President’s Weekly Messages to Students
That time I was chased by a horse
Monday, August 22, 2022
Dear Kingsborough Students,
Did I ever tell you about the time I was chased by a horse?
True story and long story. Last year, while I was on a short vacation in St. Croix, I decided to go for an early morning walk. The area I where I was walking at the time is typically does not have a lot of vehicular traffic, there are no buildings or sidewalks, just a lot of bush and trees, and a barbed wire fence on one side.
I was enjoying my walk, when all of a sudden I heard hooves behind me. I didn’t remember passing a horse on my walk, but that sound was unmistakable. I thought maybe someone was taking their horse out for a ride. I turned around to see a horse (with no one on it) galloping ( and when I say galloping, I mean galloping) toward me😳. I have never been so s.c.a.r.e.d. There was nowhere for me to go, and I certainly couldn’t out run a horse. I froze in place, bracing for impact and was relieved when he galloped past me.
I immediately crossed over to the other side of the road. I was relieved, but only for a minute because I could see that he slowed down. almost like he was waiting for me. I considered turning back, but what difference would it make? There was no one I could call to come get me. .
I kept my eyes on the horse (I was convinced he was watching me too) and continued to weigh my options and at this point the only option I had was to climb through the barbed wire fence. The choices were: cuts and bruises or being trampled by a horse. It was then heard and then turned to see a truck approaching from behind. I tried to flag it down without making a lot of motion or noise, (because the horse was still watching me), but the driver just kept going. I went back to weighing my options. I looked ahead and the horse although a distance in front of me, was crossing the road and we were now on the same side!
At this point I am d.o.n.e. and had resigned myself to climbing through the barbed wire fence. Then I saw a car approaching me. I stepped out in the middle of the road and flagged it down. The car made a U-turn. It was a woman, I begged her for a ride and explained to her that the horse was after me. Before she could say yes, I jumped into her car. I explained to her what happened as we drove off and as we passed the horse, I saw it was nose to nose with another horse who was on the other side of the barbed wire fence. The woman, was laughing hysterically the whole time, but my heart was still in my throat. She dropped me off to where I first started and I thanked her for saving my life.
KCC students there are many lessons here that I hope you can find value in.
Sometimes things are not as bad as it seems. (I thought the horse was chasing me, but he was really passing me to get to the other horse).
There is always someone who is willing to help (always, just don’t take rides from strangers; and she went out of her way to do so)
Sometimes you have to freeze in place, take a minute to get some perspective, and develop a plan (But you cannot stay frozen)
Sometimes things don’t go as planned. I didn’t get to do my complete walk. I changed course and made it home safely.
Getting stuck on an isolated road with a horse was not an option. And getting half way, or only completing one semester toward your degree should not be an option for you. We can help.
If you need help registering for the Fall semester, reach out to your advisor:https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/Advisement/index.html
Or you can register on your own through CUNY CUNYFirst: https://ssologin.cuny.edu/cuny.html
If you need more information about tuition payment options, checkout the Bursars office: https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/administration/business_manager/bursar/tuitionpaymentoptions.html
If you are experiencing issues related to things like childcare or housing the Kingsborough (ARC) Access, Resource Center is here to help at: https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/arc/Homepage.html
I am grateful for the woman who went out of her way to help me. And we are here to help too. If you need help email me at president@kbcc.cuny.edu and I along with the incredible faculty and staff at KCC will go out of their way to clear obstacles, provide you with the support you need and figure out how we can help ensure that you stay on your journey to earn a college degree.
Have a great week.
President Schrader
