls Atomic Power Lab, a naval nuclear laboratory in Niskayuna. “Instead of making things that might not work, I wanted to make things and prove they could work.”

His love for problem solving and building things led him to the Advanced Manufacturing program of Early College Career Academy (ECCA), a collaboration between SUNY Adirondack and WashingtonSaratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex (WSWHE) BOCES in which high school students split days between their home school and SUNY Adirondack, taking classes that satisfy requirements for high school and college.

“That got me out of all the ‘extra’ high school classes you don’t need to

take and gave a jump-start on taking college classes, which were more interesting to me,” Gilbert said. “I never had to study in high school much, but I had to study [in ECCA] and I really enjoyed it.”

“A big thing: I originally wanted to join the military, to serve my country, but couldn’t for medical reasons, so being able to be closely related in helping the military is, in some ways, just as rewarding,” Gilbert said.

After finishing ECCA and high school, Gilbert stayed at SUNY Adirondack to finish a degree in Mechatronics. Before he graduated, he secured a job at Knolls, where he works to ensure schematics for the electronics that control nuclear reactors are presented in a way simple enough for sailors to understand and react quickly.

He found his time at SUNY Adirondack prepared him well. “I knew the basics of electricity and was familiar with the professional atmosphere of having a job in the real world,” he said.

HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE John Veitch, assistant professor of Technology, Engineering and Computer Science at SUNY Adirondack, is a 1982 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a degree in electrical technology and a 1984 graduate of SUNY Polytechnic with a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology.

He worked for many years in engineering before signing on to teach at the college level. His experience includes designing systems for military and commercial use, and significant expertise of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs).

The work is challenging, which is part of what Gilbert loves about his job. “There is never a dull moment,” he said. “You always have to learn something new to complete the next project, so you’re constantly learning.”

Gilbert also enjoys flexible hours, which allow him to pursue his hobbies, which include skiing, hiking and camping. He’s a 46er, a recognition for those who climb the highest peaks in the Adirondacks.

“That’s my favorite place on earth — at least so far,” he said.

“The program I teach prepares the student as a technician or engineer.

I get great satisfaction when, upon graduation, they continue pursuing a bachelor’s, or obtain work as a technician.”

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“I wanted to save money and community college is a good way to do that.”

HOLLIE POSEY

Emergency Room Nurses

HOMETOWN: SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK 2022 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING 2024 GRADUATE OF FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: EMERGENCY ROOM NURSE AT BORGESS HEALTH IN KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN Hollie Posey’s parents dedicated their careers to helping others, so she grew up knowing she wanted to do the same.

“Helping people was the big catchall; that’s what led me to nursing and anything medicine,” said Posey, who described volunteering as a child at the American Legion and VA hospital with her grandmother and sister. “We would hand out gifts at Christmas, socks and wallets, and those things meant a lot to the patients who didn’t have much. I saw the nurses come in and out, and they were helping in a different way, and I really looked up to them.”

After high school, she enrolled at Hudson Valley Community College, earning credits in biological science, thinking she might become a doctor.

But she realized that wasn’t what she wanted.

“I wanted more hands-on patient care,” Posey said. “It took me a bit to get to nursing.”

She enrolled in SUNY Adirondack’s highly regarded Nursing program in January 2020. “We had three months of normal, then it was not normal,” she said of how the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown affected college. “That was a challenge the whole time I was in school.”

“I like being in the classroom, so [attending class virtually] was challenging,” Posey said. “But I didn’t

want anything to delay my path, so I said, ‘I don’t know what else I want to do, so I’m going to stick this out.’”

Critical clinical experience in hospital settings was dependent on the state of the pandemic. “We would be out for a few weeks, then back in,” she said. “But even still, I don’t think there’s anything else I would have wanted to do.”

Posey graduated in 2022 and started work at Albany Medical Center in trauma surgery, caring for eight patients a day. “I really wanted to go in to the ER off the bat, and that was a happy medium,” she said. “I felt like I learned all the handson skills.”

“Medicine is always working with your hands, and I’ve always liked working with mine,” she said.

After eight months, she moved to Michigan to be closer to the man she later married, and took a job in an emergency room. “I love the ER,” she beamed.

There, she was assigned an intern — a nursing student who shadows an RN to gain experience. “I was scared when I was told I was going to have a student with me,” she said. “In the time I was teaching her, I learned a lot about teaching, and about myself: I love teaching.”

She also loves learning and since graduating from SUNY Adirondack has earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Ferris State University.

She is considering continuing her education to become a physician’s assistant or pursue anesthesiology.

“I love nursing, but I’m probably not done,” she said. “It’s easy to go on after earning an associate.”

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“SUNY Adirondack was … financially the best option for me.”

Josh Cameron lifted his elderly patient, carried her across the room and gently placed her in the hospital bed, next to her husband of more than a half-century.

“The man was getting to the point where he was not going to make it,” Cameron recalled. “I wanted to give them that last moment together.”

Cameron graduated from nursing school in December 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic still had a life-threatening grasp on our lives.

“It was a very difficult time,” he said.

“When you’re in it, it was kind of the norm and that’s what we had to do — learn on the fly what the new protocols coming out every day were, what personal protection equipment we were supposed to wear, how to treat the patient.”

He didn’t always want to be a nurse.

He considered becoming a school counselor or studying psychology.

“As soon as I started looking at colleges, SUNY Adirondack was the main option,” he said. “It was financially the best option for me, and that made the most sense because I had no idea what I wanted to do.”

He enrolled and started taking classes.

JOSH CAMERON

GI Nurses

HOMETOWN: QUEENSBURY, NEW YORK 2017 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES: HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 2020 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING 2025 GRADUATE OF SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE UNIVERSITY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: NURSE AT BURNT HILLS ENDOSCOPY CENTER FOR SARATOGA SCHENECTADY GI “I kind of just skated by in high school; I had the ability to do well but didn’t want to, and that transitioned in to college,” he said.

no one knew I was her son — other than the professors — so I was silently dreading it, thinking it would be a little awkward.”

At some point, though, he realized he needed to put effort in to pursue a career. “I decided to buckle down and do it, so I was taking biology and chemistry and nursing sounded interesting.”

After graduating in 2020, he dove into hospital life during a global pandemic.

“I was 22 years old and seeing people die pretty frequently,” he said. “It became difficult to care as much as I could and have a lot of people pass away.”

To be sure that’s what he wanted, Cameron took a job as a personal care assistant at Saratoga Hospital, then took an anatomy and physiology course. He knew SUNY Adirondack offered a highly respected Nursing program, as his mother, Melissa Blackmer, is an alumna and instructor.

“She was very surprised because I had no motivation to do anything academic [before then], and obviously she knows in nursing school, you have to work,” he remembered. “She definitely enjoyed the idea of me following in her footsteps, but it was not on her radar at all.”

He started the program in January 2018.

“It was definitely tough,” he admitted.

“But it was enjoyable learning; I wouldn’t say I was overwhelmed with it.”

Cameron worried a bit about when he would have his mother as an instructor, but the pandemic hit, driving that class online. “I never had my mom in person,” he said. “I was dreading it;

As the pandemic loosened its grip and the nursing profession eased in to its new normal, Cameron took a job in a gastroenterology unit. “I just fell in love with GI,” he said. “It’s a really interesting speciality; there’s a lot that goes into it that you wouldn’t think about.”

He took a job at Burnt Hills Endoscopy Center, where he is able to balance his love of caring for patients with life outside work. He and his wife have a 2-year-old son, and a close extended family. Cameron also graduated this May with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing.

“For what I want in life, which is to be with my family, it has a really good work-life balance that isn’t always easy to find in nursing,” he said.

See Page 22 to read Melissa Blackmer’s story.

FATE INTERVENES After being a nurse through the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, Josh Cameron decided to become a traveling nurse. “I was going to go out west, and get licenses in Utah, Arizona and Colorado,” he said.

While working to secure a contract, he attended a wedding. “There, I met the woman who is my wife now and everything changed,” he said. “I went back to the hospital, but I was done with that kind of nursing, because meeting her, I realized I want to be home and be there on the weekends.”

That chance meeting led Cameron to pursue GI as a field of care. “When working in a hospital, I’m not able to do as much for myself and my family because I’m mentally drained and physically tired, but this job allows me to enjoy work and my family,” he said.

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“SUNY Adirondack provides people locally a chance to get a great education without commuting to Albany or needing to leave the area.”

ROB HOSFORD

Help Desk Technicians

HOMETOWN: SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK 2006 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE CURRENTLY: HELP DESK TECHNICIAN FOR WARREN COUNTY While a student at SUNY Adirondack, Rob Hosford had an internship at Warren County, and he never left.

might not be a good fit for him. “Video games are great, but the market is not the best for that around here, so I started learning more networking and help desk, which would be better suited for a career here,” he said.

“Part of a networking class was an internship, so [Professor] Luke Musto was able to set me up for the summer,” Hosford said. “I stayed for the internship, asked if they needed help after, stayed around for a couple of weeks, then the director invited me into his office and said, ‘How do you feel about this being a career?’ I said, ‘Sounds amazing!’”

That change of career mind-set didn’t change his love of gaming, though. He and some friends founded a Dance Dance Revolution Club on campus, inspired by a dancing game that took arcades by storm in the early 2000s.

Hosford served as vice president of the club. “It was great to be part of the many clubs SUNY Adirondack has to offer for students,” he said.

Hosford enrolled at SUNY Adirondack right after high school, with the hopes of becoming a video game creator.

“I took a lot of programming, every programming course I could, and really liked that, I took as many math courses as I could, and had a lot of fun,” he said.

Along the way, he realized that as much as he loves video games, it

FUN FACT

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After Hosford earned a degree in Computer Science, he stayed on at SUNY Adirondack and entered the CISCO Networking program to work on a CISCO CCNA certification.

Networking skills he learned help him while working on computers in the municipal center, as well as several

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county-run facilities throughout the region.

“The thing I like most about the job is how much variety there is and how much you can learn on all different avenues,” he said. “It’s a little bit of everything.”

His education at SUNY Adirondack prepared him for that. “I took everything ACC had to offer for computer classes, to try to have a robust skill set for the workforce,” he said.

“SUNY Adirondack is a great place,” Hosford said. “It’s such an affordable starting point, great community, and gives you a chance to see where you fit in this world and start from there.”

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“SUNY Adirondack fit the bill for everything.”

BRANDON SHEERER

Industrial Technicians

HOMETOWN: QUEENSBURY, NEW YORK 2018 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGY CURRENTLY: CONTROLS TECHNICIAN AT LISSMAC CORPORATION Brandon Sheerer travels often, loves his work, and has time and money to indulge in his passions — and he credits it all to a career in the trades.

“Never discount the trades,” the SUNY Adirondack graduate said.

“You can start from nothing and have it blossom into everything.”

Sheerer was first introduced to electronics in high school. “We learned about residential and commercial electrical work, circuitry and programmable logic controllers — and that lit me right up,” he said. “I was so into it, I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”

He enrolled at SUNY Adirondack to study electrical and mechanical engineering. “I wasn’t trying to break the bank, SUNY Adirondack was not too far from where I lived, so I could commute and didn’t have to worry about residency,” he explained. “I didn’t see a need to drive three hours and spend more money when I could get a solid grounding at SUNY Adirondack.”

At the college, Sheerer spent his first year studying Engineering, then another two in electronics. The last year, he had an internship at RASP Inc., a systems integration company.

“I had a job waiting for me there when I graduated,” Sheerer exclaimed.

There, he followed schematics to construct and wire control panels.

“I put my hands into lots of different projects and learned how to wire things the proper way right from the start,” he said.

While talking to co-workers, he realized he wanted to be troubleshooting and communicating with customers about their needs, so he researched other careers in the field.

More than five years ago, he took a position at LISSMAC Corporation, a metal processing company based in Germany.

As a field service technician, Sheerer said his work “varies wildly.” “I could be in the office working on future or past projects one day, the next day be on the phone with customers helping them troubleshoot a machine on a construction site, the next day be replacing parts on a deburring machine in a steel plant — I kind of do anything electrical related for customers in North and South America, as well as a lot of mechanical work.”

Traveling is a bonus of his job. “I’ve been to almost every province in Canada, almost every state in the U.S., Brazil, Europe,” he said. “When

I first started, I had minor roles in everything, but as the years progressed, especially in the past 12 months, my role in the company has blown up.”

While he spends a lot of time on the road (and in the skies), Sheerer enjoys time at home. A self-proclaimed foodie who “has every appliance known to man,” he uses a backyard smoker, has several grills, and makes his own breads and ice cream. He is also a “coffee nut” with an espresso machine, French press, Chemex … you name it. “I like to do research on things I’m passionate about and, when I find something, I go all in.”

He loves being outdoors, and spending time with his dog, an Aussie doodle. He also enjoys a good cigar and glass of whiskey, and craft beer.

“The pay is excellent, and I see myself doing this for a long time,” he said. “I see all these people in college doing ultra-specific stuff, then struggling to find a job. They’re putting themselves behind the game because they’re entering an oversaturated workforce, while the trades are in desperate need.”

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“I feel like SUNY Adirondack’s program was everything I could want and more.

It was hands on and challenged me.

In the past in college, I was going through the motions.”

LILY OTTO

Labor and Delivery Nurses

HOMETOWN: GANSEVOORT, NEW YORK 2019 GRADUATE OF SUNY PURCHASE WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGY 2024 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: LABOR AND DELIVERY NURSE AT SARATOGA HOSPITAL The first baby Lily Otto helped deliver will always hold a special place in her heart. She was wrapping up her clinical rotation in Labor and Delivery and was just weeks away from graduating, but had yet to see a birth, when her sister went into labor.

“I recognized the nurse from one of the clinicals, so I said, ‘I already have a job, can I please do this?’ The doctor was like, ‘Put some gloves on,’” Otto recounted. “My very first delivery was my nephew, Atticus.”

The arrival of her much-loved nephew was another step in a long journey to becoming a labor and delivery nurse, where Otto hopes to make an impact on the lives of women and children.

After high school, she studied neuropsychology at SUNY Purchase, hoping to be a women’s health researcher. While a student there, she published studies focusing on birth control, hormones and how they affect learning and memory in women.

She earned a bachelor’s degree, then took a job doing authorizations

FUN FACT

at a hospital. She secured a role in clinical research, but it wasn’t a great fit. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, she worked as an insurance agent.

“I didn’t know what to do with my life,” she admitted. “After two years, I realized it was not my passion, that I was born to be in the medical field.”

Playing a large part in that decision is her own experiences as a mom: She met her husband when she was working in a restaurant and he was a single dad in need of babysitting help for his newborn son. “I stepped in as a friend, fell in love and started raising my son when he was 4 months old,” she said of the now-8-year-old she adopted. “And I knew I wanted to be an advocate for infants who couldn’t advocate for themselves, having adopted my son and seeing the beautiful life that came from that.”

With the support of her husband, a chef who works nights, she enrolled in SUNY Adirondack’s rigorous Nursing program.

Otto was grateful to find several other mothers in the Nursing program.

“We made a lot of friends who were moms in the same situation,” she said.

“So we would let the kids play and we would study as a group.”

Raising a child while in school also forced Otto to commit to self-care.

“I used my son as a resource to go outside, to walk to the park, to get out of my school brain,” she said.

She is honest about the difficulties being a full-time student presented.

“I was humbled by the nursing program,” she admitted. “I thought, ‘This is going to be easy’ and it was very much not. A lot of people have the idea that nurses are lesser, but they don’t understand how much work it is, the critical thinking that comes with it.”

Despite the hard work, Otto is thrilled with her experience. “I couldn’t have asked for a better two years of college,” she said. “There is something nice about going back a little older, more mature, a better way of thinking. I was very focused and into what I was studying, and making connections for the future was exciting.”

LILY OTTO’S SISTER, KES OTTO-PODKLADEK (YES, MOTHER OF ATTICUS), ATTENDED EARLY COLLEGE CAREER ACADEMY AT SUNY ADIRONDACK AND WAS FEATURED IN THE SUMMER 2023 EDITION OF COMMUNITY ROOTS. (SCAN THE QR CODE.) “WE ALL WENT TO SUNY ADIRONDACK AND LOVE IT,” LILY OTTO SAID.

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“I live in Schuylerville, so SUNY Adirondack was perfect. I don’t know if I could have earned a Nursing degree if I worked all day, had to do a clinical and had to commute.

It was nice having everything close, right around the corner.”

ALEX KEISER

HOMETOWN: TICONDEROGA, NEW YORK 2009 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN COMMUNICATIONS 2024 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: NURSE AT SARATOGA HOSPITAL Alex Keiser was a squeamish kid, so nursing wasn’t an obvious career choice.

“If you asked 17- or 18-year-old me, being a nurse was probably far from what I thought I would do,” said Keiser, who graduated from SUNY Adirondack’s Nursing program in December 2024. “My mom said I used to be afraid of blood and guts and stuff like that; now I can handle it.”

In fact, after high school, Keiser wanted to work in TV or radio, so she studied a year at North Country Community College, then transferred to SUNY Adirondack, where she earned a degree in communications. “I didn’t really pay attention to any of the other programs,” she said. “I said, ‘This is what I want to do.’”

She worked retail through college, then after graduation worked her way through the ranks at Zumiez, a national retailer centered on boardsports culture. “I was promoted pretty fast; all the soft skills I learned through college helped me,” she said. “I flew all over, and was at events with Shaun White, Danny Kass and even Tony Hawk.”

As time went on, though, Keiser started to realize she wanted something

else. “I was trying to sell people, which takes some skills, but instead of taking people’s money, I’d rather help somebody,” she said.

A friend had just completed training to be a licensed practical nurse through Mildred Elly, so Keiser enrolled and, within 16 months, passed boards and started work as an LPN at an Albany Medical Center urology clinic. There, she said, she was always learning and building rapport with patients.

Medical Surgical Nurses

the little things: the clinical uniform, everything was set up and ready, and I just had to pick it up and go. That was fantastic.”

But she wanted more. “I had no idea where to start,” she said about going back to college to earn a nursing degree.

Keiser was part of a grant-funded bridge program that allowed a cohort of LPNs to start Nursing courses at SUNY Adirondack Saratoga. “I loved the small class size, and everybody helps everybody,” she said. “It was nice to have a small group and camaraderie.”

Then she heard about a program SUNY Adirondack offered for LPNs through Healthcare Pathways, a grant-funded office at the college that develops career pathways and supports individuals pursuing training and education for careers in health care.

She called to learn more.

Despite early apprehension about being older than some of her classmates, Keiser said it actually turned out to be an asset. “Being an LPN helped some of them [classmates in their early 20s] feel a little more comfortable knowing I had been in the field,” she said. “It was a good feeling.”

“Everything sounded amazing,” Keiser gushed.

“It made it so easy: My books were covered — one less stressor. It was

“I’ve had a lot of different life experiences,” she said. “When you’re so young, you don’t know what you want to do. Nursing offers so many ways I can impact someone’s day or life or moment.”

FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE SUNY Adirondack offers Healthcare Pathways, a program funded by a State University of New York (SUNY) Future of Work Centers grant, which allows the college to support individuals pursuing training and education for careers in health care.

Financial support is available for participants in noncredit training or degree programs in the way of books, uniforms, gas cards and technology, as well as access to emergency funds so students can overcome barriers to complete their education or employment retention.

Scan this QR code to learn more about Healthcare Pathways.

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“I have worked over the years with so many graduates from SUNY Adirondack who are amazing nurses.”

After Melissa Blackmer was a nurse for several years, she started training new nurses and discovered a passion for teaching.

“I really enjoyed being a preceptor and training, so I decided to go back to school,” she remembered.

The Warrensburg native went to Nursing school at SUNY Adirondack straight out of high school, then dove in to the field. “I started in medical-surgical nursing, ended up loving it and stayed in that area for 15 years,” she said.

After realizing how much she loved teaching, she earned bachelor’s and

master’s degrees from Sage Colleges — all while working full time and raising a family.

During her master’s program, her clinical practicum was at SUNY Adirondack with Nursing faculty — some of whom had taught her during her associate program.

MELISSA BLACKMER

Nursing Professors

HOMETOWN: WARRENSBURG, NEW YORK 1999 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING 2009 GRADUATE OF SAGE COLLEGES WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN NURSING 2013 GRADUATE OF SAGE COLLEGES WITH A MASTER’S DEGREE IN EDUCATION CURRENTLY: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF NURSING AT SUNY ADIRONDACK; PER DIEM NURSE AT GLENS FALLS HOSPITAL AND NORTHERN GI ENDOSCOPY CENTER

“I started working as a clinical instructor and absolutely loved it,” she said. “So I thought I could switch roles, and work per diem as a nurse and full time with students.”

She did just that, stepping into a full-time role teaching at SUNY Adirondack.

“Helping them connect what they were learning in the classroom to actually being at the bedside with the patient, it’s very rewarding to see them be excited the first time they administered medication, did an injection or really developed a good patient relationship,” she said. “It’s reward-

ing to watch them and help them learn and grow. By the end of the semester, they have so much more confidence and are so excited about everything they’re learning.”

Blackmer teaches a nine-hour clinical every week, as well as two lectures. “I have a mix of secondand third-semester nursing students, so they have different levels of experience and coursework, and students of all ages, and some LPNs,” she said. “So I see a lot of shared learning and relationships develop, and that’s something I really enjoy.”

“It’s so rewarding to be back teaching where I graduated from,” she said. “I feel like SUNY Adirondack has just been a big part of my life.”

HEALTHY RESULTS IN 2024, 96 PERCENT (72 OUT OF 75) OF SUNY ADIRONDACK NURSING STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE NCLEX-RN EXAM PASSED THE FIRST TIME. THAT SUCCESS RATE COMPARES WITH 87.09 PERCENT IN NEW YORK STATE, AND 90.64 PERCENT NATIONALLY. (THE REMAINING STUDENTS PASSED ON THEIR SECOND ATTEMPTS.)

FUN FACT

WHEN MELISSA BLACKMER WAS A STUDENT AT SUNY ADIRONDACK, SHE HAD HER FIRST CHILD, A SON NAMED JOSH CAMERON. HE ATTENDED DAY CARE ON CAMPUS WHILE SHE WENT TO CLASS. “I HAVE A VERY SUPPORTIVE FAMILY AND THE PROFESSORS WERE ACTUALLY REALLY SUPPORTIVE, TOO,” BLACKMER SAID, REMEMBERING THAT HER BABY PLAYED ALONGSIDE THE CHILD OF ONE OF THE NURSING FACULTY MEMBERS. WHEN CAMERON GREW UP, HE ALSO ATTENDED SUNY ADIRONDACK, THEN SURPRISED BLACKMER BY DECIDING TO PURSUE A CAREER IN NURSING, TOO. “I AM SO PROUD OF HIM,” SHE COOED. “HE GRADUATED DURING THE PANDEMIC AND THEN WORKED AS A NURSE RIGHT IN THE PANDEMIC.” READ CAMERON’S STORY, PAGE 12.

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“I love that SUNY Adirondack has an ear to the ground to hear what’s coming, that it’s open to change and wants to know how the wind is shifting and how to stay relevant.”

KYLE WAGNER

Software Development Managers

HOMETOWN: SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK 2008 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CURRENTLY: MANAGER OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AT STEWART’S SHOPS Kyle Wagner was working security when he started at SUNY Adirondack as a Criminal Justice major, but by the time he graduated he had customized a degree that met his interests.

“As I started going through the courses, I liked the Criminal Justice program, but it didn’t strike a balance for me with other passions I have,” Wagner said.

Instead, he was drawn to Information Technology, where he focused on software development and programming.

“I like to build things, do things with my hands, work on cars,” he said.

“I’m still able to exercise my desire for creativity; instead of building an engine, I’m creating a piece of software someone is using to make their lives, their day-to-day, better.”

Wagner grew up in Saratoga and, after high school, took a year off before enrolling at SUNY Adirondack. “I tried to figure out what I wanted to do,” he said.

FUN FACT

Attending SUNY Adirondack allowed him to continue that exploration. “They were open to allowing me to customize my degree to better fit the path that best fit me,” he said.

After graduating, he took an entry-level job as a software developer at Stewart’s. Sixteen years later, he is manager of software development, leading a nine-person team that maintains the company’s computer systems.

“The fact there was a software development office at Stewart’s was surprising to me,” he admitted. “Stewart’s is unique — we’re a convenience store chain; we’re not a Google, an Airbnb.

We sell milk, eggs, ice cream, bread and gas. Most companies in our retail division outsource that work.”

“Stewart’s very strongly advocates for keeping everything as much as we can internally, for better control, and so we can react and respond faster,

CORPORATE SUPPORT

with a better breadth of knowledge of the company,” Wagner said.

“They’re a good company and I’m very grateful for it.”

He loves his work and appreciates his co-workers. “I love being able to solve problems, that definitely fits my problem-solving mentality, and then building something to solve the problem, figuring out a solution and actually implementing it,” he said. “This allows me to exercise that creativity, to figure out ‘Here’s this department or employee trying to do a job, it’s inefficient, but we have full control of our system, so let’s help them, let’s improve it.’”

“I’m definitely an outdoor kind of person, which balances well with having a desk job,” he said.

Outside work, he’s active, riding his motorcycle and working on a 1931 Ford Model A. He and his wife have two young children, so the family spends a lot of time camping and boating on the Hudson River.

“I love turning wrenches and figuring out how things work,” he said.

STEWART’S SHOPS AND THE DAKE FAMILY, A FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR THE GREATER CAPITAL REGION, ARE LONGTIME SUPPORTERS OF SUNY ADIRONDACK. STEWART’S IS THE COLLEGE’S LARGEST CORPORATE SPONSOR AND CONTRIBUTED NEARLY $400,000 TO SUPPORT THE REACH NEW HEIGHTS CAMPAIGN, DEVELOPMENT OF THE REGIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION CENTER, SCHOLARSHIPS FOR COMMUNITY YOUTH TO ATTEND SUMMER ENRICHMENT AND THE COLLEGE’S TURF FIELD.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEWEST ALUMNI!

Scan this QR code to access and download free photos from graduation.

SANDRA SIMPSON

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HOMETOWN: WATERTOWN, NEW YORK 1966 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: RETIRED

“There’s so many times that I knew I was doing the right thing.”

RUSS DANFORTH

HOMETOWN: ADAMSVILLE, NEW YORK 1976 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN ENGINEERING SCIENCE CURRENTLY: RETIRED ENGINEER AND PARTNER IN FPI MECHANICAL; OWNER OF MEC CONSULTING; MEMBER OF SUNY ADIRONDACK FOUNDATION’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

“This college was the best investment in education I had. Everything is so much more geared toward the student here than at a larger university.”

LISA BRODT HOMETOWN: SOUTH GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK 1997 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: NURSE IN GLENS FALLS HOSPITAL’S SNUGGERY

“I knew SUNY Adirondack had a great Nursing program, a very sought-after, in-demand program that people wanted to be part of.”

CASSANDRA MOORE HOMETOWN: SOUTH GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK 2005 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: SERVICE LINE ADMINISTRATOR AND DIRECTOR OF NEUROLOGY AND STROKE PROGRAM AT GLENS FALLS HOSPITAL; ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR IN SUNY ADIRONDACK’S NURSING PROGRAM

“I love what I do.”

FIONA WOHLFARTH HOMETOWN: CORINTH, NEW YORK 2013 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN ENGINEERING SCIENCE CURRENTLY: SENIOR HUMAN FACTORS DESIGN ENGINEER AT MEDTRONIC

“The community at SUNY Adirondack was the best part of my college experience.”

STEPHANIE GENGEL HOMETOWN: QUEENSBURY, NEW YORK 2016 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: PEDIATRIC PSYCHIATRIC NURSE; CLINICAL INSTRUCTOR AT ST. PETER’S HOSPITAL; EARNING A MASTER’S DEGREE TO BE A PSYCHIATRIC MENTAL HEALTH NURSE PRACTITIONER

“SUNY Adirondack is the best education I’ve had.”

ALYSSA CARKNARD

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HOMETOWN: MECHANICVILLE, NEW YORK 2017 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: NURSE AT ALBANY MEDICAL CENTER

“One of the biggest bonuses of the job is the ability to see people go from their worst to their best and go home.”

KATHLEEN BROWN HOMETOWN: CENTRAL ISLIP, NEW YORK 2018 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: NURSE AT SARATOGA HOSPITAL

“You can start at SUNY Adirondack and go very far. I believe I’m fulfilling my life’s purpose. Every time I go to work, I feel fulfilled.”

TYLER COONS HOMETOWN: SOUTH GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK 2019 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN ENGINEERING SCIENCE CURRENTLY: MECHANICAL DESIGNER/ENGINEER AT TYMETAL

“The teachers at SUNY Adirondack … helped me find my way.”

KRYSTIANA NORMAN HOMETOWN: LANSINGBURGH, NEW YORK 2020 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN NURSING CURRENTLY: NURSE AT ST. PETER’S HOSPITAL

“SUNY Adirondack is a nice way to go away to college and have a good experience, but stay financially grounded.”

ANNE WOJTOWECZ HOMETOWN: GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK 2021 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: INFORMATION SECURITY CURRENTLY: INSTRUCTOR OF IT NETWORKING AND CYBERSECURITY AT SUNY ADIRONDACK

“I realized, ‘I’m tired of doing entry-level positions. What do I want my legacy to be?’

I need to go back to school.”

CARTER RENEAU HOMETOWN: QUEENSBURY, NEW YORK 2023 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN MECHATRONICS CURRENTLY: FABRICATOR AT GRANITE AND MARBLE WORKS

“I really enjoy being able to see a project from raw material to finished product.

It’s so satisfying.”

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— George Eliot

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