COMMUNITY ROOTS
A
THE ALUMNI COLLECTIVE A QUARTERLY MAGAZINE
ROOTED IN FAMILY
Family traditions can be big or small, annual or impromptu, somber or silly — four generations gathering for Sunday dinners; a couple buying a new themed holiday ornament every year; pizza and board games on Friday nights; visiting a headstone every Memorial Day; finding new ways to make a fool of a loved one on April 1.
As different as they are, they have something in common: their roots. Our customs are centered on the shared ideals on which our families are built, on the collection of principles that unites us.
The Hogan family of Hudson Falls was raised to value service, believe in the power of science and understand the importance of education.
“We all anticipated going to college, and ACC is here and has an excellent reputation, so
in our family, the expectation was really that we would start at ACC,” said Dr. Amy Hogan-Moulton, a nephrologist and SUNY Adirondack alumna who is one of 11 children raised by Dr. Richard and Betty Hogan of Hudson Falls. “We went to St. Mary’s, then Hudson Falls High School, then to ACC; it’s just what we did.”
Hogan-Moulton is, in fact, one of nine of the Hogans who earned degrees from SUNY Adirondack (the two who didn’t later took career development and personal enrichment classes at the college).
In the Spring 2021 edition of this magazine, we highlighted John Delisle, Class of 1999, owner of Grasshopper Gardens, who spoke of attending classes alongside his mother and aunt.
For the past two years, SUNY Adirondack students awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award of Excellence attended with their siblings — in 2023, Lucy and Kate McKay, identical twins; and in 2024, Toby Greer, a triplet whose sisters were also students.
While each of these situations is unique, we find that more than one member of a family attending SUNY Adirondack is pretty common. We often run into married couples walking across campus to see what has changed since they met in class decades earlier. We see alumni in the audience at commencement, celebrating their siblings’ achievements. Cousins comment on our social media posts, sharing memories of their days here.
Being reminded of this role we play in your families and in our community never gets old. We are proud to be such an integral part of our region and to count each of you among the SUNY Adirondack family.
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
Account Clerks
Artists
Cardiologists
Civil Rights Attorneys
Dentists
Entrepreneurs
Estimators
Human Services Directors
Hydroelectric Dam Managers
Legislative Aides
Nephrologists
Nurses
Pharmacists
Production Coordinators
Sales Coordinators
Teachers
Town Justices
Village Trustees and so much more!
Transfer
Brennan D., ’19 Digital Media Producer, Adirondack Thunder
“We felt our local education system was well respected enough to transfer to other colleges. I needed the foundation and credits to transfer.”
- DR. AMY HOGAN-MOULTON
THE HOGAN FAMILY IS SEEN AT CHRISTMAS 2003, INCLUDING 11 GROWN CHILDREN OF DR. AND
JOHN HOGAN
JENNIFER HOGAN
JOE HOGAN
RHIANNA HOGAN-CERRO
DR. ROBERT HOGAN
CATHY HOGAN BARTON
DR. AMY HOGAN-MOULTON DR. ANNIE HOGAN BILL HOGAN
DAN HOGAN
MRS. RICHARD HOGAN OF HUDSON FALLS, NINE OF WHOM GRADUATED FROM SUNY ADIRONDACK.
THE HOGAN FAMILY
CATHY HOGAN BARTON
Retired legislative aide
• Earned an associate degree in Business from SUNY Adirondack
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University
JOHN HOGAN
Moreau town justice; owner of a property maintenance business; retired police officer
• Earned an associate degree in Business from SUNY Adirondack
DR. ROBERT HOGAN
Interventional cardiologist at Adirondack
Cardiology; co-director of Cardiac Catherization Lab at Glens Falls Hospital
• Earned an associate degree in Engineering from SUNY Adirondack
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Earned a doctorate of medicine from SUNY Upstate Medical University
DR. AMY HOGAN-MOULTON
Nephrologist and medical director of DCI dialysis centers
• Earned an associate degree in Math & Science from SUNY Adirondack
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Earned a doctorate of medicine from Albany Medical College
DAN HOGAN
Estimator at A.W. Farrell & Son; Hudson Falls village trustee
• Earned a degree in Math & Science from SUNY Adirondack
Hudson Falls, New York
JENNIFER HOGAN
Former associate director of The Institute for Learning Technologies at Columbia University
• Earned a degree in Liberal Arts from SUNY Adirondack
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Siena College
• Earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Education from Columbia University
BILL HOGAN
Industrial arts and technology teacher at Hudson Falls Middle School
• Earned a degree in Computer Science from SUNY Adirondack
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Earned a master’s degree from SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury
JOE HOGAN
Maintains hydroelectric dams for Brookfield Renewable Energy
• Earned a degree in Math & Science from SUNY Adirondack
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology from SUNY Binghamton
DR. ANNIE HOGAN
Dentist
• Earned a degree in Math & Science from SUNY Adirondack
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology from SUNY Oneonta
• Earned a doctorate in dentistry from New York University
The Hogan children are grown, with careers, full lives and, in many cases, children of their own, but still they gather every week for Sunday dinner.
Their dad, local legend Dr. Richard Hogan, has been gone for nearly two decades, but still the 11 children — many with spouses in tow — flock home to spend the afternoon with their mom, Betty, and an always-growing brood of 33 grandchildren and now great-grandchildren.
Nine live locally full time, the 10th has a second home here and the 11th spends three days a week in Glens Falls.
“We loved being home,” said Amy Hogan-Moulton, a nephrologist. “We never wanted to leave.”
Logical then, that nine of the Hudson Falls Hogan kids started their college careers at SUNY Adirondack.
“We all anticipated going to college,” Hogan-Moulton said. “And ACC is here and has an excellent reputation so, in our family, the expectation was really that you start at ACC and transfer.”
“I knew I was going to SUNY Adirondack,” said Annie Hogan, a dentist. “I loved my time there.”
Growing up the daughter of a prominent local doctor, AMY HOGAN-MOULTON always knew she wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps.
“He did not push medicine on us, but the sciences were important in our household, and problem-solving and helping others were important,” said Hogan-Moulton, a nephrologist at Glens Falls and Saratoga hospitals.
“It was a natural fit to find a career that incorporated science, problem-solving and helping people.”
Just as she knew she wanted to pursue medicine, Hogan-Moulton knew her educational journey would start at SUNY Adirondack.
“We always thought we could launch at
ACC
because we knew it was a quality education,” she said. “It wasn’t like we were looking at a bunch of four-year schools, thinking we were going to move away.”
After earning an associate degree from SUNY Adirondack, Hogan-Moulton transferred to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, then to Albany Medical College before a residency at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
She has a brother who is a cardiologist and a sister who is a dentist, but kidneys called to her.
“I like internal medicine,” she said. “I like the care of patients — the physiology and the science behind the care of patients. Renal is an interesting specialty because there are so many metabolic abnormalities that you can care for, with the hopes of correcting some of them for the care of the whole patient.”
And she’s proud to be practicing where she grew up.
“We had a small universe: We went to ACC, then maybe RPI, Union, Plattsburgh, but in New York state,” she said. “[SUNY Adirondack] is a
beautiful campus, with kind people, people who want to be there and are receptive, informative and are helping move the dial on people in this community, to get them moving toward their goals and then hopefully come back to support this community.”
“My parents have 11 kids and nine of us live here,” she said. “That’s a good return.”
ANNIE
HOGAN is a dentist who focuses on full-mouth reconstruction, but as a kid, she spent a fair bit of time as a patient in the dentist’s chair.
“My parents picked their battles: They made sure we were nice kids, they made sure we had good grades, but flossing was not something they were checking on 11 kids,” she laughed. “And they had 11 kids who loved candy!”
Hogan was familiar with the dentist, even outside the exam room, as he was her uncle and shared an office with her father in Hudson Falls.
After having a considerable sweet tooth as a child, she was always nervous to go to the dentist. As she grew and improved her diet and oral health habits, those nerves subsided. “Overcoming those fears made me think, ‘If I’m not so nervous, I could probably help others overcome some of these fears and become healthier,’” she remembered.
After graduating from SUNY Adirondack, Hogan went to SUNY Oneonta to earn a bachelor’s degree. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, so she took more classes at SUNY Adirondack, in psychology and sociology.
“I feel like I got quality professors and a quality education. Any school I applied to, every single one of my credits was going to transfer, which is not always the case.”
- DR. ANN HOGAN
“There was definitely family influence — my father was a physician, two siblings are doctors, most of us were kind of math-and-science oriented, a few brothers and a sister are engineers,” she rattled off. “Growing up in it, I loved and still actually love medicine. When I’m with my patients, taking a good medical history is interesting to me, probably because I was exposed to it and know a little about it.”
After teaching, being a nanny for her brother’s family and serving as a dental assistant, she applied to dental school and decided to attend New York University.
As the youngest in a family of 11 children, Hogan for years watched her siblings go to college, leave home and start careers. “I packed up everything in my car, found roommates on CraigsList and went,” she said. “If you asked me at 13 if I would have gone to school in New York, I had been on a trip and I said, ‘I’d never live there.’”
“After high school, I knew I wasn’t ready to leave home,” Hogan said. “By the time I got to New York City and settled … my family would have been shocked if it happened 10 years prior.”
Her first week in dental school, the 9/11 terrorist attacks crumbled the Twin Towers. But she persevered and ended up loving the Big Apple.
Today, she co-owns a dental practice in Stamford, Connecticut, a bedroom community to the city, but still returns to Glens Falls every weekend.
“I love New York City,” she said.
CATHY HOGAN BARTON, WHO HELPED ORGANIZE INTERVIEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THIS FEATURE, TOOK ENGINEERING CLASSES AT SUNY ADIRONDACK, THEN TRANSFERRED TO EARN A BACHELOR’S DEGREE FROM CLARKSON UNIVERSITY. MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER, SHE RETURNED TO SUNY ADIRONDACK TO EARN AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN BUSINESS. SHE MET HER HUSBAND, KELLY BARTON, WHILE ATTENDING SUNY ADIRONDACK.
When
RHIANNA HOGANCERRO was 17, she wasn’t quite ready to leave home.
“I
didn’t even really consider anywhere but SUNY Adirondack,” said Hogan-Cerro, a lecturer at SUNY Oneonta. “I knew I wasn’t really ready to go anywhere and, from a cost perspective, SUNY Adirondack just made so much sense.”
After earning a degree in Media Arts, she transferred to Fashion Institute of Technology, from which she earned associate and bachelor’s degrees.
She was quickly hired by Liz Claiborne straight out of college — a victory she attributes to one word on her resume: “Illustrator.”
In the years since, Hogan’s mastery of the Adobe software has led to her opening a business, volunteering throughout the community, and teaching at SUNY Adirondack and, most recently, Russell Sage and SUNY Oneonta.
“I was the one applicant who had taken a class in Illustrator,” HoganCerro said. “I have used it throughout my entire professional life. Any career choice, I can see how it’s useful.”
Hogan-Cerro grew up locally and loved all things art. “I was really artistic, I took all the art classes my high school offered, trying to decide what my career path would be.”
After an exciting career in New York City, she decided to return to the
RHIANNA HOGAN-CERRO
Adjunct instructor at Russell Sage College; lecturer at SUNY Oneonta Hometown: Glens Falls
• Earned a degree from SUNY Adirondack
• Earned associate and bachelor’s degrees from Fashion Institute of Technology
• Earned a master’s degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts
region, so her two daughters could grow up the way she did — as part of a large extended family, surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins. For four years, she successfully ran her own business, Sketch Design Studio.
At Sketch, she introduced children to the tenets of design, hosting after-school activities, birthday parties and day camps. “It’s a fulfilling experience to see people grow and improve their skills,” she said, rattling off a list of her former students who pursued careers in fashion.
As her daughters started to pursue their interests, Hogan-Cerro closed Sketch.
That opened the door for her to teach classes in graphics, design and Adobe programs.
“There are so many ways you can use the programs we’re teaching in Media Arts,” she said. “It’s an amazingly versatile skill.”
RHIANNA AND ANNIE LIVED TOGETHER IN NEW YORK CITY WHILE RHIANNA ATTENDED FIT AND ANNIE STUDIED DENTISTRY AT NYU.
RHIANNA HOGAN-CERRO IS THE NIECE OF AMY HOGAN-MOULTON AND ANNIE HOGAN. RHIANNA’S FATHER IS AMY AND ANNIE’S BROTHER PATRICK, WHO TOOK A MOTORCYCLE SAFETY COURSE AT SUNY ADIRONDACK.
When Brad Williams started taking classes at SUNY Adirondack in 1979, he had no way to know the college would weave into his life, until it became intrinsically part of the fabric of his family.
Certainly, the soccer standout couldn’t have known attending the college would be a leaping-off point for a career that would invaluably shape the region’s human services landscape; that his future wife would become a sought-out source of motherly solace for its students; their son would earn credits working his way toward law school; or their daughter would discover herself as an artist in its studios. “I’m proud that everyone has some
positive association, attachment, to SUNY Adirondack,” said Ryan Williams, Brad’s son. “We were accepted into a bigger, more boisterous family at the campus.”
“That’s the value of a smaller college like SUNY Adirondack,” said Hannah Williams, Brad’s daughter and Ryan’s younger sister. “It’s more intimate — and that’s where you find those valuable connections.”
BRAD WILLIAMS made it through high school with a B-plus average and impressive statistics on the soccer field.
He broke his leg — a severe break that laid him up for months — and when he returned to the sport he loved, he realized he wasn’t playing at the level that earned him a scholarship to a Division I college.
“I decided, ‘I’ll just stay local,’” he said, explaining his decision to enroll at SUNY Adirondack.
That decision, made with logic and sensibility, proved critical to Brad’s future. “I had disabilities that were undiagnosed,” he said. “I was smart enough to be able to organize any kind of work I had to prepare myself for any tests, which allowed me to be a solid student, but the reality is, I couldn’t write a complete sentence.”
THE WILLIAMS FAMILY
BRAD WILLIAMS
Retired after a career in human services
Hometown: Glens Falls
• 1981 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a degree in Liberal Arts
• 1984 graduate of University at Albany with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science
• 1990 graduate of Russell Sage with a master’s degree in Public Administration
HANNAH WILLIAMS
Artist/muralist
Hometown: Queensbury
• 2013 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a degree in Liberal Arts
RYAN WILLIAMS
Civil rights attorney for Disabilities Rights
New York
Hometown: Queensbury
• 2013 graduate of SUNY Potsdam with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science
• 2016 graduate of Albany Law School with a juris doctorate
His first semester at SUNY Adirondack, Brad took English 101. After the midterm, the professor pulled him aside and told him he needed to resolve some problems.
“She issued a challenge, saying, ‘We’re going to give you an “incomplete,” and you’re going to have to do a lot of work,’” he remembered. “‘If you don’t do the work, you will fail the class.’”
Brad was referred to the English lab (today, SUNY Adirondack offers the Center for Reading and Writing), where he spent an hour three days a week for the two years he was at the college.
Brad was encouraged to use his creativity in his writing. “When you think of all the time I spent in the English lab and doing creative writing — poetry, short stories — that incomplete turned into a C-plus,” he said. “It was the most significant and hard-earned grade of my academic career. I was proud of this achievement because it allowed me to overcome a significant barrier.”
He earned a degree in five semesters. “By the time I was done, I had a good sense of how to write.”
Brad went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees, using the lessons learned at SUNY Adirondack to propel him through coursework and his career.
“I am so thankful to all those professors
Queensbury, New York
who helped me when I was on campus at the college,” he marveled.
He started his career at a day treatment program and began to climb the ladder of opportunities available. Brad worked to develop what today is Southern Adirondack Independent Living (SAIL), then spent almost 25 years working at the state Independent Living Council, which at the time led efforts to change systems for people with disabilities.
Brad was instrumental in creation and signing of a 2010 bill that mandates accessibility to polling places, and advocating at the state and federal levels for voting machine access. Through it all, he used skills developed at SUNY Adirondack.
When his late wife, Cathy, was looking for a job, the couple reached out to a friend who worked at the college. They suggested she apply in the dining hall, where Cathy became a beloved fixture, offering kind words and motherly love to students, faculty and staff, for more than a decade.
Their children, Ryan and Hannah, both also found a place at SUNY Adirondack: Ryan took summer classes while a student at SUNY Potsdam and Hannah earned a degree.
“SUNY Adirondack was what I needed,” Brad said. “The campus was just a perfect fit for me.”
CATHY WILLIAMS
RYAN WILLIAMS only took two summer classes at SUNY Adirondack, but still considers himself part of the campus community.
“I can go on campus and see people who know me, professors my mom [late longtime college employee Cathy Williams] was close to,” said Ryan, who earned a degree from SUNY Potsdam before studying at Albany Law School and today is a civil rights attorney. “We were accepted into a bigger, more boisterous family at the campus.”
Ryan started college at Crane School of Music before realizing he liked music more as a hobby than a career. Growing up, he saw his dad advocating for others and knew becoming a lawyer was more in line with his goals.
“I jokingly say my dad was probably grooming me to be a civil rights-type person since I was little, when he brought me and my sister to work functions, to Washington, D.C., and to a rally for disability legislation,” Ryan said.
After graduating from law school, Ryan worked as an assistant district attorney and in a public defender’s office before making a move to rights advocacy.
“The switch from music to politics makes sense because I enjoy policy and want to do what my dad did.”
HANNAH WILLIAMS didn’t want to be a teacher, but wasn’t sure what else was possible with an art degree.
“I was very stuck in high school because, at least in my position, everyone is told if you’re interested in art that there’s not much opportunity except to be an art teacher,” she said. “I just didn’t fit in a mold of knowing what college to go to.”
She had a scholarship offer from Maine College of Art, but wasn’t sure the remaining expenses were worth the experience.
“I had a serious sit-down with my parents after seeing the school,” she remembered. “Even with the scholarship, I would have been $160,000 in debt, so it was ‘What are the pros and cons?’ And ‘What is it going to get me?’ Especially because I knew art was my passion.”
And although SUNY Adirondack didn’t have an art degree program at that time (it does today), Hannah decided to start there.
“It only made sense,” she said. “I’m so glad I did, and saved a lot of money and time.”
While a student, Hannah wasn’t sure what her path would be.
“The beauty was that I was able to experiment and try different classes I don’t
think I would have ever done if I didn’t have the opportunity to do a Liberal Arts degree.”
As beneficial as that exploration, she said, were the people she met.
“Being with more of a diverse group of people, meeting other kids my age and seeing what they were up to, socially, it allowed me to work with a lot of like-minded people,” said Hannah, whose ensuing friendship with members of a band led to two summers on the road, painting live at music festivals.
That primed her canvas for a career as a mural artist. “The music festival scene wasn’t for me, but it allowed me to be inventive and build a 10-foot-by-10-foot frame for my live paintings, which is where I found my love for large-scale work,” she said. Then-college counselor Doug Gaulin encouraged her art career, when she wasn’t so sure.
“He encouraged me and took me seriously, which sometimes all it takes is one person,” Hannah said.
“The true benefit of college is that you can work with professionals and teachers who actually have time for you.”
The Williams family created the Cathy Wright Williams Spirit Fund, which helps deserving SUNY Adirondack students, in Cathy’s memory. To learn more, visit https://www.sunyacc.edu/ about/suny-adirondack-foundation (or scan the QR Code at right) or send a check to SUNY Adirondack Foundation | Cathy Wright Williams Spirit Fund | 640 Bay Road, Queensbury, NY 12804.
“I’m so appreciative of the connections I made at SUNY Adirondack. I’m grateful in so many ways, and that I always feel welcome and so supported.”
— HANNAH WILLIAMS
HANNAH WILLIAMS WORKS ON A MURAL IN DOWNTOWN GLENS FALLS.
“I was well prepared by SUNY Adirondack.”
- ROB BROWN
THE BROWN FAMILY Queensbury, New York
ROB BROWN
Pharmacist for Walgreens Hometown: Glens Falls
• 1990 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a Liberal Arts and Sciences: Math & Science degree
• 1996 graduate of Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with a bachelor’s degree
TORI BROWN
Pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from University at Albany Hometown: Queensbury
SADIE BROWN
Pursuing a degree in Health Sciences at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in the pre-dental track Hometown: Queensbury
• 2024 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Math & Science
ROBERT BROWN
Hometown: Queensbury
• Student at SUNY Adirondack who plans to transfer to Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to become a pharmacist
The Brown family home is quiet on a recent Friday afternoon. At some point, a pair of elementary schoolage girls — one a Brown, the other a neighborhood friend — comes through the kitchen looking for popsicles; a few minutes later, a teenaged son wanders in to heat up a snack.
“I’m not in a hurry to get rid of any of them,” Rob Brown, a SUNY Adirondack alum, said of his six children, who range in age from 9 to 22.
SUNY Adirondack has allowed the Brown family’s three oldest kids — Tori, 22, Sadie, 20, and Robert, 19 — to live at home while attending college.
“Sending them to SUNY Adirondack for the first two years keeps them out of trouble and saves a lot of money — and all the credits are the same.”
ROB BROWN worked in a local restaurant in just about every role for more than eight years, when he asked for a raise and was denied.
“That changed my path,” said Rob, who said he still loves cooking. “I felt like I wasn’t maximizing my potential intellectually.”
The son of a pharmacist and business owner, Rob always loved science and assumed he would get into business. So he started taking classes at SUNY Adirondack. “I spent a lot of years accumulating credits, in business, then science,” he said.
“I was finding myself,” he said. “But I was always interested in the natural world and science and how things work.”
He earned a degree in Math and Science, then transferred to Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
“I was well prepared by SUNY Adirondack,” Rob said.
“There
weren’t any classes I took at ACP that ACC couldn’t match, as far as difficulty; it’s not a freebie.”
Rob graduated from Albany College of Pharmacy and works as a pharmacist for Walgreens.
When his oldest daughter, Tori, now 22, decided she was unhappy attending SUNY Potsdam, he welcomed her home and encouraged her to consider SUNY Adirondack. When his second daughter, Sadie, now, 20, left SUNY Plattsburgh, he helped her enroll at his alma mater. And when Robert, 19, wasn’t positive what he wanted to study, Brown was happy he started at SUNY Adirondack to figure it out.
“They’re all different,” he said of his children.
“But SUNY Adirondack is a huge value compared to going to a fouryear university. Once you leave ACC, prices go schwoo,” Rob said, raising his hand upward.
TORI BROWN excitedly loaded her family’s minivan with everything she would need to make her dorm room at SUNY Potsdam home.
“I was thinking that moving away was the best way to challenge myself,” said Tori, 22, the oldest in a family of six children. “I quickly realized that being away from home was tough.”
The Queensbury High School graduate decided to return to her hometown and transferred to SUNY Adirondack. “SUNY Adirondack was a perfect fit because it allowed me to be closer to home, keep my part-time job and still get a quality education,” she said.
In the time since, she transferred to The College of Saint Rose then, when it closed, University at Albany to pursue a career in early childhood education. “I’m drawn to teaching,” she said. “SUNY Adirondack definitely helped me confirm that interest.”
Her classes at Adirondack were as challenging as those she took at the other colleges. “I was surprised by how engaged SUNY Adirondack faculty are and how much they care about students’ success,” she said.
“SUNY Adirondack offered a strong sense of community and support,” Tori
added.
“And it was comforting to know I was following in my dad’s footsteps and that he had a positive experience at SUNY Adirondack.”
When SADIE BROWN realized SUNY Plattsburgh wasn’t a great fit for her, she knew she didn’t have to look far for her next step.
“SUNY Adirondack offered the best solution by allowing me to stay closer with my family and continue my education,” said Sadie, the second of six children in a tight-knit family, who saw her older sister make a similar move just two years earlier.
“Seeing Tori’s experience at SUNY Adirondack also influenced my decision to transfer.”
Sadie has a lifelong love of science and plans to become a dentist, so she dove into science courses at SUNY Adirondack. “The faculty were hands on and the learning opportunities due to smaller class sizes were positive factors.”
She graduated in May and started classes at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences this fall. “SUNY Adirondack provided me a solid foundation,” she said. “The coursework and supportive faculty provided me with the knowledge and confidence needed to transfer to ACPHS and pursue my goals.”
ROBERT BROWN wasn’t positive what he wanted to study, but he knew where he wanted to attend college.
“Choosing SUNY Adirondack was a pretty straightforward decision for me,” said Robert, 19. “I never really saw myself going away for college, at least not for the first two years.”
His dad and two older sisters all went to SUNY Adirondack, so Robert knew what the college had to offer. “Their positive experiences were a big influence on me,” he said. Robert thought he might want to be a police officer or a teacher,
but eventually realized following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather was best for him. “The decision to pursue pharmacy came into clearer focus after I saw how well it aligned with my interests,” he said. “It is reassuring to know I can build on my dad’s experiences and expertise in the field.”
While attending SUNY Adirondack, he has been able to maintain a part-time job and live at home. “This aligns well with my circumstances and finances,” Robert said.
The college’s small classes are also a bonus. “It’s easier to participate in discussions and get involved in class activities,” he said.
After graduating in May 2025, Robert plans to attend Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences on his way to become a pharmacist.
“SUNY Adirondack felt like a natural choice,” he said. “It’s comforting to know I’m joining my dad and sisters as alumni.”
“I highly recommend the Nursing program at SUNY Adirondack. I tell everybody I know who is going back to school: It’s right here and it’s great.”
— ERIN MCAVEY
THE MCAVEY FAMILY Glens
Falls, New York
CHRISTIE MCAVEY
Nurse in the Gastrointestinal Center at Glens Falls Hospital; pursuing a master’s degree in nursing
Hometown: New Jersey
• Earned a degree in Nursing from SUNY Adirondack in 2013
• Earned a bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Western Governors University in 2015
“I have worked with nurses from all over the country and SUNY Adirondack’s program — the way they teach it and how the staff really helps to evolve the nurses to where they need to be — when graduates enter med surge or 101 programs, they are prepared with the skills they need to move forward and grasp all the more advanced concepts.”
— Christie McAvey
ERIN MCAVEY
Nurse in Glens Falls
H ospital’s Emergency Room
Hometown: Glens Falls
• Earned a degree in Liberal Arts from SUNY Adirondack in 2018
• Earned a degree in Nursing from SUNY Adirondack in 2021
Erin McAvey was at the end of a long day in Glens Falls Hospital’s Emergency Room, running triage, when a co-worker told her she was needed up front.
“I thought, ‘Why? Am I in trouble?’,” she remembered.
She walked through the hallways, rounded a corner and was met by a whole line of people. “My manager was there, my mom, the head of the nursing education program, and I just thought, ‘What is happening?’,” she said.
Erin’s co-workers were — to her surprise — celebrating her earning a Daisy Award, an international recognition of nurses who display extraordinary compassion and skillful care of patients and families.
“I did not expect it in the least,” said Erin, who was nominated for the award by a co-worker after helping ease a patient’s fear over undergoing an X-ray. “It’s overwhelming that [my co-worker] thought that of me; it’s nice to hear that she appreciated me.”
As honored as she was, what made the day even more special was that her mom was there to see it. “That was a big deal for me,” Erin said. “It was special because they invited my mom to the ceremony.”
Her mom, Christie McAvey, is also a nurse at Glens Falls Hospital. “She has been a nurse a year and a half and already received an award nurses for 25 years
haven’t gotten,” Christie beamed, proudly. “Erin is my shining star.”
Before becoming a nurse, CHRISTIE MCAVEY worked construction, waited tables, painted carts in a sulky plant, sold construction goods and ran a locker company.
And while none of those jobs seems to relate to health care, McAvey says they’re all part of what makes her a good nurse.
“Nursing is one of those things: You have to be able to relate to people, so if I know somebody knows all about cars, for instance, I can explain atrial fibrillation (AFib) to them as the firing order in the car is off, so the car is backfiring,” she said. “So all these different things help bring things together and help me teach people.”
McAvey was married with three children when her family relocated to Glens Falls. She had worked as a medical assistant and a licensed practical nurse, and knew she wanted to pursue a career in nursing, so she enrolled in SUNY Adirondack’s Nursing degree program.
“SUNY Adirondack was the first place I really had a college experience,” she said.
“Being a 30-something and going to take my first algebra class, I had to ask for help. Everyone
there — the writing center, math tutors, the science lab
— was always
very
helpful.”
She worked nights as an emergency room technician at Saratoga Hospital and went to class during the day, catching sleep when she could. “It worked,” she said, crediting her husband for his support.
After graduating from SUNY Adirondack, she was hired as a nurse in medical surgical and the ER. In the years since, she worked for Warren County Public Health and, now, at Glens Falls Hospital.
“Glens Falls Hospital’s senior staff is doing great things to improve things for people in our community,” she said. “I love the hospital and our community, and every step in my life has brought me to where I am.”
ERIN MCAVEY was sure of two things as she contemplated her future: She wanted to pursue a career in science and she didn’t want to be a nurse like her mom.
After graduating from Glens Falls High School, she enrolled at SUNY Adirondack to explore her interest in science.
“I was in between teaching and research science, something in biology,” said Erin, who earned a degree in Liberal Arts: Math & Science. “I knew definitely something science based.” But not a nurse like her mom.
“I think I was just oppositional because I didn’t want my mom to be right,” she admitted.
She figured out along the way that she didn’t want to teach middle or high school, but still wasn’t sure what would be right for her. So, with some encouragement from her mom, she started work as a patient care associate at Saratoga Hospital. “I fell in love with it,” she said.
Within a few months, she was back at SUNY Adirondack, this time enrolled in its rigorous Nursing program.
“I can’t say enough good things about the program,” Erin gushed. “You see the difference sometimes with people who went to nursing
school other places and didn’t have the same experiences.”
She worked as an emergency room technician at Glens Falls Hospital through nursing school and, once she graduated, was hired as a nurse there.
Erin said her education more than prepared her. “There’s so much content we learn and have to know, the professors do a good job of preparing it all so it’s easy to remember,” she said. “We know all the key points of everything, but the professors don’t add too much — just enough so you can recall the information.”
That suits her well in the emergency room, where she encounters something new every day.
“I don’t think I would have picked anything else for myself,” she said of her career. “I couldn’t be happier.”
As a nurse, like her mom.
“She is probably one of the smartest people I know,” Erin beamed. “Hearing the way she cares for patients made me want to be like her.”
FUN FACT
ERIN MCAVEY WON A DAISY AWARD, A RECOGNITION OF NURSES BY A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, THE DAISY (DISEASES ATTACKING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM) FOUNDATION.
DAISY was founded by the family of Patrick Barnes, who at age 33 was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease ITP (immune thrombocytopenia). During his hospitalization, his family was shown incredible kindness and compassion. After Patrick’s death, his family founded DAISY to honor Patrick, and use their grief as a way to thank nurses for the gifts they give patients and their families every day.
Since its founding, The DAISY Foundation has recognized more than 220,000 nurses in more than 6,500 health care organizations. More than 2.5 million nominations have been received in 40 countries and territories.
DAISY Award recipients receive a certificate, a hand-carved Healer’s Touch Sculpture from Zimbabwe, an honoree pin, a congratulations banner to hang in the unit, a copy of their nomination, a gift bag and cinnamon rolls to share. After the presentation, the honoree is eligible for numerous professional development, education and wellness benefits.
Learn more about The DAISY Foundation at www.daisyfoundation.org.
ERIN LEADS A CAMPUS TOUR IN 2018.
EMMA GREER
Nursing student at SUNY Adirondack
Hometown: North Chatham
TOBY GREER
Studying veterinary medicine at University of Vermont
Hometown: North Chatham
• December 2023 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a degree in Liberal Arts
Humanities and Social Sciences: Individual Studies
KELSEY GREER
Sales coordinator at Marriott Hotels in Albany
Hometown: North Chatham
• 2024 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a degree in Hospitality Management
“Every day I’ve been here, I’m learning something I will keep with me forever.”
— KELSEY GREER
KELSEY, TOBY AND EMMA GREER agreed on one thing about college: the North Chatham triplets didn’t want to attend the same school.
While visiting their family’s cabin on Schroon River their senior year of high school, they stumbled upon SUNY Adirondack.
“We never wanted to go to the same college, but then we saw this school and were like, ‘Yup,’” said Kelsey, who is one minute younger than her brother, Toby, and one minute older than her sister, Emma.
“Actually, they saw it and said, ‘This would be a good school for Emma for Nursing,’ and then you all liked the school,” Emma said.
“Then we said, ‘This would actually be pretty good for everybody,’” Toby said. “We definitely did not want to go to the same school, but then we all wanted to go to the same school.”
Two of the Greers graduated — Kelsey with a degree in Hospitality Management and Toby in Individual Studies. Emma is in her final semester in the college’s rigorous Nursing program.
Despite the three never planning to live in the same residence hall or even on the same campus, they are grateful they discovered SUNY Adirondack.
“Every professor I’ve had has just been extraordinary,” Toby said. “You’re not going to get that kind of awesome relationship with professors at a bigger college.”
KELSEY GREER
EMMA GREER
TOBY GREER
THE GREER TRIPLETS
Toby started SUNY Adirondack without any idea what he wanted as a career path. “I took a spattering of courses; I didn’t know what I wanted to do until [Fall 2023] semester,” said TOBY, who was a resident assistant, an active member of Student Senate and president of the Fishing Club, sang in the college choir and brought to life Eddy Rondack, the college’s Timberwolf mascot. “I really got to experience all the different offerings on campus.”
He discovered his passion while working at his aunt’s veterinary clinic, spent last summer working as a veterinary technician and is now studying veterinary medicine at University of Vermont. He said it wasn’t a surprise he would pursue veterinary medicine, given the love for biology he and his mother shared throughout his childhood and the array of pets the Greer family had over the years.
Kelsey started ticking off: “Three dogs, four cats, but two just passed away, we had a squirrel if that will tell you what kind of pets we have, a hedgehog, lizards, reptiles, hamsters, guinea pigs, I have a tortoise, a bunch of chickens, ducks, parrots … but I have a dog I love, Darwin, who is a Sheltie and Pomeranian.”
FUN FACT
TOBY GREER EARNED THE SUNY CHANCELLOR’S AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE, THE HIGHEST HONOR BESTOWED UPON A STUDENT BY SUNY.
“Rats,” Emma offered.
“You had rats; I didn’t,” asserted Kelsey, at which point Toby chimed in, “Kelsey learned to talk first, and when we were little she’d make an announcement of what the three of us were to do and we’d just do it,” a phenomenon Emma summed up: “She’s the boss; kinda how it’s always been.”
Unlike her siblings, Kelsey was drawn to business. “Because, no thank you, science,” she said. “I’ve always known I wanted to do business. I’ve always followed in my dad’s footsteps; he’s an inspiration to me.”
William Greer is director of Franchise Operations for Five Guys and Kelsey said, “I’ve watched him grow in the industry, and I like that he gets to travel a lot and gets to help other people figure out any issues.”
KELSEY was named SUNY Adirondack’s Hospitality Management Marketing Student of the Year, worked at the on-campus day care center and had an internship at Courtyard by Marriott in Lake George.
“I learned a lot of outside real-life things I will need to know, which is really important to me,” Kelsey said.
Toby was an active member of Student Senate, a resident assistant, part of the college’s chorale, and served as Eddy Rondack, the college mascot, for basketball games and special events. He graduated with a 3.88 grade point average.
“I am extremely honored to receive the SUNY Chancellor’s Award,” Greer said
North Chatham, New York
“Every day I’ve been here, I’m learning something I will keep with me forever.”
Emma agreed, saying her classes are difficult, but added, “The nursing professors are amazing and will do anything to aid in getting you through the program.”
She has been interested in medicine since high school, when she participated in a health careers honors program. “I’ve had health conditions that made me realize I want to be an advocate for patients,” she said, noting that as a 32-week premie, she might pursue the neonatal nursing field. “I’m thinking it may be nice, going back to where we came from.”
EMMA plays on the college’s volleyball team, an experience she said has been incredible. “It’s another way for you to have the experience of being on a team and it’s your family away from home,” she said.
Even if she was never far from her brother and sister.
at the time. “It is a wonderful recognition of my character, but I am even more grateful to have been heavily involved in a school where I was surrounded by amazing peers, professors and staff who provided opportunities for self-discovery that were integral to my academic success. I owe it to them. They made my time spent at SUNY Adirondack something that will exist with me forever.”
“SUNY Adirondack was where I learned how to write for college, speak to professors rather than being a high school kid talking to a teacher, learned how to use office hours, and how college academics flowed.”
— MATT COOPER
A one-hundredth of a point doesn’t seem like much. But for father and son Ashley and Matt Cooper, it has been a source of bragging rights for one and great pride for both.
“I told him my graduating GPA was his challenge,” laughed dad Ashley “Coop” Cooper, who graduated from SUNY Adirondack in 2014, when Matt was still in high school. “He beat it by .01, and I hear it quite often.”
Cooper was a first-generation college graduate who started at SUNY Adirondack at age 47.
“To see my father learning something he hadn’t touched in 30 years showed it was possible as long as you put in
the work,” Matt said. “You’re going to get out what you put in.”
Matt started his educational journey at SUNY Adirondack, earning a degree in 2018, then transferring to Siena College.
“It’s very rewarding,” Coop said. “You can say a lot of things, but to see it play out puts a different spin on it, more heart to it, so to see Matt wanted to continue his education, it’s a major accomplishment.”
When
ASHLEY “COOP” COOPER’S job was eliminated during downsizing after more than 23 years with an insurance company, he
didn’t wallow in fear or curse his bad luck. Instead, he enrolled at SUNY Adirondack.
“It gave me an opportunity to really step back and look at what I wanted to do moving forward,” he said. “I looked at it as absolutely an opportunity.”
Coop joined the Navy straight out of high school. There, he worked in electronic warfare, so studying Electrical Technology interested him.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect, being 47 years old; I thought it would be me and however many
ASHLEY “COOP” COOPER
U.S. Navy veteran
Production coordinator at Rasp Controls
Hometown: Hudson Falls
• 2014 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a degree in Electrical Technology
MATT COOPER
Account clerk for Washington County
Hometown: South Glens Falls
• 2018 graduate of SUNY
Adirondack with a degree in Liberal Arts
• 2020 graduate of Siena College with a bachelor’s degree in History
FUN
FACT
ASHLEY AND MATT COOPER TOOK A THREE-GENERATION JOURNEY CROSS COUNTRY, WITH ASHLEY’S MOM (MATT’S GRANDMOTHER), IN PART TO CELEBRATE THEIR SHARED LOVED OF HISTORY.
“I’d never call myself a history buff; Matthew is the history nut in our house,” Ashley said.
The trio started in Nevada, then took more than two weeks to make their way home. For Ashley, a highlight was meeting then-Vice President Joe Biden at a Dairy Queen in Ohio; for Matt, the Grand Canyon — and winning the license plate game — stands out.
Both say the time together was inestimable.
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Ashley said.
18-year-olds,” he remembered. “Turns out, it wasn’t that way; it was a good mix, and it was nice because you have almost two to three generations in there, with different perspectives.”
As part of the degree program, Coop had an internship at Rasp Controls and that confirmed going to college was the right decision. “Electricity wasn’t going anywhere,” he said. “This was my second career; hopefully that would be it to the finish line, and my internship reaffirmed I wasn’t going to need to bounce around.”
After graduating, he stayed in touch with Rasp, so when the company was hiring several months later, they reached out to him for an electrical technician job. He dove in and loved the work.
In the time since, he has been promoted to production coordinator. “This is a very rewarding position and the company is great,” he said.
MATT COOPER knew he wanted to study history in college and planned to go to Siena College. But when it came time to enroll, he signed on at SUNY Adirondack.
For two years, he commuted from his family’s South Glens Falls home to earn general education credits and indulge his love of history.
“It was nice having a college experience without the pressure of having a college experience,” he said. “It felt like the learning itself was very college like, but it wasn’t a huge jump where I was all of a sudden on my own — it was a good middle ground.”
And the experience gave him the tools he needed to succeed when he transferred to Siena College after graduating from SUNY Adirondack.
“The transition was very easy,” he said. “I was definitely prepared for Siena.”
That might be an understatement: He earned a 3.98 in the bachelor’s program. And, despite arriving on campus a junior and living with first-year students, he said the social transition was smooth too.
“The people at Siena didn’t see me as a transfer student; they saw me as a Saint, first and foremost,” he said.
After earning a bachelor’s degree, he worked at a shipping company, but recently made the transition to a role as an accounting clerk in Washington County.
“I still love history and want to do something in history — that door hasn’t shut — but I’ve also always been interested in accounting and numbers, so I get to follow something else I’ve always enjoyed,” he said.
“Hopefully this leaves a door open for Parks and Rec, and will parlay into the historical field.”
“I can’t say enough about my SUNY Adirondack professors. They’re just very good down-to-earth people.”
— GRAIG EDMONDS
SARAH GHENT
Retired after a career in nursing, training and quality oversight
Hometown: Staten Island
• 1980 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a degree in Nursing
• 1992 graduate of Columbia Pacific University with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Services
GRAIG EDMONDS
Pursuing a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury
Hometown: Chester (Orange County)
• 2024 graduate of SUNY Adirondack with a degree in Criminal Justice
Sarah Ghent and Graig Edmonds have more in common than just genetics. The grandmother-grandson duo also each found SUNY Adirondack after starting their studies at other colleges.
For Ghent, transferring to SUNY Adirondack was a matter of practicality: She and her husband relocated to the
region with their four young children before she completed nursing school at College of Staten Island.
So when Edmonds started college and found it wasn’t a good fit, she suggested he try following in her footsteps. He moved to the area and enrolled for his second year.
“This is an environment I want to show up to every day,” Edmonds
said. “It’s the kind of environment that leads people to excel; it’s such a beautiful place to live and go to school.”
His grandmother’s ties to SUNY Adirondack Foundation and the college’s Nursing program make his experience even more special. “Just knowing the type of person my grandmother is, to continue that legacy means a lot to me,” he said.
THE GHENT/EDMONDS FAMILY
SARAH GHENT GIFTS NEW NURSING GRADUATES THEIR FIRST STETHOSCOPES.
A stethoscope is one of a nurse’s most essential tools. With it, a nurse hears patients’ lungs draw in breath and exhale, and their hearts pump blood through their veins; they discover the secrets of their bodies and the rhythms of their lives.
So it is particularly fitting that SUNY Adirondack Nursing graduates’ first stethoscopes are a gift from college alumna SARAH GHENT.
“I
want to share all the knowledge
I
learned,
what I
started with at SUNY Adirondack and brought to my profession, to patients and physicians,” said Ghent, a 1980 Nursing graduate who spent more than 33 years as a nurse, case coordinator and manager, and quality assessment and mentor.
Ghent retired in 2013, but her dedication to the field of nursing
hasn’t waned. In the years since, she helped SUNY Adirondack build a Nursing Alumni Association; served on the SUNY Adirondack Nursing Program Advisory Board; was named a SUNY Adirondack Trailblazer; and volunteered for American Red Cross, High Peaks Hospice, Hudson Headwater Health Network Patient Advisory Council and New York State Long Term Care Council.
Her interest in nursing started when her first child was born. “I had never been exposed to nursing before that,” she said.
When her children were young, she took a job as an attendant at a local hospital. “I really wanted to go back to school,” she said. “When I had my fourth child, I said, ‘I’m going back.’”
Ghent started classes part time at College of Staten Island. When she and her husband decided to move their family upstate, she talked to SUNY Adirondack about transferring.
“The college was a perfect fit for me,” she said. “It was so accepting here.”
Her love of the college is so deep, she and her daughter Gina started a fund to support Nursing students. In the past, the support was a scholarship for a few students, but in recent years has been a Littmann stethoscope for every graduate.
“I’m very, very proud of this school,” Ghent said. “The Nursing program here is probably one of the best in the country.”
GRAIG EDMONDS was far from home and unhappy his first year of college.
“I wanted to be closer to my parents, my family, and still be able to go to school,” said Edmonds, who transferred to SUNY Adirondack after a year at SUNY Morrisville.
Edmonds grew up in Orange County, but his mom moved to the greater Glens Falls area right after he graduated from high school. His grandmother, SUNY Adirondack alumna Sarah Ghent, Class of 1980, saw Graig was unhappy and suggested the college to him.
“When I came up here, I didn’t know anyone and I felt welcomed,” he said. “This campus has that warm feeling.”
With dreams of becoming a state trooper — he has already successfully completed several steps of the process — and, perhaps being in the FBI down the road, he majored in Criminal Justice.
“I think it’ll be an exciting and fulfilling career path,” Edmonds said. “I feel like it will always be something new, that I can learn something new and have opportunities to branch out to specialized roles.”
This fall, he started work on a bachelor’s degree through SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury.
“I’m excited to be back on the same beautiful campus,” he said.
KATE AND LUCY MCKAY
Students at Cornell University
Hometown: Cambridge
• 2023 graduates of SUNY Adirondack with degrees in Liberal Arts: Math & Science
KATE MCKAY
LUCY MCKAY
THE MCKAY TWINS Cambridge, New York
Lucy and Kate McKay were born together, homeschooled together, attended college classes together and, true to form, earned a State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence together — the first siblings to do so in the same year.
“We are proud of Lucy and Kate’s achievements,” said Kristine D. Duffy, Ed.D., president of SUNY Adirondack. “This is the most recent of several acknowledgements of their remarkable efforts and, I’m sure, there are many more to come.”
The identical twins were raised in Cambridge, where they were home-schooled by their mother. The family’s love of camping, hiking, gardening and being outdoors led all three McKay children — Lucy, Kate and an older brother — to an interest in ecology.
“I’ve been interested in nature as long as I can remember,” Lucy McKay said. “So I knew I wanted to study ecology and the environment.”
The pair enrolled at SUNY Adirondack as Liberal Arts: Math and Science majors.
“We’re pretty inseparable,” said Lucy, who despite being four minutes younger than her sister is usually first to speak. “We’re very much alike.”
That proved true at SUNY Adirondack, where the McKays each earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average (GPA) all four semesters, putting them on the President’s List. Kate was awarded the Harold “Hal” Burrell Freshman Chemistry
Achievement Award and Lucy the H. David Hodgson Outstanding Biology Student Award.
Both McKays earned the TRIO Academic Excellence Award for their performance within TRIO Student Support Services (SSS), a federally funded program that provides services to help eligible students — based on income eligibility requirements, potential first-generation college student status, academic needs, or physical and developmental disabilities — succeed in earning a degree.
The young women were chemistry tutors and members of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. They both volunteer regularly at regional environmental organizations, including Vermont Center for Ecostudies, The Caterpillar Lab, Albany Pine Bush Preserve, National Audubon Society, National Park Service and Berkshire Environmental Action Team.
KATE MCKAY keeps illustrated field journals of nature sightings, providing her opportunity to further pursue her love of drawing and painting. She is also an avid nature photographer and has uploaded her photographs of species to eBird and iNaturalist, where she joins online communities of naturalists in recording observations and contributing to research.
She plays piano and violin, has performed in plays as an actor and dancer, and sings in Hubbard Hall Women’s Choir and at various events in her community.
She has also volunteered for the Northeast Darner Flight Watch, contributing to understanding of the behavior of migratory dragonflies for Vermont Center for Ecostudies, and as a citizen scientist for Vermont Center for Ecostudies as a whippoor-will surveyor.
LUCY MCKAY also loves photography and drawing, and keeps field journals of birds, plants and insects. She uses her photographs to promote conservation, contributing to SUNY-ESF’s NY Wildflower Monitoring Project, documenting new species for the North American Leafminer Project, and sharing biodiversity photographs on iNaturalist and eBird.
She sings and acts, and sings at community nursing homes. She also worked for NYSDEC and Cornell University’s Amphibian Migrations & Road Crossings Project, participated in the Berkshire Bioblitz, an event to document as many different species as possible in a short time period at a specific location, and worked on campus to protect and assist Ruby Tiger Moth caterpillars on their migration across campus roads.
When asked about their differences, the McKays answer simultaneously, “Good question” (Kate) and “Hard question” (Lucy). They agree: They don’t have any notable differences.
“Kate and Lucy are amazing individuals,” said Michelle Bilodeau-Lanne, a TRIO SSS advisor at SUNY Adirondack. “They embody the highest ideals of SUNY Adirondack, and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments.”