President’s Weekly Messages to Students

Turbulence

 

March 6, 2023

Dear Kingsborough Students,

I love to travel.  I have been all over the world to places like Cambodia, Kenya, India, Israel, St. Kitts, Ethiopia, China and Thailand, and there are even more places like Morocco, Iceland, Japan and Madagascar, that I would like to visit. But there is only one problem… I hate to fly.  The only part I enjoy about flying is getting off the plane. No cap.

I recently travelled to Florida. Compared to other places I have been to like South Africa and Vietnam, the flight time to Florida is nothing; it’s only 3 hours.  I typically choose a window seat.  This way I have something to lean my head on so I can try to get some sleep, and I can look out the window to calm my nerves. But sleeping was impossible on this flight because for 2 ½ hours there was turbulence.  I felt like I was trapped in a basketball.   It was such a bumpy ride.  And looking out the window didn’t help, because I could not see anything, it was like we were flying through a thick gray cloud.  All I could do was keep my eyes closed, pray and grab the arm rests. 

The turbulence came to an end in the last 30 minutes of the flight, but it wasn’t until we landed that I realized that the woman sitting next to me in the middle seat was an airline attendant.  I made a comment to her about the turbulence.  And she said, you were fine.  You did everything you were supposed to.  You had your seatbelt on, you didn’t get up.  You are fine. 

KCC students, we are only a few hours away from the start of the new semester.  There will be times when you experience turbulence, but if you do everything you are supposed to do like --scheduling time into your week to devote to your school work; completing all your assignments; asking questions when you are unclear; asking for help when you need it; accessing the resources we have on campus like tutoring, counseling,  the career center, women’s center, and the men’s resource center; checking your email daily; paying attention to critical dates; and checking in with your advisor on a regular basis—you too will be fine.  In fact, you are going to be better than fine, because you will be on your way to earning your college degree which will take you places, both professionally and personally.

At Kingsborough, you have a whole crew of faculty and staff who are here to support you as you take this flight into your future.

Welcome aboard KCC students!  Next stop: the first day of classes!

President Schrader