Achievements Archives - Page 9 of 11

Meet SUNY Ulster’s Fashion Majors: Class of 2017

June 27, 2017May 23, 2017 by SUNYUlster

This May, the first group of SUNY Ulster students with a Fashion Design major will be graduating! To celebrate them and their accomplishments, here’s a snapshot of each of these talented students.

Safiyyah Alston

How Interest in Fashion Began: “When I was 4 or 5, my mom and grandma started teaching me how to make doll clothes and mini-quilts. I loved dressing my dolls up!”

Recommendations for Fashion Students: “Stay focused, but don’t lose the excitement and joy you get out of fashion.”

Favorite Part of SUNY Ulster: “The environment! There are so many different people with tons of different ideas and opinions that are so nice to be around and learn from.”

Favorite Classes: “I learned the most new information from my textiles class. I never knew how much went into the fibers and general descriptions. It was amazing and will stay with me.”

Ulster’s Influence on Career Decisions: “I didn’t think I was interested in menswear whatsoever until I had an independent study with Kristin Flynn, and she had me designing men’s clothing.”

Shauna Caines

Recommendations for Fashion Students: “You can go far in fashion. Many people believe that being a fashion designer on the runways in Paris is the only job that there is, and if you don’t make it that big, then there are no other jobs in fashion. Just do what you love and don’t be afraid to take risks. Be different!”

Inspirations: “Growing up, I would always watch Japanese designers that designed their clothing based on culture. I’ve always loved how they would bleach their clothing and make a unique version of something that would have been plain.”

Reasons for Choosing SUNY Ulster: “SUNY Ulster was close to home. I am able to go to school and continue my daily lifestyle as well.”

Favorite Part of SUNY Ulster: “Meeting students with the same desire and being able to build relationships with them, and hearing the success stories of my teachers as well.”

Favorite Fashion Classes: CAD, Costume History, and Sewing

Erica Carlson

How Interest in Fashion Began: “I fell in love with fashion design when I noticed how clothing changed what a person felt like. Clothing shows so much of a person’s personality if used right.”

Inspirations: Graphic designers Wish, James Jean, and Ario Anindito, as well as video games like Horizon Zero Dawn and Alice Madness

Feelings On the Fashion Program: “I have loved the program from day one. There are always new, exciting things to learn and experience in the world of fashion.”

Favorite Fashion Classes: Costume History, Drawing Design, and Studio Design

Ulster’s Influence on Career Decisions: “I knew that I wanted to go into fashion since the summer before seventh grade. Ulster has just reinforced my resolve about going into the fashion industry.”

Jeffrey Gomez

How Interest in Fashion Began: “While in high school and my early years of college, theater was a big part of my life. I always enjoyed being backstage more. In college, you could find me in the costume shop during rehearsal.”

Recommendations for Fashion Students: “Do your research; there are so many career options.”

Steps After Ulster: Attending FIT for their Technical Design program

Favorite Fashion Classes: Pattern Making and CAD

Ulster’s Influence on Career Decisions: “At first I thought about being a costume designer, then CAD designer, then surface/textile designer. Finally, I have decided to pursue technical design.”

Sarah Jayne

How Interest in Fashion Began: “I was interested in the fashion industry from a young age. Recently, I became interested in fashion and body positivity. Plus-size clothing, formalwear, and streetwear have always piqued my interest.”

Recommendations for Fashion Students: “Fashion design isn’t all about wearing stylish outfits. It takes willingness, dedication, patience, and passion. Sometimes fashion design is really stressful, but it’s so worth it.”

Steps After Ulster: Attending Marist’s Fashion Program

Favorite Fashion Classes: Illustration and Draping

Ulster’s Influence on Career Decisions: “The fashion program at Ulster has really opened my eyes to how much really goes into fashion design. People underestimate the time designing takes.”

Libbey Klosterman

Dream Job: “I would love to be a fashion buyer and be able to travel the world.”

Signature Style: “My signatures style is influenced by the 1990s. I want to look like I walked out of the Fresh Prince of Belair!”

Current Piece: A traditional Filipino dress

Favorite Part of SUNY Ulster: “My favorite part of attending SUNY Ulster is the environment and my fashion design professors.”

Ulster’s Influence on Career Decisions: “The fashion program experience overall has helped me grow as a person and given me confidence to broaden my career decisions.”

Theresa Naske

Recommendations for Fashion Students: “Be prepared to work hard. Fashion is not only glamorous gowns- it is everyday clothing, and even the simplest designs require artistry, math, proportion, and good communication.”

Favorite Part of SUNY Ulster: “Instructors! They are helpful, compassionate, and knowledgeable.”

Feelings On the Fashion Program: “It’s demanding, comprehensive, and wonderful!”

Favorite Fashion Classes: Computer-Aided Design and Draping/Pattern-Making

Ulster’s Influence on Career Decisions: “Getting to know industry professionals through review days and internships has shown me that a career in fashion is possible.”

Nicole Pearson

How Interest in Fashion Began: “I have always liked making clothes. I bought myself a sewing machine when I was 12 and went from there.”

Recommendations for Fashion Students: “Don’t underestimate yourself, don’t procrastinate, and never give up when something goes wrong.”

Favorite Part of SUNY Ulster: “The friendships that I’ve made with my classmates in the fashion program and seeing how much we’ve progressed over the past two years.”

Feelings On the Fashion Program: “It’s excellent. The teachers all have years of experience in the industry and push our creativity every day.”

Favorite Fashion Classes: CAD, Design Studio, Patternmaking, Draping

Mirabai Trent

Dream Job: Learning traditional weaving and embroidery practices from around the world to create and import items for her own business

Recommendations for Fashion Students: “Fashion is a lot more complex than what most would think. There’s so many different worlds inside the world of fashion that work to create everything we wear.”

Steps After Ulster: Volunteering in other countries

Reasons for Choosing SUNY Ulster: “They have an early college program, so I could work to get my degree in fashion while also getting a high school equivalency.”

Favorite Part of SUNY Ulster: Visiting the Design Library with fashion CAD class

Amari Turman-Roosa

Dream Job: Working as a company or celebrity stylist

Inspirations: Gucci, Betsey Johnson, Alice + Olivia

Feelings On the Fashion Program: “I love it. We’re like a small family!”

Favorite Fashion Classes: Draping and Pattern Making

Ulster’s Influence on Career Decisions: “The experience really made fashion grow more on me and reassured me that this is what I want to do.”

Dougie Tyler

Inspirations: “Music. Music has had such a huge influence and impact on everything I design. Some of my greatest designs came from simply listening to a song.”

Dream Job: Designing costumes for Cher or Madonna

Style: “I absolutely refuse to design boring clothes. Even if I design a simple pencil skirt, the fabric will always be bold and look like it’s one of a kind. I want the women I dress to feel like they can conquer the world in my designs.”

Favorite Part of SUNY Ulster: “The professors in the fashion department. They genuinely care about me and push me to strive for the absolute best in my life.”

Feelings on the Fashion Program: “I think it’s an amazing opportunity for anyone to get real, knowledgeable experience in fashion and have an advantage over students who go directly to schools like F.I.T. I now feel confident going to larger universities.”

Meet our Student Admissions Ambassadors

December 5, 2016November 30, 2016 by Valentina Villa

Here at SUNY Ulster, we have an elite team of student ambassadors that are in charge of portraying the persona of the student community. They are in charge of helping prospective and new students gain special insight into the SUNY Ulster experience through a student’s own perspective. Student Ambassadors are available to help a prospective student make an informed decision about the college, by sharing their own personal experiences with them.

Being a Student Admissions Ambassador will help a SUNY Ulster student earn valuable experience to boost their resume, help them develop excellent communication and leadership skills, make important connections for their future, get SUNY Ulster gear to wear for Admissions events, and most importantly, get to know other SUNY Ulster students. One of the most attractive benefits of being a Student Admissions Ambassador is that one can serve as an Admissions Tour Guide and receive payment in the summer for service.

In order to become a Student Admissions Ambassador, one must have excellent communication skills in one-on-one and group settings, good listening skills, be organized, possess excellent time management skills, and be able to work with a diverse group of students with different needs. They should have a positive attitude, be outgoing, enthusiastic, dependable, and in good academic standing. Anyone can be a Student Admissions Ambassador, from someone with a history in community service and volunteerism to having a strong interest in public relations and marketing. They serve as volunteers at various Admissions events, are able to help staff with recruitment efforts at local college fairs and community events, contribute to social networks, set up to assist prospective student, participate in open houses, lead campus tours for prospective students and visitors, and best of all, earn college credit as an intern.

It’s a great way to become involved right off the bat and immerse the average student in the college experience, as well as the local community. They meet on Wednesdays at 1pm in the Dining Hall. In order to become more involved myself, I met with one of the Student Ambassadors in person and asked her about the experience. Mariana Mena, an outstanding student athlete who has won Scholar Athlete of the Year, majors in Independent Studies and is due to graduate this upcoming spring of 2017. When asked why she likes the experience, she said, “It’s allowed me to learn a lot about communicating with others, and I overcame my shyness when it comes to talking to strangers. It taught me great leadership qualities, and allowed me to become more aware of the events around campus. Personally, getting involved with open houses was fun, and you could see the appreciation in people’s faces when they got to learn about the school through a student’s perspective.” She encouraged me to join as well, because SUNY Ulster gives you an opportunity to learn about college life before you move onto a huge college, get involved and educated, and allows you to meet people you probably wouldn’t have classes with. Best of all, it looks great on a college resume!

To learn more about becoming a Student Admissions Ambassador, contact Lucia Pecore at pecorel@sunyulster.edu.

If you want to talk to a Student Ambassador firsthand, Mariana Mena can be contacted at menam44@my.sunyulster.edu.

And, if you want to schedule a campus tour with a Student Admissions ambassador, go to the Visit page on our website to set up an appointment.

SUNY Ulster Students Work with Local Designers, Host Special Fashion Event

November 21, 2016 by SUNYUlster

Students in the fashion, entrepreneurship, and music departments successfully planned and produced their very own fashion show this past week! Members of the Introduction to Fashion and Introduction to Entrepreneurship classes collaborated to create outfits and plan Fashion & Entrepreneurship: Stories and Role Models, a fashion show and informative discussion held on Wednesday, November 16, at the Stone Ridge campus. The event highlighted the designs, merchandise, and entrepreneurial stories of seven fashion companies from the local community. The designers and companies who worked with the students included Leong Ong, Pool 28, LLC; Cal Patch, Hodge Podge Farm; Karina Cousineau, Karina Dresses; Margrit Wenzel, LGND Supply Co; Beth Petramale, Next Boutique; Ryan Roche, Ryan Roche Fashion; and Kelly Lyndgaard, Unshattered. A following panel discussion with the business owners offered wisdom and advice for the up-and-coming designers and entrepreneurs, as well as the public.

To create the show, the Fashion and Entrepreneurship students were put into teams and received valuable experience while they studied the work of the fashion companies, met with the business owners, held interviews about their designs and companies, and planned the fashion show. The students compiled what they learned about each company into a story that they shared at the show. Designs were showcased using students as models. A group of students studying Music Entrepreneurship designed the music for the event, and students planned and implemented the marketing for the fashion show.

Assistant Professor Mindy Kole, Director of the Darlene L. Pfeiffer Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, was enthusiastic about
the event and its importance to Ulster: “Projects like Fashion & Entrepreneurship: Stories and Role Models are what set SUNY Ulster apart from other colleges and universities. Here at SUNY Ulster, students don’t just learn about entrepreneurship and fashion from lectures and textbooks, they learn by immersing themselves in the real world, they learn by doing and spending time with experts. Students actually practice skills and the characteristics of an entrepreneurial mindset through projects like this. This is truly the SUNY Ulster way.”

We commend the SUNY Ulster students for all their hard work, and thank the business owners for their support and participation!

Katherine Dubosh, Double Graduate

October 3, 2016 by SUNYUlster

Katherine Dubosh standing on Campus in graduation cap

For 2016 graduate Katherine Dubosh, a college degree came before a high school diploma! That’s because she graduated from Rondout Valley High School with honors in June, over a month after turning her high honors tassel at SUNY Ulster.

Katherine decided to attend Ulster in the 10^th grade. Lucia Pecore, SUNY Ulster Assistant Director of Admissions, remembers being skeptical about Katherine’s application two years ago, but she quickly realized that this ambitious student was determined to get her Associate’s degree when she graduated from high school. Katherine has not regretted her decision. She says, “Attending SUNY Ulster is one of the best decisions I made for myself in high school.”

“Being in high school and college was definitely a challenge. I think the biggest challenge was time management, especially during my junior year. I stayed in high school until 2:20 and then took night and online classes during my free time.” Katherine told us. Despite the difficulties she experienced while maintaining her busy schedule, Katherine says she was elated to cross the commencement stage on May 18^th, adding, “I felt like my hard work had finally paid off.”

Katherine is attending SUNY New Paltz for their pre-med program, which involves a 7 year BS/DO degree. We wish this motivated alumna all the best for her future at New Paltz and beyond!

Volleyball: Lady Senators will go far this season

October 7, 2016September 26, 2016 by Valentina Villa

Our very own Ulster Senators are working hard for an impeccable season this year with the guidance of Coach Glenn Warnock, and Assistant Coaches Kerry Malak and alum Jessica Muller. Their hard work and dedication to this year’s team has shown in the 3-2 ongoing record, with losses against Orange and Queensborough Counties.

D2 Ulster Women's Volleyball — D2 Ulster Women’s Volleyball

The starting Senators consist of veterans Carrigan Buhler, Cianna Vigrass, Erica Prindle, Marianna Mena, Katie Slater and with new additions Valentina Villa, and Lindsey Harder. Practicing everyday after classes, our lady Senators are training hard to proliferate their talents and cooperate as a team to go far this season. The girls already have an obvious bond, while only knowing each other for just a few weeks, and have already established a familial connection, which is hard to see, as well as attain within a group of girls. Their dedication and common love and passion for volleyball is seen on and off the court, as many of the girls will spend their off time in the gym just peppering and practicing. It has become very uncommon to see any these girls around campus without a volleyball, and you just know that if they keep up this focus, they will get very far this season. With upcoming away games at Dutchess Community College and Westchester Community College this week, the girls are working hard, as well as keeping their studies in check, giving us a reason to keep fueling our pride to be Ulster Senators.

GO SENATORS!

Eva Santos’ Research Project at Purchase

September 12, 2016 by SUNYUlster

Eva Santos, a SUNY Ulster college scholar and student aide, recently participated in the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program at SUNY Purchase. The computer science major is one of two students from Ulster to be accepted into the Purchase program, which was just opened to our campus STEM community this past year. The Bridges six-week program, designed for underrepresented students from local community colleges, gives budding scientists in fields like computer science, biology, and psychology the chance to network with others in their field and complete a scientific research project under the supervision of a faculty member.

She first discovered the program through posters around campus, as well as from the Honors and STEM departments on campus. After applying and getting accepted, Eva got to spend late May through early July living at Purchase, working on her research project with fellow program members, who were grouped into teams by major. Under the direction of their faculty sponsor, Dr. Mark Jonas, they developed their project, titled “The Effect of Carbon Dioxide on Climate Change”, which was designed to discover the effects of excess carbon dioxide on the genetic expression in fruit flies and specific plant types. While the main portion of the experiment was based in the biology field, Eva and a fellow computer science major in the group were given the task of creating a remote-controlled robotic arm for accomplishing specific tasks, like planting seeds. The idea behind this, and robotics in science experiments in general, is to reduce the effects of human interaction and lessen the possibility of error, an obvious goal for all research projects.

Closeup of Eva's project, the robotic arm. — Closeup of Eva’s robotic arm.

The project was a great success. The robotic arm could complete the basic functions it was assigned wirelessly, which was the primary goal, and could be adapted to do even more with additional time. The main project, with the plants and flies, was also successful. Their findings showed a significant change in one group, a 5-10 day longer bolting time for the plants whose parents were exposed to greater amounts of carbon dioxide. This difference was large enough that it could be researched further.

Eva says she enjoyed the program, although it was tough to complete the work in the short amount of time they had. She was intrigued by the experience and is interested in getting involved in another program somewhere next summer, after she graduates from Ulster. We wish this talented student all the best for her future projects!

Faculty Achievements for Spring 2016

August 11, 2016 by SUNYUlster

Members of the SUNY Ulster faculty have been very active this spring! From publishing books to speaking internationally, the professors and staff have had quite a number of achievements. Here’s just a snapshot of what our talented faculty have accomplished over the past few months.

Judy Capurso Receives Recognition

The 2016 Twila Snead Commitment to Excellence Award was presented to librarian Judy Capurso at the Southeastern NY Library Resources Council Annual Meeting on Friday, June 3, at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. The SUNY Ulster librarians, as well as over 100 librarians from the region, were there to honor Judy for her years of service to the college community here at SUNY Ulster.

Richard Cattabiani Addresses John Steinbeck Society in Japan
SUNY Ulster’s retiring professor of English and Founder and Director of the International Studies Program, Richard Cattabiani, ended his career on a high note, as he was selected to give the keynote address for the John Steinbeck Society in Kyoto, Japan on May 30th. Richard, who taught for 48 years, shared best practices and focused on Active Methods in introducing Steinbeck to students studying American Literature and Culture in Japan. Drawing an audience from all over the world, Richard addressed approximately 100 scholars and teachers.

Doug Furman Publishes Book on Mathematics

Douglas Furman, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Department Chair of Sciences, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM), has announced that a book he co-edited, Writing the History of Mathematical Notation: 1483-1700 (Docent Press, 2015), has just been published. He has also been appointed as a member of Docent Press’ Editorial Board. His new book, through careful examination of additional texts, pushes the origins of many arithmetical notations further back in time. The book takes full advantage of recent large-scale digitization initiatives by including snippets from original texts that show the early usage and evolution of these notations.

Nichola Harris Presents Papers

Dr. Nichola Harris, Associate Professor of European History and Coordinator of History and Political Science, recently presented at two Academic Conferences: the American Association for the History of Medicine from April 28 to May 1, 2016 in Minneapolis and the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Renaissance Society of America in Boston from March 31 to April 2, 2016. For the American Association for the History of Medicine, Dr. Harris chaired a panel discussion entitled ‘Global Connections in the History of Pre-Modern Pharmacology.’ As part of the panel, Harris presented her own scholarly work, entitled Early Modern Medical Consumerism and the ‘Secret’ Lapidary of Nicholas Culpeper. In Boston, she was part of a panel entitled The Circulation of Plant Sources: Manuscripts, Prints, Herbaria in Modern Europe, 1400–1700 and her paper was “Popular Medical Advice & the Formulation of Herbal Remedies in Early Modern England.”

Jessica Moore Recognized as Outstanding Adjunct Professor

The National Association of Geoscience Teachers Geo2YC Division, has named SUNY Ulster Adjunct Jessica Moore for the March 2016 Honoree for the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty award! She was nominated for this recognition by Steven Schimmrich, and is being acknowledged for her work at SUNY Ulster. She will receive a complimentary one-year membership to NAGT Geo2YC, and will be considered as one of four quarterly honorees for the Annual Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award to be determined in Fall 2016, which includes a stipend of up to $750 from Pearson Publishing to support classroom or professional development opportunities.

Sean Nixon Presents at Conference on Instruction & Technology

Sean Nixon, Associate Professor of Art & Design and Coordinator of the Graphic Design Program at SUNY Ulster, presented “Real World Intercultural Classroom Collaboration via Social Media” at the Conference on Instruction & Technology (CIT) at SUNY Potsdam in early June. CIT is the State University of New York’s largest, most prominent event on instructional technology in education, drawing an average of 500 participants each year. Professor Nixon developed the program as a model for practical learning known as The Real World Classroom.™

Ray Raymond Lectures

Dr. Ray Raymond, Associate Professor of Government and History and Director of the Katt Institute for Constitutional Studies, gave the February Dean’s Lecture at the US Military Academy West Point. In it, Dr. Raymond examined the various forces threatening the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom. In April, he gave the keynote address at the SUNY Ulster Spring Phi Theta Kappa induction. Entitled “Ignorance is a luxury we cannot afford,” Dr. Raymond’s address explained the basic principles that should govern the relationship between the US intelligence community and policymakers.

Dr. Lisa Schulte Achieves Her Doctorate

A longtime Associate Professor of Nursing at SUNY Ulster, Dr. Schulte, has been awarded a Doctor of Nursing Science (DNS) degree from The Sage Colleges in Albany. Dr. Schulte’s research focuses on supporting non-native English speaking students in associate degree nursing programs in New York State. Her passion is cultural diversity; last summer, Dr. Schulte traveled to Brazil with students from SUNY Ulster and Oswego to promote cultural exchange between the Americas. In addition to all this, she was the keynote speaker at the New York League for Nursing Conference on March 12th in Saratoga.

Kim Wozencraft Publishes Essay

English Department faculty member Kim Wozencraft has an essay in the tenth edition of The Prose Reader: Essays for Thinking, Reading, and Writing, published by Pearson Education.

Kathleen Bruegging and William Sheldon Win Positions in Mexican COIL Partnership

Kathleen Bruegging and William Sheldon won coveted positions in the Mexican COIL Partnership – the MCP Program where faculty from 18 Universities throughout 18 states in Mexico will embark in COIL collaborations with faculty from multiple SUNY campuses, as well as the University of Minnesota and the University of Washington. As part of the MCP Grant, William and Kathleen participated in a professional development opportunity in Cuernavaca, Morales, Mexico from June 20-24.

Suzy Jeffers, Ian Maichell, Dina Pearlman, and Pablo Shine Have Art Exhibits on Display

SUNY Ulster COIL Scholarship Trip to Mexico

March 28, 2016 by SUNYUlster

Hello everybody! My name is Joan Mena, and I am a Graphic Design major here at SUNY Ulster. The design program had the opportunity to take five graphic design students to Mexico through a SUNY Ulster COIL scholarship to meet our COIL partners, and grow our knowledge about design in another country. Of course, qualifying wasn’t an easy process. Each graphic design student had to have a high GPA, write an essay, and create a portfolio with their best work. I was one of the lucky five who got picked for this great opportunity.

Day 1

We left very early in the morning March 16th, 2016 and arrived at 1:00pm Mexico time. The first thing we did was take a cab to the La Salle University, which is the university where we are doing a COIL collaboration. We met Marguerite Pajot, who was the woman in charge of accommodating all international students with their host families, a La Salle ID, and in charge of giving us a tour of the school as well as some information about Mexican culture. La Salle University had a beautiful set of campuses; there were 5 in total. Every campus is divided by major, and they also share campus with the high school. After getting a quick tour of the school, we had lunch in a beautiful dining hall. Guess what we had for our first lunch in Mexico? Tacos, of course! They were delicious, as expected. Later we waited for our host family to arrive and take us home. Mrs. Rosa Maria Sotres Gutierrez, or as we called her, Rosita, was the host mom for Liz, Morgan, and me for the week. She was the nicest woman I have ever met. She spoke English perfectly, and we didn’t have any trouble communicating. Since I am fluent in Spanish, I was also able to talk to her in Spanish. After getting all settled in the house, we had our first Mexican dinner, which Rosita prepared for us: chicken and rice. Muy rico! (Delicious!)

Day 2

The next day was the big day. We finally got to meet our Mexican COIL partners. I was so happy to finally meet Chio Castañeda, my partner, that I couldn’t help but run and hug her. We had been talking through Facebook and Skype, and I instantly connected with her since our personalities are so much alike. We didn’t have a lot of time to spend with them that day, but we did make plans for the next day to have dinner together. After having some classes on an overview of Mexican History and Mexican culture, we met Roberto de Ulsar Alexander, the Design professor at La Salle, and went to El Tizoncito and had the most incredible tacos al pastor in the whole world. They were 14 pesos each, which is 80 cents in U.S dollars. After eating many tacos, we went to a private tour in Luis Barragan’s house, Casa Gilardi. This house was breathtaking; pictures can never show how beautiful the architecture of this house is. We found out that Louis Vuitton was going to have a photo shoot in the same house we were in!

Day 3

Friday, March 18th, we came back to the university and had Graphic Design classes. Our professors, both American and Mexican, critiqued our work and gave us advice on how to improve it. It wasn’t a long class, and we then headed to the Mexican market. We bought a lot of cool souvenirs for our families and friends back home.

Days 4 & 5

Saturday and Sunday were the busiest days; we visited the Aztec Pyramids in Teotihuacan, climbed the Pyramid of the Sun, and walked around the Pyramid of the Moon. Before moving to the next location, we stopped at a restaurant called Tlacaelel. Women were performing traditional Aztec dances, and we were serenaded by mariachis while we ate. Later, we went to the Basilica of Guadalupe and walked around the seven churches that were all close to each other. We went to the Museum of Anthropology and Chapultepec castle. We also went on a Turibus, which was a double decker bus that traveled along the city and explained a brief history of each building in Mexico City. We decided to walk around the city and take a look at stores and mini markets. We passed by Mexican Chinatown, which is the smallest chinatown in the whole world. We saw the Palacio Nacional, Palacio de Bellas Artes, the Cathedral, and many others.

On our last full day, we visited Frida Kahlo’s house and three design firms. I was always a fan of Frida, and I couldn’t help but get tears in my eyes when I went inside her bedroom. It was so surreal that I was standing in the same house were Frida and Diego Rivera once shared memories in. Finally, we visited the design firms. They were all very different in terms of how big they were and what kind of designs they did for their clients. I really got a sense of what I want to do in the future and what kind of firm is the right one for me. For our last night in Mexico City, we decided to go have some street food with our Mexican friends. Again, it was delicious!

This trip was a great opportunity to see a different perspective in design. Mexicans are not afraid of vibrant colors and shapes, and they are not afraid of combining indigenous designs with modern designs. Since the first day in Mexico the people were nothing but friendly, kind, helpful, and warm. I would like to visit again and travel to the rest of Mexico. It was such an amazing experience; I will never forget it. I want to thank SUNY Ulster, Professor Sean Nixon, Hope Windle, Roberto, my fellow classmates, and also La Salle’s Mexican students.

Alumna Highlight: Leanna White, Graphic Design

April 10, 2019January 4, 2016 by SUNYUlster

Close up photo of Leanna White, SUNY Ulster Alumni

Leanna White is a SUNY Ulster Alum, Class of 2012 with an A.S. degree in Advertising Design and Graphic Technology. Her career since graduation has been the very definition of “Start Here. Go Far.” Leanna has taken her classroom knowledge into the real world to excel in her chosen career as a professional Graphic Designer.

The SUNY Ulster Graphic Design program is not only instructional, it also prepares students to work with clients. While in the program, students work on professional projects to prepare them for a career in graphic design immediately after graduation.

Among other projects, Leanna worked on the design of the Ulster County Sheriff Patrol cars.

Recently, we sat down with Leanna to discuss her accomplishments since graduating from SUNY Ulster.

What have you accomplished since graduating from SUNY Ulster?

Since graduating in 2012, I have had nothing short of a colorful career. Shortly after graduating, I was offered a job at Pictoura (start-up travel company) where I retouched over 30,000 beautiful images from locations around the world.

Later that year, I was offered an in-house position as a graphic designer for Naturtint, an international leader in natural hair dye. The advertisements I designed could be found around the U.S. and Canada in top publications like Women’s Health, Dr. Oz and The Good Life.

After parting ways with Pictoura in 2013, and Naturtint in 2014, I was offered a position as creative director for We Are Triumphant (Records) in Fall 2014. My job was to manage all of the company’s creative material including artwork for individual artists and bands on the label. Plus I had the great opportunity to work directly with Victory Records to have my work produced for their online store.

While I still work on-and-off with We Are Triumphant, most of my time is currently occupied with design work for Yankee Trails World Travel. Some of my many tasks include designing travel catalogs, printed advertisements, e-mail campaigns and more. All the while, I have maintained a bustling freelance career where I work with awesome people from around the world.

You can see Leanna’s portfolio online at: www.leannawhite.com

How has the SUNY Ulster graphic design program assisted you in your career?

Even though I did some design work before attending SUNY Ulster, The ‘Real World Classroom’ with its controlled setting really helped prepare me for what to expect in the design world. The field is extremely competitive and this gave me a head start. With the help of the program’s real-world projects and competitive student atmosphere, I quickly adopted a work ethic that has helped me produce some of my best work yet.

Do you have any advice for current Design students?

Always have a contract.

One thing that I think needs some serious mentioning is design contracts. If you are a freelance designer dealing with money of any kind, you must ALWAYS have a written agreement between both parties. I cannot stress this enough. More often than not, people will try to take advantage of you if a contract is not set in place. If you cannot afford a lawyer to write a contract for you, do your research and alter an existing contract to suit your needs.

Be competitive.

To survive in the design world, you absolutely have to be driven and committed. Never stop learning, never stop improving. Keep up to date with current design trends and constantly perfect your skill and technique. Most clients are looking for a one-stop-shop, which means you need to be a multi-disciplined and multi-faceted individual with a lot to offer. If you’re not giving it your all, expect that someone else will. This career is not for the light of heart.

Take a break.

As with most creative professions, your brain needs a break from creative thinking. Working long hours on a project will leave you feeling blind and without direction. That is never a good feeling, especially when someone is relying on you to make something great. Know when to close down Adobe for the night and try not to stress about your creative block – tomorrow’s fresh eyes are exactly what your design needs.

Interested in more information about the SUNY Ulster, Graphic Design Program?

Check out: https://www.sunyulster.edu/academics/credit_programs/advertising_design/

SUNY Ulster President Dr. Alan Roberts

December 22, 2015December 22, 2015 by SUNYUlster

President Alan Roberts standing with Nick Carchidi

Occupation: SUNY Ulster President
Community College Attended: North Country Community College
First Generation Student

What made you decide to start at a Community College?
Convenience, Affordability, and Accessibility.

When did you figure out your career major?
I began as an accounting major in community college but once I furthered my education I found that I had a passion for more of the marketing and other fields involved with business.

What is the difference between Community College then vs. Community College now?
Technology, I just read that 70% of students need technology to study and 30% can’t leave their phone alone for 10 minutes. Now, with the Technology Revolution though, I can’t leave my phone alone either.

Describe your journey from Student to President.
I began studying Accounting at North Country Community College. Then I worked in the business field for years but wanted a more fulfilling job. I then started working as an Accounting professor at Indian River State College, moving up to a department head, a Dean and now as the President of SUNY Ulster.

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Ulster?
The Instructors: They are exactly what I was hoping faculty would be at every community college. They care about the students. The success of their students is number one in their mind and they go about & beyond in that they spend more time with students, they help, they mentor, they guide, and they love being here.

What are your Favorite Places on Campus?
I love the Music and Art Departments since I’m a musician.
The STEM Department interests me because of all the cool technology in the classrooms. And, of course, the Cafeteria because that’s where the students are and I love to interact with them.

What tips do you have for Students?
Start on day one: Get class scheduling, financial aid, book purchasing out of the way before the first day of class. Focus on your studies. Learn how to be a student: Figure out how to be independent and how the college system works while at community college.