Dear KCC Students,

I want you to know that you are one of the best things about my job.  One of the other things I enjoy about working at Kingsborough is the wonderful community of faculty and staff who are committed to your success.  

Just like you get to know your classmates after sitting in class with them all semester, I have gotten to know the staff in my office. They are excellent colleagues and I appreciate them for all that they do every day.   I learn new things about them often.   I know that Damaris has a large family and is working on her master’s degree at John Jay and Mariana is working on her master’s degree at Baruch and she likes Starbucks in the morning. And then there is Linda. Although she doesn’t work in my office, she does work very closely with me on several special projects.  We have spent so much time together that she has come to know how much I love hip hop, and how much I enjoy listening to Biggie Smalls.  I’ve played Biggie so much, that she has developed a liking for his music too.  I know some things about Linda; like I know she used to play sports in high school, and that she got her master’s from Columbia University, but I did not know how much she loves Taylor Swift.  I found that out last week.

If you don’t know, Taylor Swift had a couple of concerts in NJ last weekend.  Linda really wanted to go, but although she kept looking online and trying to find someone who had tickets to sell, by Friday she had no luck.  It was sold out.  I even went online to see if I could find tickets, but I too had no luck.

Over the weekend, I saw news story about the concert and watched while concert goers were interviewed for the news.  They were so excited.  I thought about Linda and how bummed she must be not to be able to go.  On Tuesday after we returned to work after the long three- day weekend, she told me that she found tickets and was able to go to the concert!   I was over the moon for her because I know how much she loves Taylor Swift. Even though Damaris, Mariana and I all gave up hope on her being able to go, she did not give up.  She said she probably paid more that she should have for the tickets, but that the experience was worth it.

That’s my message on this Friday night for you.  Do not give up on yourself.  You are too close to the finish line to walk away.  Be as relentless and focused as Linda was on going to the concert on your goal of passing your classes.   The cost might be high for you too: less sleep and leisure time and more hours in the library, studying, or writing.   But I am here to tell you that earning your degree and the experience of being a college graduate is worth it.

KCC students, I wish you the best of luck in these remaining days of the Spring semester!

-President Schrader