I'm not gonna hold you. Respectfully. That part.

Monday, April17, 2023

Dear KCC Students,

 Welcome back from Spring Break!  I hope you had the opportunity to do something fun but now it’s time to get back to classes and back to the business of earning your college degree.  I spent my break brushing up on the latest lingo and I think I have the hang of it now.  So here goes…

 I am not gonna hold you, but it is Community College Month! And this week we are celebrating tomorrow with KCC Wave Day (your chance to come decked out in blue and orange, our school colors) the Spring Resource Fair, and a 4:00 pm baseball game between the KCC Wave (who are ranked 9th in the country) and the Suffolk Sharks.  I hope you have a chance to participate in some or all the activities planned and show your love for KCC, one of the top 10 community colleges in the United States and your soon to be alma mater.

Respectfully, you have a few more weeks before the end of the semester and this is no time to slow down.  Some of you are graduating in June and by now you should have a plan in place regarding your next steps.  For information about transfer contact  Juliana Dorcelus our Transfer Manager, at Juliana.Dorcelus@kbcc.cuny.edu and check out the Transfer page at https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/Transfer/index.html.  And for information about internships, career prep, or employment opportunities, contact Marisa Joseph, Director of Transfer Services at Marisa.joseph@kbcc.cuny.edu or check out our Center for Career Development and Experiential Learning at https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/career/career/studentservices.html.

If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to start thinking about your future.

Growing up, I had three careers in mind.    Believe it or not, when I was in elementary school, I dreamed about becoming an astronaut.  As I got older, I wanted to be a teacher like my mother. By the time I got to high school, because I had pretty good writing skills, I wanted to be a journalist.  So that’s what I decided to do when I went to college, but I ended up changing my major because I had less than positive experiences in my journalism classes. I changed it to Africana Studies because it was an area of study, I loved learning about.  

 Turns out, it wasn’t easy finding a job with my degree.  Back then, I didn’t think about speaking to a career specialist, nor did I have an advisor to point me in the right direction I relied on my siblings and my own research to chart my next steps. It all worked out, but fortunately for you, you don’t have to have to rely on anything just working out.   KCC has dedicated staff and advisors and offices like the ones I mentioned earlier to help get you on your next path to success, whether its transferring to a four-year college, getting a job, or registering for the spring semester.  This is also a big part of the reason Community Colleges are so special, because of the attention, care and support they provide to each student.

 So KCC students celebrate Community Colleges for the role they play in preparing you for the future, celebrate the faculty and staff who are here to ensure your success, but best of all, celebrate yourself for not only how far you have come, but how far you will go!  That part.

Have a great week!
President Schrader