COMMUNITY ROOTS
A
ONE CAMPUS, TWO COLLEGES
Brady Sausville decided not to go to college. He was making good money detailing cars and saw his friends struggling at far-flung institutions.
Then he visited SUNY Adirondack, and all that changed.
“I just loved SUNY Adirondack, because it wasn’t massive,” said Sausville, who majored in Business Administration and was a standout baseball player for the Timberwolves. “I saw how much debt my friends were acquiring at big universities and I wanted no part of that. But SUNY Adirondack is so different.”
His experience was so good that, when he graduated, he decided to enroll at SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business and Finance. “It was like nothing changed for me,” he said. “I lived in the dorms, so I just walked another 100 yards to be here.”
Today, Sausville is co-owner of Sausville Benson Financial, an investment firm.
Were it not for the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury, Sausville and countless others might not have pursued higher-level academic degrees.
The two colleges have long been educational partners, but in April we announced — amid great fanfare at an event bedecked in cardinal red and spruce green — a dual acceptance agreement.
This arrangement is exciting, as it further simplifies the process of earning an associate degree from SUNY Adirondack, then transferring to a bachelor’s program at SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury.
This was a natural next step for the two colleges, which have been closely tied for decades.
SUNY Plattsburgh started offering courses in this region in the 1980s, and moved into space on SUNY Adirondack’s Queensbury campus the following decade.
By 2007, SUNY Plattsburgh secured branch campus status — like SUNY Adirondack Saratoga’s recent appointment as such, that means a degree can be earned entirely from that facility — at SUNY Adirondack. In 2008, SUNY Plattsburgh was the first partner to move into Bryan Hall, SUNY Adirondack’s Regional Higher Education Center.
Since its earliest days, when SUNY Plattsburgh taught classes out of Queensbury High School, it has been the only four-year institution in Warren County. The college is also the only brick-and-mortar public institution to offer bachelor’s degrees between Albany and Plattsburgh.
That is critical for people who live and work locally and, whether by choice or obligation, cannot leave the area to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“It was a perfect transition from high school to community college, to a four-year school,” Sausville said. “It didn’t feel like I was alone; it was a tight-knit community.”
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 Civil Rights Compliance Coordinators/Officers: Cornelius Gilbert, Chief Diversity Officer/Title IX Coordinator, Scoville 326, gilbertc@sunyacc.edu, 518-743-2313; Mindy Wilson, Associate Vice President of Human Resources/Payroll & Affirmative Action 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.
OUR ALUMNI BECOME
Clinical Directors
College Access Advisors
Coordinators of Family and Children Services
District Office Managers
Intermediate School Teachers
Employment Counselors
Preventive Services Caseworkers
Real Estate Brokers
Research Services Librarians
Residential Coordinators
Tax Associates and so much more!
NUMBER OF GRADUATES FROM SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY SINCE IT BECAME A BRANCH CAMPUS IN 2007
SUNY COLLEGE TO ESTABLISH A BRANCH CAMPUS AT A COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SUNY PLATTSBURGH STARTED OFFERING GRADUATE-LEVEL CLASSES IN EDUCATION IN QUEENSBURY
100% 100%
2008
OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR FINANCIAL AID
OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY STUDENTS WORK WHILE ENROLLED
OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY STUDENTS REPORT BEING FIRST-GENERATION STUDENTS
FACULTY TO STUDENT RATIO AT SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY
OF SPRING 2024 SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY STUDENTS TRANSFERRED FROM SUNY ADIRONDACK
OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY MAJORS HAVE INTERNSHIPS, HANDS-ON LEARNING OR RESEARCH BUILT INTO THE CURRICULUM 90% 15% 1:10 75%
SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY MOVED INTO BRYAN HALL, SUNY ADIRONDACK’S CENTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
“I found great mentors at SUNY Plattsburgh. They go above and beyond to see their students succeed.”
BRANDON BARTON
HOMETOWN: HUDSON FALLS, NEW YORK
2000 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS
2012 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY
2014 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH WITH A MASTER’S DEGREE IN MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING
CURRENTLY: CLINICAL DIRECTOR OF KEE TO INDEPENDENT GROWTH
Deciding what he wanted to be when he grew up took Brandon Barton some time to, well, grow up.
The Hudson Falls native graduated from high school, earned an associate degree from SUNY Adirondack, then hit the road.
“I didn’t feel like I wasn’t ready to get a job; I just wanted to do other things,” said Barton, who traveled, settled in Florida for a bit and worked in mental health-related jobs.
By the time he was 30, he found his direction, and returned home to further his education. “I loved being able to have 10 years of life experience and then heading back to the classroom,” he said.
He enrolled at SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury and earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, then made the trip to SUNY Plattsburgh’s main campus to earn a master’s degree. “I had been away 10 years and was really determined,” he said.
After graduation, he worked for Alliance for Positive Health, then had an opportunity to become clinical director of the northern region for Kee to Independent Growth, a nonprofit organization that serves individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), developmental disabilities, progressive medical conditions, mental health and substance abuse disorders, veterans and seniors.
“We provide specialized services in homes or out in the community,” Barton said. “It is really great, eliminates some of those barriers, it’s like therapy on the road and I get to meet them, literally, where they’re at, to provide the services these people are entitled to.”
Barton is happy to work with clients at local parks or big-box stores — wherever they’re comfortable — but particularly enjoys home visits.
“I feel really lucky they let me into their homes,” he said. “It’s a sacred place for some people and trusting me, as a stranger, it’s just amazing to see their transformation as we build a relationship and trust.”
Every day is different, he said, and some days are hard, as clients struggle. “I have worked hard over the years to understand that while I care, I can’t take it all on,” he said. Those days, Barton finds solace in his rescue dog, Jack, a feist who loves hiking and road trips as much as his human companion does.
But good days at work far outnumber the tough ones. “For me, it’s really when you see a client, especially those who are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, when they experience success on their terms,” Barton said. “It’s exciting to see the light bulb go off in their heads that they are worth something and can do difficult things.”
ACCORDING TO THE CONTINENTAL KENNEL CLUB, FEISTS ARE A FAMILY OF DOGS DEVELOPED IN THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES FROM HUNTING DOGS BROUGHT STATESIDE BY GERMAN AND IRISH IMMIGRANTS. THE DOGS WERE DEVELOPED TO HUNT AND ERADICATE PESTS, AND FOR COMPANIONSHIP. THE WORD “FEIST” IS DERIVED FROM THE GERMAN “FYST,” WHICH MEANS “A FOUL SMELL”; THEIR EARLY NAME IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN “FYSTING CURRES” OR “STINKING DOGS.” THE BREED WAS USED IN DEVELOPMENT OF TEDDY ROOSEVELT AND RAT TERRIER BREEDS.
“The experience you have at SUNY Adirondack is really the experience you put into it.”
JENNA EARLE
HOMETOWN: QUEENSBURY, NEW YORK
College Access Advisors
2017 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS: HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
2019 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY
CURRENTLY: COLLEGE ACCESS ADVISOR AT SUNY ADIRONDACK
Jenna Earle juggled several jobs to get through college.
“I was walking dogs between classes,” she marveled. “I had to pay for my own education, so I was an assistant manager at a Payless, and had two campus jobs.”
The first-generation college graduate now uses what she learned navigating higher education to help others reach their goals.
As an advisor in SUNY Adirondack’s College Access (akin to what some colleges refer to as “Admissions,” but with additional support), Earle helps people — many of them first-generation college students — through the application and acceptance process.
“I get to help students, a lot in the same position I was,” she said.
For Earle, that meant she enrolled at SUNY Adirondack with little knowledge of what to expect and little support, but a lot of determination. “I was out to prove I could do it,” she said.
What she discovered was an environment designed to help her.
“I fell in love with campus,” she said. “I had a lot of support that I didn’t have at home or in high school.”
She thrived and graduated summa cum laude.
As she looked into bachelor’s degree programs, SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury stood out. “I wanted to stay here because it felt like home,” she said.
She started college with the idea of getting into social work and counseling. By the end of her first year at SUNY Plattsburgh, she knew she wanted to work in higher education.
“Before I even graduated, I applied for a position in HPOG [Health Profession Opportunity Grants, which SUNY Adirondack had at the time],” she said. “That was the best of both worlds: social work but also higher education student success.”
She stayed on through the life of the grant, then went to work in human services. She offered employment counseling and helped transition students from high school to college. “That was my favorite thing to do there,” she admitted.
When SUNY Adirondack listed a College Access advisor position, she applied immediately. “I knew it was where I needed to be,” she said.
JENNA AT THE 2017 SUNY ADIRONDACK GRADUATION CEREMONY
JENNA EARLE HAS A SELF-DESCRIBED “SIMPLE LIFE.” “I LIKE TO READ AND WALK MY DOG,” SHE SAID. HER DOG, CARTER, IS A ROTTWEILER AND PERFECT COMPANION AS EARLE DIVES INTO HISTORICAL FICTION AND MEMOIRS. AMONG RECENT READS ARE “HALF BROKE HORSES: A TRUE LIFE NOVEL” BY JEANNETTE WALLS AND “AMERICAN VALUES: LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY FAMILY” BY ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR.
“I absolutely love SUNY Adirondack. I love my professors, and I love being up here. I feel so safe and comfortable at this campus.”
ALEXANDREA SCARCHILLI
HOMETOWN: STILLWATER, NEW YORK
Coordinators of Family and Children Services
2022 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS: HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, WITH A CONCENTRATION IN PSYCHOLOGY
2024 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY
CURRENTLY: LIBRARY ASSISTANT AND COORDINATOR OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN SERVICES AT STILLWATER PUBLIC LIBRARY
When Alexandrea Scarchilli told her son she was going to college, a then-8-year-old David beamed with pride and excitement. Then his sweet face fell and was taken over with panic.
“‘But where will I live?’,” Scarchilli remembered him asking, laughing now at the memory of having to explain she didn’t have to leave home to attend SUNY Adirondack.
When Scarchilli was in high school, the Stillwater native planned to go to college after graduation, but became pregnant with David her junior year.
“My life took another turn, and the priority was being a mom,” she said. She worked at Stillwater Public Library, a job she has had since high school, and in special education, which aligned well with a lifelong interest in psychology. So when David was old enough, Scarchilli decided it was time for her to earn a degree.
“In seventh grade, we were asked ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ and I remember writing, ‘I want to be a psychologist,’” she said. “My father fought in Vietnam and has pretty severe PTSD, so that always fascinated me — what makes people tick, what about the brain makes people act the way they do, what’s behavioral and genetic, what goes right and what goes wrong.”
So when she enrolled at SUNY Adirondack, she knew her major would be Liberal Arts: Humanities and Social Sciences with a concentration in Psychology. “I always want to understand the inner workings of people’s brains to help them,” she said.
As she wrapped up an associate degree, she began to plan for the future but worried about what having to commute would mean.
“I don’t know why my brain missed the mark,” she said. “Why stress about trying to go to Albany or Troy, and driving south, when there’s a perfectly viable option in this place I’m comfortable in? I felt so safe and comfortable at this campus, there’s no cons to this.”
Scarchilli went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury. She was selected as student speaker at commencement, where she delivered a moving address about overcoming adversity.
“I wanted my son to see you can do things despite what might not be the most ideal situation,” she said. “He knows more about the struggles I had to overcome to get us where we are, and he’s definitely proud.”
Before graduation, Scarchilli already signed on to a full-time position at Stillwater Public Library, as library assistant and coordinator of Family and Children Services, a new position that aligns well with her expertise and interests.
“I want to really dig in to bringing things like AA and how to deal with loved ones struggling with addiction, suicide prevention, sustainability, help make America green again, eat your colors, educating children on how to prepare healthy meals, what that looks like, and different programs that really bring life and culture to Stillwater and make it accessible.”
“I have such a thirst for learning,” Scarchilli said, “and want to share that with others.”
ALEXANDREA SPEAKING AT THE 2024 SUNY ADIRONDACK/ SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY GRADUATION CEREMONY
“I’m very appreciative of SUNY Adirondack and the Queensbury branch campus of SUNY Plattsburgh. They provide an enormous amount of assistance for every student. I know sometimes students don’t have great experiences at different schools, but for me it was a truly amazing experience to attend both colleges, to have the process be so seamless, and the professors so knowledgeable and insightful.”
KIERSTEN DECANIO
HOMETOWN: LAKE GEORGE, NEW YORK
District Office Managers
2019 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
2021 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
CURRENTLY: DISTRICT OFFICE MANAGER FOR ASSEMBLYMAN MATT SIMPSON, R-NY114
Kiersten DeCanio studied criminal justice and thought she’d work in law enforcement, so she was surprised to find a career in the office of an elected official.
“At the beginning, I had no idea what I wanted to do,” admitted DeCanio, who grew up in New Jersey and moved to Lake George as a teenager. “This great opportunity landed in my lap and I took advantage of it.”
After graduating from Lake George High School, DeCanio attended a community college in New Jersey for a semester. “I realized it was not for me,” she said. “I felt like I didn’t belong there, I didn’t know anybody there, I was all by myself. I felt distant from the school and had a really difficult time in large classes.”
She returned home and enrolled at SUNY Adirondack. “It was a 10-minute drive from my house,” she explained.
DeCanio was always fascinated by law enforcement, so she selected Criminal Justice as a major. “I loved ‘Criminal Minds’ and all those crime shows, and my stepdad is in law enforcement, so there was always just something about it,” she said. “I chose it so that it would be something I would absolutely love or absolutely hate.”
Fortunately, she loved her classes and, as she prepared to graduate from SUNY Adirondack, started looking at options to earn a bachelor’s degree.
“I had a decision: Go to University at Albany because its Criminal Justice program is fantastic, and go way more into debt than I needed to, be away from my family and live on my own for the first time, or I could stay local, stay where I’m comfortable,” she explained.
She chose the latter and started work on a bachelor’s
degree
at SUNY
Plattsburgh at Queensbury. As a student
at Adirondack, DeCanio was involved in Student Senate, College Activity Board, Faculty Student Association and the Semiformal Committee.
“I was able to continue being involved in those, which was very
important to me, to build my resume that way.”
During her senior year, she was looking for internships and saw a job listing in the office of newly elected Assemblyman Matt Simpson. She applied and was quickly offered a job, which she accepted, so she worked full time while finishing a degree.
“I’ve been with the assemblyman ever since,” DeCanio said.
As district office manager, she helps connect constituents with resources they need, attends ribbon-cutting ceremonies and special events when Simpson can’t, recognizes constituents for achievements, schedules meetings and meets with local businesses.
“Every day varies,” she said. “We have a small office, so we all do a bit of everything.”
That suits her fine.
“The amount I’ve learned about our community and being able to help people on a daily basis is really rewarding,” she said.
DeCanio never planned to work in politics — and, given the nature of the industry, might not always — but loves the experience. “I don’t feel like I’ve missed out,” she said. “I went into the degree program hoping it was something I learned I loved or hated, and wasn’t so blinded to miss the possibility of other opportunities.”
“My journey of going to SUNY Adirondack and staying there for SUNY Plattsburgh, that option gets overlooked. I wish more kids in high school knew about that pathway. It allowed me to succeed, and I didn’t need to go far from home. I went all the way up to a master’s degree and I never had to leave my community.”
For months, Travis Reynolds struggled to refer to his co-workers — some of whom were his elementary school teachers — by their first names.
“It took a little bit of time,” admitted Reynolds, a fourth-grade teacher at Hudson Falls Intermediate School. “I called them by their last names for the first couple of weeks; it was that weird in-between, like ‘You’ll always be Mrs. Wagner to me!’”
After graduating from Hudson Falls, Reynolds knew he wanted to go to college, but wasn’t sure what he wanted to study. “I had a couple different directions — be a vet, go into business, maybe agricultural business …” he said. “So I decided to stay home and get a grasp on what I wanted to do with my life.”
At SUNY Adirondack, he changed his major a few times, learned that business classes weren’t what he was hoping, that he found psychology
interesting and, at the last minute, was inspired by his sister finishing a master’s degree in education, and decided to stay an extra semester to take a teaching fundamentals class.
“Being in the classroom was exciting,” he said. “It felt so natural.”
In a job shadow during the course, he met a student teacher who was in SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury’s Classroom Academy, in which master’s degree students teach while earning a stipend. “I ended up going the next day
TRAVIS REYNOLDS
HOMETOWN: HUDSON FALLS, NEW YORK
2018 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS: INDIVIDUAL STUDIES
2021 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY
2023 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A MASTER’S DEGREE IN CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
CURRENTLY: FOURTH-GRADE TEACHER IN HUDSON FALLS SCHOOL DISTRICT
and saying, ‘I want to be a teacher, but you don’t have a teaching undergraduate degree. Can I do a Psychology undergraduate and move into a teaching master’s program?’”
With a four-year plan in place, he enrolled at SUNY Plattsburgh’s branch campus. Through Classroom Academy, he was placed in a third-grade classroom in Schenectady, an eye-opening experience for the Washington County native.
“I grew
up in
Hudson
Falls,
with
horses doing rodeos,
and never really went further south than
Saratoga
for
a
lot of my childhood,” Reynolds said. “This student teaching role was a huge culture shock — emotionally, socially, it was way different than being in Hudson Falls. It really opened up a
new population for me, new ideas, I was exposed to different people and different ways of life.”
“I’m a much better educator because of that experience, a better person in society because of it,” he said. “I learned so much from my co-workers and from the kids.”
The structure of the program, too, contributed to the teacher Reynolds would become. “Classroom Academy is extremely unique in that I was in a classroom for two years, vs. two six- or eight-week placements in most programs,” he said. “The more into the program I got, the more meaningful it was, learning things I was going to do the rest of my life as a teacher — how to build relationships with kids, classroom management, how to collaborate with co-workers and colleagues, and being the best educator I can be.”
After earning a master’s degree, Reynolds immediately secured a teaching job at his alma mater. “This was my whole end goal: to be back where I grew up, to give back to the community that shaped me,” he said.
“I really enjoyed my time at SUNY Adirondack. The teachers all were very personable and helped me when I needed it, and the atmosphere on campus was really nice.”
BRITTANY SHUFELT
HOMETOWN: SCHUYLERVILLE, NEW YORK
2017 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS
2021 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY
CURRENTLY: EMPLOYMENT COUNSELOR AT UNLIMITED POTENTIAL
Brittany Shufelt wasn’t sure college was for her, but SUNY Adirondack convinced her otherwise.
“I really didn’t want to go to college, but I felt I needed to have a college degree to pursue a career later in life,” Shufelt said, explaining she originally enrolled at Hudson Valley Community College, but left after a year.
“Once I started at SUNY Adirondack, I changed my mind,” she said.
The support system was just what Shufelt needed. “If I didn’t understand something, the professors always made themselves available to help out,” she said. “Adirondack is a lot smaller than Hudson Valley, where the teachers didn’t seem to be as interested.”
After earning a degree from SUNY Adirondack, Shufelt knew she wanted to help people battling mental health issues, so she transferred to SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury.
“I knew Plattsburgh had the campus at SUNY Adirondack, I really liked how SUNY Adirondack
is laid
out and, since it is so close to home, it was the best option,” she said. “The best part is that it has small class sizes and I was able to get extra help when needed.”
Shufelt’s last semester at SUNY Plattsburgh, she had an internship at WAIT House, a nonprofit organization that helps at-risk and homeless youth. “I knew then what I wanted to do: I want to help people with mental health issues,” she said.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology, then went to work at Unlimited Potential, part of Northern Rivers, a family of human services agencies that assists people struggling with abuse, neglect, trauma, mental health challenges, educational difficulties, career training and employment.
As an employment counselor, Shufelt helps clients work on resumes, perform career assessments, and build interview and networking skills to secure employment. Once clients are hired, Shufelt provides any help they might need at their new jobs.
“A lot are very successful at what they do, while some have concerns,” she explained. “We can help them learn a new computer system, or perform a task; if there’s something they don’t understand, we can help.”
Her job is rewarding, she said. “I enjoy seeing my clients, if they get their first job, the excitement on their faces, and how they feel accomplished and part of the community.”
As much as she loves her work, she has plans to earn a master’s degree to become a counselor. “I think it might be even more fulfilling to help people find ways to get through mental health.”
“My professors gave me a lot of skills I use. I enjoyed the real-world experience I got at SUNY Adirondack and SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury.”
COURTNEY OSWALD
HOMETOWN: LAKE GEORGE, NEW YORK
2014 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS: HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
2016 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
CURRENTLY: CASEWORKER IN WARREN COUNTY CHILD PREVENTIVE SERVICES
When Courtney Oswald started as a caseworker for Warren County Child
Preventive Services, she thought it would be a stepping stone toward a career as a probation officer.
Eight years later, she cannot imagine ever wanting to do anything else. Oswald works with Queensbury Union Free School District, providing support to families and children affected by mental health, substance abuse, behavior issues, homelessness and financial struggles.
“We try to preserve the family and keep them together through all these trials and tribulations,”
Oswald said.
“There are just so many different things that, as a society, are affecting families in our area.”
Oswald grew up on Long Island and moved to Lake George when she was 21. She worked retail and as a transcriptionist to put herself through college. “I love this area and it was always a dream of mine to go to college up here,” she said.
SUNY Adirondack offered the flexibility she needed to work while attending classes. “I’d get in the car in the morning, do an early-morning class, work the whole day, then get in the car and go back for a night class,” she recalled. “I’d be out from like 5 in the morning until 10 at night.”
She first enrolled with the idea of becoming a nurse, but took a criminal law class and fell in love with criminal justice. “I wanted to go to law school, I really did, but reality set in that it wasn’t attainable for me, I didn’t have the financial ability,” she said.
So after earning an associate degree, she enrolled at SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury, studying Criminal Justice, so she could work in probation. After graduating, she worked for Warren County in a clerical role. When a child welfare caseworker test was offered, she took it, thinking the work would help prepare her for probation.
“I’ve been doing this ever since,” she said, explaining that her days vary wildly, depending on need. With 16 families in her caseload, she might have breakfast with a student, work to line up parenting classes for another family, advocate for education, make appointments for mental health services, secure housing, ensure clients are taking medications and everything between.
“This is not a job where you can plan; you have to be prepared for change,” she said.
Unpredictability can be difficult to manage, but the real challenge of being a caseworker is the emotional toll it takes.
“The things I see that a human is capable of doing to a child, or what a human struggles with — there’s no easy way to deal with it,” Oswald admitted. “This work has made me not want to raise children in this world.”
To help maintain a healthy balance, she spends time cooking, walking her dog, Bentley, a fox red Lab, and with her parents and siblings.
“There are cases that keep me up at night,” she said. “There are times when I get frustrated and feel like I’m not doing enough.”
Despite those challenges, Oswald loves her job.
“I’ve had parents say to me, ‘You saved me, you were my life preserver when I was drowning, I’m alive because of you,’” she said. “I see it as a blessing that I’m gifted with the ability to engage a family to make change. I know I make a difference.”
“Going to college when I was a few years older was a cool experience. It made things easier for me to not want to goof around. I wanted to get the job done and make my business flourish.”
TODD SCHERMERHORN JR.
HOMETOWN: FORT EDWARD, NEW YORK
2019 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
2021 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN BUSINESS
CURRENTLY: OWNER OF SCHERMERHORN REALTY GROUP AND LICENSED REAL ESTATE BROKER
After graduating from Hudson Falls High School, Todd Schermerhorn Jr. considered college briefly and instead turned his part-time job in an arcade into a full-time career fixing jukeboxes, ATMs and arcade games.
“I told my boss I was going to go to college for criminal justice and he told me not to go, to work for him, so I decided to do that,” Schermerhorn said. He had a company car, a company phone and housing, and was living a dream life. But four years in, he realized such a physical job might not be best long term. “I started thinking that I might want to use what’s upstairs instead of my hands,” he remembered. “I wanted two things: to make money and not beat the body up.”
Real estate interested him, so he took the steps to get a real estate license and enrolled at SUNY Adirondack to establish a foundation in business.
But building a real estate business and going to school full time wasn’t easy.
“It came down to really hard work,” he remembered. “At times, it was really difficult. I’m not really good at school; I didn’t make it through from being intelligent, I just have a good work ethic.”
Schermerhorn, though, discovered ways to work smarter and not harder. He hired fellow students and friends to stuff and address letters for his burgeoning business, a move that saved him the time of making cold calls and allowed him to focus on his schoolwork.
“That alleviated my real estate prospecting,” he said. “I’d do my homework and, by the time I was
done three or four hours later, I’d be dropping letters off to be mailed.”
After graduating from SUNY Adirondack, he enrolled at SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business.
In 2023, he opened Schermerhorn Realty Group, which has nine agents working for Schermerhorn, who is now a broker.
“I like that I don’t have to go to a job,” he said. “Real estate provides me freedom over anything.”
But his dreams don’t end at expanding his company. “I want to continue my education,” he said, explaining how he’s trying to find a master’s program, and hopes to someday earn a juris doctorate. “I don’t know if real estate is what I want to do the rest of my life, so I want to have that option.”
“Being
a commuter helped me dip my toes in to college. I had the experience of a campus community and all the normal interactions of being a college student, but with the flexibility to maintain a job to get through college and not put myself in debt.”
DANIELLE WALKUP
HOMETOWN: GRANVILLE, NEW YORK
2017 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS: HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, WITH A CONCENTRATION IN PSYCHOLOGY
2019 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY
2021 GRADUATE OF UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY WITH A MASTER’S DEGREE IN LIBRARY SCIENCE
2023 GRADUATE OF BUFFALO STATE UNIVERSITY WITH A MASTER’S DEGREE IN ADULT EDUCATION
CURRENTLY: RESEARCH SERVICES LIBRARIAN AT SUNY ADIRONDACK
After high school, Danielle Walkup enrolled in college somewhat reluctantly, but in the decade since has made academia her life’s work.
“I decided to tread lightly, to see what direction I wanted to go, unsure at the time if I even wanted to pursue a degree, so I came to SUNY Adirondack to find out what higher education was like,” said Walkup, who has since earned associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees. “I fell in love with the environment.”
The Granville native was placed in SUNY Adirondack’s Library as a workstudy assignment. “I really enjoyed it, and haven’t left since,” she said.
When she graduated from SUNY Adirondack and enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program at SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury, she didn’t want to leave the library, so she applied to an open night-shift library specialist job.
“I was on campus from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. for about two years of my life,” she laughed. “In that time, there was a shift: I knew psychology was no longer the route I wanted to take
because I loved the environment in an academic library. The longer I spent here, the more I realized I wanted to be in the library field.”
Driven by a natural curiosity and love of research, Walkup found herself drawn to the access libraries provide. “I’ve always been intrigued by assessment, so as I worked through my academic career and became a librarian, I want to help students with researching and making sure they’re able to navigate their degree paths.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree, she enrolled in an online Library Science master’s degree program at University at Albany. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Walkup buckled down on her studies, determined to finish a degree before two librarians at SUNY Adirondack retired. She completed the master’s program in August 2021 and earned a position as librarian in September of that year.
She is one of two full-time librarians on campus, and teaches information literacy classes.
But still she wasn’t ready to close
the book on learning. She enrolled at Buffalo State University, where she earned a master’s degree in Adult Education, graduating in December 2024 with a 4.0 grade point average, despite working full time throughout the program.
“Adult students tell me they’re anxious about returning to school, and that sparked my interest to see if I could help those students,” she said. “I want to pursue more of an administrative role in higher education, to be more of an advocate for adult students.”
In the meantime, she’s happy to be in an atmosphere only a library can provide. “Libraries are unique, there’s nothing else like that out in the world, with access to so much information that’s free to use,” she said. “You have people willing to help you and a ton of extremely beneficial services.”
DANIELLE WALKUP REFERS TO HERSELF AS “NOT A TRADITIONAL LIBRARIAN.”
“I HAVE TATTOOS AND A NOSE PIERCING,” SHE LAUGHED. “I ALSO PLAY ‘CALL OF DUTY,’ WHICH THROWS PEOPLE OFF. ALSO, TO THIS DAY, I DON’T ENJOY READING FOR FUN. I ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT PICK
SEE IT.”
“You are not your circumstances, you’re much more. What you’re going through does not have to determine your future.”
ASHLEY MCCARTHY
HOMETOWN: GRANVILLE, NEW YORK
2017 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN LIBERAL ARTS: HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, WITH A CONCENTRATION IN PSYCHOLOGY
2020 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY
CURRENTLY: RESIDENTIAL COORDINATOR OF HOUSING FIRST AT ASCEND MENTAL WELLNESS
Growing up, Ashley McCarthy spent more than a year in the foster care system and bounced around several schools.
“I have faced complete adversity my whole life,” said McCarthy, who moved to Granville when she was in fifth grade.
“I think many people do, so I want my overcoming it to be an example.”
After graduating from high school, McCarthy enrolled at SUNY Adirondack, which was near enough to home that she could work full time. “My family couldn’t afford to put me through school,” she said.
She thought she wanted to study Nursing, but took a psychology course and changed her mind. “I was working for Warren-Washington Association for Mental Health, so learning about mental health and the brain, and being able to apply what I was learning to real life, made me fall in love with the field,” she said.
McCarthy thrived in SUNY Adirondack’s Humanities and Social Sciences program and became a Psychology tutor, despite struggling with a learning disability. “I didn’t always use the Accessibility Services Office, but it was a safety net for me, which made me feel super comfortable,” she said.
After graduating from SUNY Adirondack, she considered attending SUNY Plattsburgh at its main campus.
“Financially, I just couldn’t do it,” she admitted. “But then I realized the branch campus was here, so I was able to work full time and attend classes around my work schedule.”
Since earning a bachelor’s degree, she moved up the ranks and today serves as residential coordinator of Housing First, an Ascend Mental Wellness program that provides affordable permanent housing for 18 individuals with histories of being homeless and struggling with mental illness or substance abuse.
“There is such a need for homeless housing,” McCarthy said, explaining how Ascend offers a variety of services.
“I always knew I wanted to make a positive impact on somebody’s life; I knew I needed to improve quality of life, in one way or another.”
She’s confident she does in her work for Ascend.
“As a human being, sometimes we want to wave a magic wand to make it better for someone, but I honestly can say that just being there and listening is probably better support than some of these people have ever seen,” said McCarthy, who hopes to earn a master’s degree in social work. “I always say the one thing you know is that when you leave that building, you’ve at least impacted one life positively.”
FUN FACT
SUNY ADIRONDACK’S ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES OFFICE (ASO) PROVIDES EQUAL ACCESS TO THE COLLEGE’S PROGRAMS, SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DOCUMENTED PHYSICAL, LEARNING AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISABILITIES.
IN THE 2023-24 ACADEMIC YEAR, 447 STUDENTS — OR ABOUT 16 PERCENT OF SUNY ADIRONDACK STUDENTS — RECEIVED SERVICES FROM ASO.
“I am thankful for my time at SUNY Adirondack because when I look back, I wouldn’t be where I am if not for everything working out so well there.”
BRITTNEY CAMPBELL
HOMETOWN: CORINTH, NEW YORK
2017 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK WITH A DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
2019 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY WITH A BACHELOR’S DEGREE IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
2022 GRADUATE OF ALBANY LAW SCHOOL WITH A JURIS DOCTOR DEGREE
CURRENTLY: TAX ASSOCIATE AT SHADE TREE ADVISORS
At SUNY Adirondack, Brittney Campbell found a passion many people never discover — namely, love for business law and accounting.
“I knew I wanted to study business administration, but did not yet know what I wanted to do from there,” the Corinth native said. “When I got to SUNY Adirondack, I discovered a few professors who were truly above and beyond all expectations, which is what led me to where I am today as a tax associate.”
Campbell started at SUNY Adirondack for practical reasons — “I always appreciated that SUNY Adirondack was nearby, and affordability was a factor. But really it was just that, from what I could tell, the education I would get from there was exactly what I expected from anywhere else. So why wouldn’t I go to this place that allows me to fulfill my familial obligations without breaking the bank?” she leveled — but ended up head over heels for what would become her career path.
“[Professor of Business] John Arpey, in particular, helped me realize I loved my business law class; that’s why I ultimately went to Albany Law School,” said Campbell, who after completing an associate degree, earned a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury. “He was so passionate about helping students learn the
materials — obviously the law isn’t something everyone gets excited about — but he brought the materials alive, so you could see practical applications and understand it.”
“Professors [Heidi] Durkee and [Jeffrey] Bittman took materials that can, admittedly, be very dry, incorporated their knowledge and work experience into lessons, and made it so difficult concepts became clear,” she said.
That early understanding of complex concepts served Campbell well as she furthered her education. “SUNY Adirondack was really the foundation for me,” she said. “When I was thinking about a bachelor’s degree, it seemed like a match made in heaven to go to Plattsburgh. I could continue learning business administration with the same support, the same resources of SUNY Adirondack’s campus; I felt like I was getting a four-year degree from SUNY Adirondack, so it was a perfect decision.”
Law school provided new opportunities to use what she learned at SUNY Adirondack. “Nothing truly prepares you for law school, but I didn’t feel like I was
walking in at zero,” she said. “I often thought, ‘I can remember Professor Arpey going over this,’ or ‘I’ve seen this before’; obviously it was a different perspective and a deeper dive, but nothing seemed brand new or completely scary.”
BRITTNEY GRADUATED FIRST IN HER CLASS FROM ALBANY LAW SCHOOL.
MATT STEVENS
HOMETOWN: ARGYLE, NEW YORK
2013 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK
2015 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY
2021 GRADUATE OF THE COLLEGE OF SAINT ROSE
“The
academics [at SUNY Adirondack] are very similar to a four-year school; financially, it made sense, and it was close to home.”
KAYLA APPLE
HOMETOWN: SCHUYLERVILLE, NEW YORK
2010 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK
2013 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY
“I
grew up in Schuylerville, which is so small, and SUNY Adirondack works so well for those small-town kids. I felt right at home.”
SARAH VALENTINE
HOMETOWN: BALLSTON SPA, NEW YORK
2016 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK
2018 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY
“It’s really the financial freedom you have that is unexplainable. I’m like the advocate for community college and SUNY schools.”
BROOKE LACY
HOMETOWN: CORINTH, NEW YORK
2016 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK
2018 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY
“Everything that I learned at SUNY Adirondack has helped me become who I am and get where I am now.”
BRADY SAUSVILLE
HOMETOWN: CAMBRIDGE, NEW YORK
2016 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK
2018 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY
JAMIE MUNYON
HOMETOWN: SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK
2002 GRADUATE OF CLINTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
2016 GRADUATE OF SUNY ADIRONDACK
2019 GRADUATE OF SUNY PLATTSBURGH AT QUEENSBURY
“My experience at SUNY Adirondack was great.”
“It’s brilliant. That’s my advice: Find a two-year school and go there first.”
FUN FACT
In speaking with graduates of SUNY Adirondack and SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury, a theme emerged. Many commented that they find solace in their pets. To celebrate four-legged furry friends, we thought we would include their pictures (they were too busy snuggling their humans to be interviewed).
1 2 3
5 6 4 7
1. Jenna Earle’s Rottweiler, Carter, whom she usually calls Muffin 2. Danielle Walkup’s Australian shepherds, River (left) and Finn (right) 3. Brandon Barton’s feist, Jack 4. Kiersten DeCanio’s plotthound, Koda 5. Courtney Oswald’s fox red Labrador, Bentley James 6. Travis Reynold’s dog, Josie 7. Brittney Campbell’s cats Angel (top), Boo (left) and Frosty (right)
Major
Apply to select programs at SUNY Adirondack and earn admission to a related bachelor’s degree program at SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury.
Liberal Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, concentration in Psychology
» Psychology
Criminal Justice: Police Science
» Criminal Justice
Liberal Arts Humanities and Social Sciences
» Human Development and Family Relations
IT Cybersecurity, AAS or Computer Science, AS » Computer Security