Let me be the first to say, CONGRATULATIONS!

Odds are if you are reading this, you are in your senior year of high school and are getting ready to start your next journey at SUNY Schenectady!

You're going to love it. I promise!

My journey started here a few years ago. It's funny because at first, I didn't even want a journey here. When I thought of college, I thought the typical moving away for school hours away from your family, being able to do whatever you want whenever you want. Sometimes, though, things happen in life that you can't control and plans get changed, so you have no other choice than to just roll with the punches being thrown at you.

The thing is, though, is that you can't take these punches always as a bad thing, because honestly, everything happens for a reason! There was a reason I was supposed to go to SUNY Schenectady just like there is a reason for you.

From the moment you walk onto the campus you're going to feel a sense of home and belonging - from professors and Deans knowing your name and getting to know you on a personal level and always stopping to say hi and to see how your day is going to knowing pretty much every other face you walk by.

The friends you are going to meet here are like no other. I can tell you from personal experience that the friends I have met from SUNY Schenectady are some of the nicest, funniest, and most unique people I have ever met and I am lucky enough to be able to call them some of my best friends

What a lot of people don't seem to realize about a small community college is that they can offer you so much more than you could get at a large university.

At SUNY Schenectady, you're going to be in small classes where you have more of an opportunity for one-on-one help with your professor. You will be encouraged to ask questions if you don't understand something and, because you have such a small class, the professor can take the time to actually explain and go over whatever it may be that you don't understand. The professors and faculty are active members of the community and if they see an opportunity for you they will be the first to let you know about it and will do whatever it takes to help you.

Another thing you are going to love about this school is how small the campus is! Three buildings attached to each other makes getting to your next class simple and painless and everything is easy to find!

There are so many things I love about my school and so many things I miss. I hope SUNY Schenectady becomes a home away from home for you as it did for me. You're on an amazing path and congratulations on your major accomplishment!

Sincerely, A SUNY Schenectady Alum.