Category Archives: work

Kayla’s Journey…

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Hey Lakers! My name is Kayla and I’m a second semester senior that loves going to SUNY Oswego.  Every single night, the sunset over Lake Ontario creates the most beautiful skies, that you need to soak in.  Below is a picture of Lake Ontario and my dog, Bentley 🙂  I am a non-traditional and transfer student that commutes from Sterling and is here to spread positive vibes, help others and share my stories to those who can relate.  College wasn’t really something that interested me right away out of high school, and I thought that ‘living a little’, was the choice I decided to take.

Something that was so scary at first, was the best thing that has ever happened to me and this was choosing to take an adventure. I enjoyed life, before I decided to go back to college at SUNY Oswego. After high school, I decided to leave my families dairy farm that I had grown up on and take this adventure to join the US Navy in a Naval Mobile Construction Battalion called the Seabee’s. I was a Petty Officer Third Class Equipment Operator and I first was stationed out of Mississippi, then New Jersey and then I served training in Guam, and I had my license in just about every type of equipment in the military. I absolutely enjoyed traveling, the experience and the friends I have gained from serving the 5 years. Although the military is not for everyone, but I felt honored to be able to serve and protect our country.

After the military I moved on to the next chapter of my life back to Sterling, NY and I decided to go back to college for the first time at Penn Foster, with a major in Veterinary Technician. It was an online degree and I was able to find a part-time job at an Animal Hospital in Fulton. I think I went to every animal hospital within a 30-minute radius and gave them my resume and my enrollment into the Veterinary Degree. I loved working with animals, and I grew up with plenty on the farm. I quickly moved to full-time and over the years my responsibilities grew more and more. I then graduated with my Associates in Science and I was able to practice Veterinary Medicine on animals while I was enrolled in college, after graduating with a Licensed Permit and up until I passed the Veterinary Technician National Exam. That New York State board exam was one of the hardest exams that I probably will ever have to complete. After working there for six years and working for two different Veterinarians, is when I took my chance to go back to SUNY Oswego for my Business Administration degree. It wasn’t the easiest decision, but I’m so glad I took that leap for the change in my career.   I’d like to go into Pharmaceutical or Medical Sales, and I will have my credentials and experience to lean back on.

I started in the summer of 2017 with on-line courses and a few part-time jobs, and at that same time I was planning mine and my husband’s wedding; that was planned two weeks after the fall semester had started. Not only was it an adjustment from not being used to being in a classroom setting with younger students, but I also became very good at multi-tasking between the two and being organized. I couldn’t be happier on how ‘our’ day turned out.

I first remember going to visit Glynn, at the School of Business, with a thousand questions. Not only was I proud that I was the only one out of my ‘big’ immediate family with a degree, but also that I was accepted into one of New York’s top universities. Since my first semester I have been a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda, Chapter ETA National Honor Society, and I have been giving it my all to achieve the dean’s list every semester. One thing that I honestly can say, is that I appreciate school “way” more now being older, and I am glad I didn’t choose to go right after high school. Sometimes starting early on assignments or a project is a better feeling than cramming it in the last-minute, or if you have to choose between going out with friends or working on school at home.

I hope you all enjoyed reading about my past work experiences and I’m eager to hear of others.  I’m so thrilled to be a student and a Social Media Ambassador for SUNY Oswego.  This college has opened up so many opportunities for myself, and I still can’t believe all the things they offer to all their students and alumni.  It’s been quite the journey going back to college (for the second time ha-ha) and there have been obstacles, such as all things in life.  But, I can’t explain enough how excited I am to graduate in May and move on to this next chapter of my life, with the hope to help others.

“The sky is the limit.”

Summer with (a) View

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Performing arts in the Adirondacks. Sounds pretty idyllic, right? I, along with two other SUNY Oswego students and 3 students from other schools, got to work at View Arts Center in a variety of functions such as graphic design, events, and performances. My specialty was performances, but arts organizations are often small which means that there was a good deal of crossover.

Hanging with my buddy, Url.

A little background on View: it began in the yard of a woman named Mirnie Kashiwa. Dedicated to her community and its enrichment, she began to display art on chicken wire in her yard and then raised money to eventually buy a building and expand the art gallery. To do this she created the Arts Guild of Old Forge. She established the Kinderwood Preschool program for young children and the organization really expanded throughout the community and area. Eventually, the guild was able to expand even more and buy land and create a LEED certified gallery with workshops and performance space.

Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

As the performances intern, I got to write press releases promoting the shows, work with performers, and handle a good deal of logistics that go along with putting on a show. We would put on concerts and theatre performances that cover genres from opera to folk to broadway. Some of my favorites acts included Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, folk performers who frequently collaborate with Ken Burns (they have Grammy nominations for their work on the Civil War documentary) and the Dan Brubeck Quartet, a jazz act from Vancouver who had their music featured in Baby Driver. I found that performers were kind and generous and very easy to talk to, which made the job more rewarding.

A photo I took to promote our ice cream social

Aside from coordinating volunteers and assuring the venue was prepared for a performance, I also participated in the other events we would host. For the annual gala View hosted, the interns along with the COO and secretaries were responsible for running the fundraising efforts during the gala such as the silent auctions and taking bids for the main auction. We also were man power for the craft show, antique show, and other events.  

Francesca Antonello (@chessmanceramics) aka my lovely roomie and throwing teacher

This internship was more than just working though. I was fortunate enough to meet some amazing people, particularly my housemate Francesca Antonello. She was the workshop intern and a very talented ceramicist. I was also able to learn new skills like glass fusing, pottery making (thanks Francesca!), and yoga classes. During the summer I was able to expand and learn more about myself, both in a personal and professional context. Plus, it helped to do it in such a pretty place.

A Humbling Experience

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Nine months ago, the island of Puerto Rico was devasted by Hurricane Maria.

Nine months ago, homes were destroyed.

Nine months ago, people were displaced.

Arriving back in the states after helping with disaster relief has allowed me to put many things into perspective. For one, it allowed me to realize how blessed and privileged I am as an individual and as a resident/citizen of the U.S.

Every day, people complain about minor inconveniences in their lives such as slow internet speed, missing their favorite show or even their phones dying. But, for the many homeowners that my service in Puerto Rico has impacted, small inconveniences such as the aforementioned, are laughable.

How can one complain about the internet without power?

How can one complain about missing their favorite show when the very room where you would watch that show, has been destroyed by water damage and mold?

Being in Puerto Rico was beyond humbling for me. It allowed me to see that whenever I feel as though things are uncomfortable for me, there are people who are living through far more serious and uncomfortable hardships.

Living in the states gives us many opportunities to seek the help we need in any situation while others get ignored. Comparing my service in San Juan, Puerto Rico to my service in Port Arthur, Texas, it is clear that one city received much more help than the other. For one, the traffic lights in Texas were up and running while many of the traffic lights in Puerto Rico still remain unrepaired- nine months later.

This trip has allowed me to step outside of my world and add context to what it means to be an American, living in the United States.

Hopefully completing service in Puerto Rico opens the minds and eyes of future students who are a part of the New York “Stand with Puerto Rico” initiative to realize how privileged we are here in the U.S. I hope that it opens their hearts to want to do more for others who are not as privileged and are often forgotten.

Nine months later Purto Rico still remains in need of recovery and yet, the people are so pleasant and welcoming. Truly, a humbling experience that I wouldn’t trade for the world.

 

 

SUNY Oswego Takes Puerto Rico!

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As a part of the New York statewide effort to “Stand with Puerto Rico,” several SUNY Oswego students including myself has chosen to embark on a two-week journey in San Juan, Puerto Rico to aid in disaster relief.

In collaboration with the non-profit disaster relief organization, NECHAMA, I have the opportunity to directly impact the lives of homeowners who are trying to recover from the devastation that Hurricane Maria caused.

Day 1:

My group was assigned to repair the roof of an 80-year-old woman. Upon arrival at the site, I noticed the condition of the home and the surrounding homes. It was clear that the roofs of many homes in that area were affected by the storm.

Her roof, which was once the second story of her home had been damaged by several hurricanes over the years causing her to transform it into a roof. Due to several cracks in the concrete, her house often had leaking when it rained.

After speaking with Marta I got to learn a little more about her life. She lost her husband five years ago and currently lives alone. They were married for over 40 years and have two sons together. One of which lives in Puerto Rico and the other residing in Texas. She expressed that her husband did everything for her including building their home so when he passed, it was very hard for her to adjust to living on her own. It was the first time in her life where she had to do things for herself.

Day 1 consisted of scrapping and lifting the old surface of the roof to prepare it to be cleaned and prepped for the sealing and painting of the new roof.

Fast-forwarding to September of 2017 when Hurricane Maria hit, she was faced with overcoming the devastation on her own.

Day 2:

Today was filled with concrete work and preparing the roof to be painted. My team and I dusted and swept the roof, applied concrete to all of the cracks and began applying primer to the surface of the roof. Unfortunately, it started to rain very hard causing the primer we applied to be washed away. Our resilient team, however, was not discouraged and quickly dried the surface and applied the primer for the second time.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was the home cooked meal we were prepared for lunch by our homeowner, Marta. Marta prepared a delicious meal for us to eat (chicken, rice, and beans) to show her appreciation for our efforts to help her with her home.

Day 3:

Today was slower than the previous days in terms of busy work. Since we primed the roof and prepped it to be painted, the only task left to do was to actually paint. While completing this task, a news crew came to Marta’s home to interview the leaders of our group and a few students. We explained to the crew the process of our work and the importance of the “Stand with Puerto Rico” initiative.

Our lovely homeowner Marta, yet again, prepared us a delicious lunch. Today, she made rice and beans with pork chops. It felt great to see how much she appreciates us and which in turn allowed me to put the entire program into perspective.

Sadly, our time with Marta will come to an end soon as we only have one more task to complete to restore her roof. Tomorrow, we will be applying a second coat of paint and then we are off to meet a new homeowner!

SUIT UP!

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Hello,

Are you planning to attend a job fair without a suit?

Here is an event that you don’t want to miss! SUIT UP!

JCPenney, Destiny USA, Syracuse provides “40% off discount” event only for SUNY Oswego students. February 18, 2018 6:30-9:30pm and there will be a free transportation from campus to Destiny USA for first 220 students.

       1.How to reserve a seat?

Tickets are available at Career Services, 145 MCC with a refundable $10 fee (you will give this money back when you get on the bus, it’s like a deposit).

     2. Anything else in JCPenney?

There will be food, music and balloons at the store!!

 3. If I don’t need transportation, can i go by myself?

Yes!! It is open for all SUNY Oswego students. Don’t forget bring your student ID card.

Join the event and be ready to go to the next step!!

 

If you need more information, here is the link:

https://www.oswego.edu/career-services/events/suit-get-professional-attire-real-bargain

An Intern Abroad

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Imagine a 5’2 American girl lugging 15 lbs worth of equipment on and off the Tube, through places like Trafalgar Square and world famous museums like the Victoria & Albert. That’s my reality every time I go to work.

I’m one of the 3% of American students who intern abroad. I work for a news and entertainment channel called London Live. I get sent all over the city to cover all different kinds of events. My repertoire now includes filming a theatre show designed around accessibility for both deaf and hearing audiences, to covering one of the most famous portraits in the world at the National Gallery.

The Arnolfini portrait is one of the art world’s greatest mysteries. This is a screenshot from one of my pieces I filmed for my job.

Work has also enabled me to attend an exclusive opening at the world famous Saatchi Gallery. After spending a day filming different exhibitions within the gallery, the curator handed me an invitation to attend the members-only opening that night. It was definitely one of the more surreal moments of my life.

A piece by the delightful and talented Daniel Crews Chubb, who I had helped interview earlier that day.

However, that isn’t the only type of things I have covered. My first real day in the office was the bombing at Parsons Green. My train had been cancelled before work so I had to walk/jog to make it. Nobody understood the magnitude of the situation. Even as we covered the scene live, details would trickle out slowly as we learned exactly what happened. I even managed to track down an interview with someone who was on the train. Sure enough, as what happens in big news situations, even reporters from the BBC and other international news companies started trying to record the interview I was getting with the London Live journalist I was sent out with. Talk about an intense and exciting first day!

One of the images I captured at the scene of Parsons Green.

 

Media frenzy at Parsons Green.

My work experience in London has been challenging and immensely rewarding. Finding your footing abroad is no easy feat. I’ve had to adjust to different styles of storytelling, different spellings, navigating a foreign workplace (not to mention an entire city!). However, I truly enjoy all of the change that’s happening in my life. I’ve grown so much in many different ways, both personally and professionally. The tests and challenges keep on coming, but the best way to grow is to keep moving forward and to keep learning.

This is an overlook of–in a broad sense–my office.

Navigate your future

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Hello! This is Kelly.

In this semester, i started new internship in Compass Resource center as an ‘Navigator.’ Navigators are interns who works with students to build their experiences for future careers.

It has been a month at the Compass and i met and communicated with lots of students. Since i just started my internship in here, i am still learning and improving by helping more and more students. I am glad that i can help someone who are passionate about their majors and willing to find some opportunities. They always encourage me to challenge myself.

What navigators do?

  1. Help students who don’t have major yet or want to change their major
  2. Help students to create and critique their resumes and cover letters
  3. Help students to find opportunities related to their future careers
  4. Help students to find graduate program

https://www.oswego.edu/career-services

Here is the website for Career Services Center. If you have student account they also have lots of online resources that you can use for free. If you have some questions while you are using those online resources, you can always come and ask us for help.

Compass Resources Center opens from 10am-4:30pm Mon-Fri, it is located in MCC145.

A Busy Bee is the Best Bee

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“This semester I am going to go to the gym, stay ahead in my work, take as many hours at my job, and spend time with my friends while maintaining a steady sleep schedule and decent diet” is A LOT  easier to say than to follow through with.

My general goal going into any semester is to find a healthy balance between school, work, and friends. Here I am 6th week in and already sleep deprived and drowning in work. Rather than crying about it I decided that I would share some useful tips so stay awake and alert.

School: School comes first ALWAYS and when I say first I obviously mean after family. But this is why you’re here at Oswego to literally go to class. SO GO TO CLASS. Get smarter. Have intelligent conversations, have silly conversations, just as long as you are having them.

Tips about class-If you are not a morning person; don’t try and be one. Schedule afternoon and night classes. If you like to get up early sign up for the 8 am. There is nothing better than having your day over before noon. I also suggest actually getting to know your teacher. Have them know your name, participate in class. Getting to know your teachers can be useful in the long run.

Make money: Jobs are great. They teach you responsibility and give you some disposable income which can be very useful in college (every student is broke and if you aren’t congrats don’t brag). Jumping into a job too soon can be a huge risk. The transition from high school to college is immense. Your first semester is said to be one of the most difficult semesters you’ll have. Don’t stress yourself out even more by adding in a job. Figure out if you can manage one first without one.

Tips about working- I started working on campus my sophomore year. I had successfully completed a whole year of college with around a 3.5 GPA. Working for SUNY Oswego Campus Recreation is something that exponentially contributed to my time management skills. It became less Netflix and more work in the library. I had deadlines for classes and I set deadlines for myself.

Staying healthy: When you’re a college student, you can have your cake and eat it too. No parents, no rules. However, when your jeans get smaller it can be really discouraging. Once in a while, eat an apple. Don’t get fries for lunch and dinner, get a salad sometimes. Just because mom isn’t around doesn’t mean vegetables shouldn’t be either.

Tips on staying healthy- Two words: AIRBORN and WATER. Taking a vitamin can be annoying but college is so germy it is important to be proactive. We have all been sick but the worst thing is waiting until it’s too late. Dying in your residence hall isn’t fun for you, your roommate or anyone for that matter. Take preventative measures (especially in our winters).

Working out: If working out, sports teams, or even participating in gym class wasn’t your thing in high school it is never too late to start! If you were active in high school keep on trucking! Leading an active lifestyle promotes a healthy lifestyle, a better heart, and more active mind. Whether it is once a week or once a day, being active in college has a multitude of benefits.

Tips on being healthy- I met tons of my friends playing intramural sports and going to group exercise classes. It is a nice way to break up the week. Going to a Zumba class gives you a great workout for about 45 minutes and you can go back to lying in bed with Netflix ASAP. PSA: One does not need to have rhythm to partake in Zumba. It is four years later and I still participate in intramurals with the same friends. Intramural sports last about an hour a night. There are men’s leagues, co-ed leagues (called Co-rec) and women’s leagues!

Have fun: School is going to get stressful. If you have a job, it will get stressful. Your pants; sorry but they’ll probably get tighter. BUT with the right support system and good friends, you will be able to survive the toughest of times!!

Tip from a senior- Make these four years count, because they’ll be over before you know it!

Hello!

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fullsizerenderHello! My name is Carolyn and sadly I am a second-semester senior. I say sadly because pretty much the last thing I want to think about right now is graduating. Finding a job, leaving my friends, moving to a new city, and leaving Oswego is all too much to think about. I have been extremely fortunate to have had the experiences I have had in the past four years. I’ve been surrounded by the most amazing people and partaken in the greatest adventures.

Here’s a brief run-down of my involvement on campus over the past four years. I’m a double major in Marketing and Public Relations, a TA for MKT 250 and MKT 467, I’ve held on-campus jobs in both the Res Life and Housing and Campus Life departments, I’ve participated in three internships, I’m a member of PRSSA, I traveled abroad with a quarter class to London, helped build a house in Iowa with Habitat for Humanity and played on several intramural sports teams (actually my first time playing a sport was in college haha).

One of my favorite experiences, by far was through my internship experience this summer. I was an Outside Sales Representative for the AroundCampus Group in the SUNY Oswego Market. This meant that every day I was accountable for selling advertising space in the free student planners that are handed out to students each year (make sure you get one!). Not only are they free, but they include deals and coupons for businesses in the Oswego area. This is a great resource for students and the community. I was able to meet several amazing local business owners in the Oswego area and learn about the rich culture of Oswego. Over the course of the semester, I will be sharing these businesses with you and many of the best places to see/visit/and eat at in Oswego!

2017 NYC Career Connections

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Hello~ How is your winter break going?

I attended a special event called NYC Career Connections hosted by alumni association on Jan. 12 in NYC. I had a chance to meet alumni and talk about how to get a job in NYC. Any Oswego students who are juniors or seniors can participate in this event.kakaotalk_20170116_134745252

This semester is my junior 2nd semester which is time to think about my future careers. I wanted to meet alumni and get inspiration from them. First, I went Sportsman Channel and met Tom Caraccioli ’89 who is a director of PR in the company. It was a great chance for me to meet him, because I major in PR and I could listen how everything goes in the PR field. I used to experience PR by only textbook, theoretically. At this session, he shared his experiences with us and give us great advice.

kakaotalk_20170116_134738788

and i got this nice cap!!

After the day session, students gathered in the SUNY welcome center and met about 40 alumni participants from the different fields. It started with speech from keynote speaker and we had time for talking with alumni who work at the company which students are interested in. Students brought their resumes and got advice from them and got connections.
                                      kakaotalk_20170116_134743093 kakaotalk_20170116_134741072

I checked and I am in the right track for my future! Strongly recommended to students who just start to build your career.

http://alumni.oswego.edu/s/1552/start.aspx ——–> You can find more information in here!!