Perseverance – Page 4

From FLCC to ESPN: Nikole DeBell ’11

Woman holding a trophy in front of an ESPN banner — Nikole DeBell ’11 participated in “Jimmy V Day” at ESPN. By supporting the V Foundation for Cancer Research, she was given the opportunity to take a photo with an ESPY trophy.

On the job one day, Nikole DeBell ’11 accompanied ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor Lauren “Elle” Duncan with a camera and a mini basketball hoop. Elle dunked hoops over the heads of unsuspecting people and Nikole captured it on camera for a segment on the Saturday show.

“It was a really fun day and I got paid for that,” said Nikole. “Then to see what I produced on TV was really cool.”

That was a few years ago, when Nikole worked as an associate producer at ESPN. In May 2019, she transitioned into her current role as ESPN Next training and development coordinator. The position has her charged with training new production assistants, planning out yearly curriculum, running a peer mentor program and planning networking activities.

Like most everything else, her job has been affected by the pandemic.

Cover of Laker magazine showing five people plue the text "Stories of resolve and resilience" — This story is one of several in the Fall 2020 edition of The Laker magazine. Click this image to read the electronic version.

“My role has changed pretty drastically due to COVID,” she said. “One of my main responsibilities is training new people, and we aren’t currently hiring new people.

So, the development side of my job has really come in to play. I’ve had to come up with creative ways to virtually develop and advance the people we have in our program now, which has been challenging and fun.”

Nikole has been with ESPN for four years. It’s a dream job – and fitting, considering her background.

The daughter of an NFL official and gym teacher, she was a three-sport athlete at Dansville High School: soccer, basketball, and softball.

Continue reading “From FLCC to ESPN: Nikole DeBell ’11”

From the cover: SUMMONED TO THE STORM

Woman in full PPE — Jennifer Emmons ’11 spent 12 weeks treating COVID-19 patients. She has found much support from family,friends and community members and has focused on reopening Hospeace House, the Naples comfort care home she oversees.

Before leaving for a 12-week post to help at a New Jersey hospital hit hard by COVID-19, nurse Jennifer Emmons ’11 finalized her own funeral arrangements.

“I had to have a talk with my children to let them know what was in place, where the life insurance is,” she said. “My kids weren’t going to have to wonder about anything. Working in death and dying, I know how important that is.”

Jennifer has been the executive director of the Naples end-of-life comfort home, Hospeace House, since 2017. When the pandemic took hold, the Finger Lakes Community College nursing alumna felt summoned to the storm.

She watched the early reports from the New York City epicenter, where hospitals approached capacity and supplies and staff were sorely needed.

“Being a hospice nurse I think what bothered me the most was that we kept hearing that people were dying alone,” said Jennifer. “I knew that I had skills that were needed.”

With the support of the Hospeace board of directors, Jennifer took an unpaid leave of absence to serve at the Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus, New Jersey, about 20 miles from Manhattan.

Her assignment was at times administrative but always in the trenches. Many hospital staff had fallen ill in the early weeks, and the crush of patients was so great, a 100-bed medical tent went up in a parking lot.

“You had to remain calm when you were the furthest thing from calm,” she said. “There wasn’t enough of anything — staff, equipment, beds. Some of those basic human needs were being overlooked because we just didn’t have enough hands on deck.”

Every long, chaotic shift was followed by a methodical routine of carefully removing her armor — gloves, gown, shield, and mask — before returning to the hotel she called home during her stay.

On the worst nights, when doubt and hopelessness crept in, Jennifer remembered something one of her FLCC instructors told her in a class years ago: “Never forget why you became a nurse.”

Those words, from the now retired Emily Kuryla, became a mantra.

Continue reading “From the cover: SUMMONED TO THE STORM”

Young Entrepreneur Academy student heads to national competition

Brandon Russell is a sophomore at Honeoye-Falls Lima High School

A student who participated in the Young Entrepreneurs Academy last year at Finger Lakes Community College is headed to the 12th Annual Saunders Scholars National Competition for young business owners, hosted online by Rochester Institute of Technology on Oct. 17.

Brandon Russell, 15, is a sophomore at Honeoye Falls High School in Lima. His product, called No Touch Flush, is just as it sounds, a device that can be used to flush a toilet without using your hands.

He will be up against 35 other students from Young Entrepreneurs Academy chapters across the country, including seven others from New York State.

Though he had an interest in starting a business from a young age, Brandon enrolled in the Saturday morning program a year ago without a product in mind. “I was doing YEA and really struggling to find an innovation or idea,” he said.

Continue reading “Young Entrepreneur Academy student heads to national competition”

Masks aplenty thanks to efforts of FLCC mother, daughter

Photo of mom and daughter with face coverings on a porch — Kim Dey, left, and her daughter, Emily, are shown with some of the 1,000 face coverings they donated to FLCC recently. Both students, they’ve led a community effort to gather materials, sew and distribute over 30,000 since mid-March.

Shortly after the pandemic hit, Finger Lakes Community College student Kim Dey heard from a friend who works as a nurse at an area hospital and was worried about the shortage of masks.

“She said, ‘Kim, can you help?’” Kim remembered of that call in March.

Kim quickly organized a Facebook group, We Are In This Together – Sew Away Corona Upstate NY Palmyra/Macedon. It drew those who could sew, provide mask materials or support the effort with donations or connections. In the seven months since, the group of mostly Wayne County residents has made over 30,000 face coverings that have been donated to medical centers, police departments, schools, soup kitchens, Meals on Wheels, migrant farm workers and Native American communities.

FLCC is among the latest in a list of recipients that includes dozens more organizations, businesses and individuals as far away as Florida. Kim and her daughter, Emily, also an FLCC student, donated 1,000 face coverings to be handed out to students, faculty and staff.

“This donation is much appreciated and will be put to good use,” said Dawn Hess, director of environmental health and safety at FLCC. “We require face coverings in our buildings and sometimes our students simply forget or could use an extra.” Continue reading “Masks aplenty thanks to efforts of FLCC mother, daughter”

FLCC announces fall athletics: Cross country, logging sports, eSports

logging sports team member chainsawing log — FLCC’s men’s and women’s logging sports teams will return in the fall semester. Their season will be determined by participation among competing institutions.

Cross country, logging sports and eSports will be offered at Finger Lakes Community College in the fall semester under an amended athletics plan that has been approved this week.

The plan aligns with the safety guidelines set forth by state officials as well as the National Junior College Athletic Association. FLCC is a Division III competitor in the NJCAA’s Region III.

Logging sports does not fall under the jurisdiction of the NJCAA, as FLCC’s men’s and women’s teams compete against mostly four-year institutions from across the Northeast. The teams’ fall competition schedule will be determined largely by participation among competitors.

Men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball will be moved to the spring semester in adherence with the NJCAA’s plan announced earlier this month. The teams, however, will be permitted to hold a limited number of low-density practices during the fall semester. The men’s and women’s basketball season is slated to begin in January.

“This has been a challenging time for college athletics as we balance the need to keep our student athletes safe while also trying to develop a plan to return to play,” said Samantha Boccacino, FLCC’s director of athletics. “This path forward allows for engaging opportunities for our student athletes while prioritizing their health and safety. We are looking forward to seeing our Lakers return.” Continue reading “FLCC announces fall athletics: Cross country, logging sports, eSports”

Scholarship will allow Midlakes grad to complete college, debt-free

Head and shoulders of Katelyn Roland — Katelyn Roland of Phelps is the recipient of the Farash Foundation First In Family Scholarship.

A recent Midlakes High School graduate has been selected to receive the Farash Foundation First In Family Scholarship, enabling her to attend Finger Lakes Community College at no cost.

Katelyn Roland of Phelps is planning to study nursing and will be the first in her immediate family to go to college.

“Katelyn demonstrates a high level of maturity and determination, and we are confident in her ability to excel at FLCC,” said Brie Chupalio, director of development at FLCC. “It is obvious that graduating debt-free will have a tremendous impact on her career endeavors, and we anticipate her taking full advantage of all this scholarship offers.”

Chupalio said Roland’s application was a standout because of her extensive list of volunteer and extracurricular activities. She was a student council leader, served on school committees and belonged to the peer support club Youth to Youth and the Interact Club, which, among other things, has student members serving as Salvation Army bell ringers and food cupboard helpers. She also played varsity softball and belonged to the racquet and chess clubs.

Those activities and good grades earned Roland placement in the National Junior Honor Society. She will start FLCC this fall having already earned credits for Advanced Placement and several Gemini courses offered by the College in her junior and senior years.

“I took these challenging courses because I am going into the health field, where education level is important to provide the best possible care for patients,” said Roland, who aspires to eventually transfer to St. John Fisher College and become a nurse practitioner or doctor in a family practice.

In 2012, the Farash Foundation First in Family Scholarship Program began providing scholarships for students who are first in their family to attend college at institutions of higher education in Monroe and Ontario counties. In addition to FLCC, participating colleges include Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Monroe Community College, Nazareth College, Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. John Fisher College, SUNY Brockport and the University of Rochester.

The Foundation supplies all funds needed to pay for the Farash Scholar’s tuition, room and board, textbooks and fees. The Foundation’s support continues over the course of the recipient’s college careers, for up to five years.

“This scholarship will help me tremendously,” said Roland. “I am proud to be the first generation in my family to go to college, and I will push through any obstacles I come across and try my absolute hardest, not only for myself, but for my family and my community.”

FLCC announces fall plan for student courses, classes start Aug. 31

Reporter speaking on camera in front of FLCC main campus — Tanner Jubenville of 13WHAM in Rochester reported on FLCC’s opening plans on July 20. Click on the image to watch the video on the 13WHAM website.

Finger Lakes Community College has finalized its fall course schedule to maximize faculty and student interaction in a low-density environment by converting traditional in-person classes into live remote and hybrid classes.

Remote classes, also referred to as synchronous online classes, are held via the web conferencing software Webex, allowing professors and students to interact in real time. Hybrid classes are partly online and partly in person. Classes will be divided into small groups that take turns meeting in person with their instructor. Details are available at flcc.edu/covid.

“We know people come to FLCC for small classes and personal engagement, so we looked for ways to maintain that tradition in this new environment,” said FLCC President Robert Nye.

Signs like this one are going up at the FLCC main campus and campus centers as FLCC prepares for fall operations.

Forty-six percent of FLCC course sections will be live remote classes, while 28 percent will be hybrid classes. The remaining 26 percent are traditional online classes, in which students work independently on their own schedules. Before the pandemic, about a quarter of all FLCC classes were already online, given its rising popularity with students. In 2019, 42 percent of all FLCC students took at least one online course.

Students will be able to visit the library, computer labs, academic support centers, One Stop Center and other offices — though hours may be more limited and appointments may be necessary. The college will begin accepting walk-in traffic on Monday, Aug. 17.

“Overall, we expect the main campus to feel a bit like a traditional summer: fewer in-person classes going at any given time, fewer employees around and more informal interactions – albeit, with masks, social distancing, and lots of handwashing,” Nye said.

Continue reading “FLCC announces fall plan for student courses, classes start Aug. 31”

556 FLCC students named to spring semester dean’s list

A total of 556 full- and part-time students were named to the Finger Lakes Community College dean’s list for spring 2020.

To be named to the dean’s list, students must have a 3.5 grade point average and meet other criteria as follows:

Full-time students are eligible if they are matriculated – meaning enrolled in a degree program – and achieve a 3.5 grade point average for the semester (12 or more hours of earned credit) with no grade below passing and no incompletes.

Part-time students are eligible if they are matriculated, have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours at FLCC, earn a combined total of at least 12 credit hours for a given year and achieve a 3.5 grade point average with no grade below passing and no incompletes. The student must be part-time for both semesters. The dean’s list for part-time students is compiled at the end of the spring term only.

Below are students by county and town:

Continue reading “556 FLCC students named to spring semester dean’s list”

188 FLCC students named to Phi Theta Kappa honor society

The Finger Lakes Community College chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society for two-year colleges, inducted 188 members this spring.

Phi Theta Kappa promotes scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship. FLCC’s chapter, Alpha Epsilon Chi, was chartered in 1981 and provides leadership, service and scholarship opportunities for members. Membership requires completion of 15 hours of associate degree coursework and a GPA of 3.0. Phi Theta Kappa members also serve as campus ambassadors.

New members are listed below by county and town:

ALLEGANY

Friendship: Calum Ruxton

Wellsville: Samantha Bailey

BROOME

Johnson City: Rebecca Rayne

CHAUTAUQUA

Forestville: Brandy Schroeder

DUTCHESS

Hyde Park: Brie-Anne Sloniker

ERIE

Alden: Jessica Froebelv

GENESEE

Batavia: Aisha Thatcher

Byron: Daniel Jensen

Le Roy: Sarah Efing

LIVINGSTON

Caledonia: Deanna Krenzer

Dansville: Sierra Crawford, James Shepard

Hemlock: Brooke French

Lima: Paige Stein

Livonia: Kyler Cavalcante, Angelle Farabell, Ryan Mattice, Anne Watt

MONROE

Fairport: Phillip Emmans, Robert Gehring, Hanna Slaughter

Henrietta: Aaron Nestler

Honeoye Falls: Samuel Chunick, Lisa Lapresi, Allissa Merritt

Pittsford: Josiah Capozzi, Courtney Renner

Rochester: Laura Buckley, Laura Kieliszak, Stephanie Mahonsky, Elizabeth Middleton, Selin Ogultekin, Megan Rotunno

North Chili: Elizabeth McGarvey

Webster: Alessia Paratore, Courtney Teeter

ONTARIO

Bloomfield: Zachary Brautigam, Mackenzie Helling

Canandaigua: Charlotte Alvord, Andrew Asserson, Samuel Belanger, Raymir Briceno-Ortega, Samuel Brocklebank, Matthew Brumagin, Jamie Colf, Olivia Dipaolo, Chelsea Doell, Sarah Ducar, Ranita Gage, Olivia Garlock, Andrew Gregory, Terri Griffin, Elizabeth Haas, Rebecca Hazard, Dylan Hazlett, Jeffrey Howard, Aria McKee, Belle McKee, Cassidy Miles, Brendan O’Shaughnessy, Allison Pellett, Jaylea Ransom, Brena Rocca, Nathaniel Schue, Ashley Smith, John Squires, Anna Vitale, Emily Young

Clifton Springs: Anthony Dimariano III, Selina Finewood, Danielle Hildbrand, Coby Maslyn, Alison Romeiser, Sara Vanderhoof

Farmington: Christopher Ayers, Madison Cunningham, Jourdan Hurlbutt, Emmanuel King, Derwin Melendez-Diaz, Samantha Reese, Taylor Reese

Geneva: Emily Augustine, Jami Baran, Ty Bluto, Jonathan Ferrer, Dierra Godfrey, Joshua Hennessy, Briana Horton, Tatiana Klestinec, Electra Laird, Caleb Miller, Grace North, Bailey Wayne

Ionia: Nathan Bradley

Manchester: Travis Liberty, Benjamin Moran

Naples: Lauren Robison, Michaela Williams

Phelps: Jasmine Fiori, Jared Jensen

Shortsville: Florence Weed

Stanley: Dominique Robinson

Victor: Deyanira Ainsworth, Vanessa Conte, Kelly Duprey, Alexis Gossage, Naomi McMullen, Cole Moszak, Zane Palzer, Careena Raftery

ORLEANS

Medina: Kaylyn Holman

OSWEGO

Pulaski: Emily Klein

Oswego: Taylor Ladue

QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY

South Ozone Park: Munesh Roopnarine

SCHOHARIE

Sharon Springs: Owen Rohac

SENECA

Lodi: Sarah Farrow, Justin Smith

Ovid: Kodi Hopkins, Danielle Goerlich, Vincent Vangalio

Romulus: Sharon Goucher

Seneca Falls: Hunter Brignall, Mary Carter, Hunter Haust, Allison Hilkert, Georgedaliz Lopez, Madison McKoy, Brenden Sofo

Waterloo: Julia Corsner, Taylor Hurdle, Nicolas Lane, Derek Slywka

STEUBEN

Avoca: Nicholas Julien

Hammondsport: Megan Allen

Prattsburgh: Leif Jensen, Lydia Lenhard, Mackenzie Lynk

Wayland: Emily Bernal

WAYNE

Clyde: Nathaniel Brewer, Morgan Carr, Linda Gross, Alissa Hughes

Lyons: Shannon Sergent

Marion: Abigail Defisher, Christian Lopez-Dennis, Noah McKaig, Emily Passmore

Newark: Hollie Bassett, Aleah Buckalew, Ashley Cornett, Elizabeth Henninger, Marshall McFarland, Libby Smith, Haley Stivers

Palmyra: Lauren Crane, Cody Freeman, Casandra Hazlett, Jordan Huddleston, Harlan Miller, Earl Patton, Emma Perrone, Carissa Sabatasso, Ryan Saucier, Hannah Snelling, Lydia Wizeman

Sodus: Hugh Laird, Thomas Tangry

Walworth: Nicholas Block, Blake Britton, Alaska Dunstan, Abigail Giddings, Sarah Stripp

Williamson: Matthew Serody, Lindsay Sharp, Dara Storms

Wolcott: Sherri Lewis

YATES

Dundee: William Fryburger

Middlesex: Alexander Lyons

Penn Yan: Kari Ayers, Morgan Bayer, Deja Glover, Cameron Ledgerwood, Corey Ledgerwood, Chloe Madigan, Mildred Phillips-Espana

Rushville: McKenna Campbell-Fox, Misty Hill

Tune in to check out mockumentary and other New Media student creations

Image of virtual episode from New Media capstone project — Assistant Professor Paul Engin, bottom, and two students appear in an episode of a mockumentary called “Room 2420” about the spring 2020 New Media capstone class. The production had to be moved to a virtual format.

A mockumentary and a video game inspired by competition for parking spots at the FLCC main campus are among the projects to be presented by New Media students during a virtual livestream event planned for 5 p.m. Monday, May 11.

The New Media and Game Programming and Design capstone exhibition and presentations would have been held on campus this past Friday, had it not been for the pandemic. Organizer Paul Engin, assistant professor, decided the show must go on – the only way it can – and got to work coordinating the livestream with the help of some colleagues like Jeff Kidd.

Students around a ping pong table — New Media students met at the Geneva Campus Center before the COVID pandemic to discuss a group project.

Four class projects will be presented by their student creators and the class will offer a group presentation on the development process. Presenters will use Webex, and viewers will be able to watch via YouTube.

The New Media capstone course is a collaborative development of several, semester-long group projects. Students in the class begin by pitching their ideas to a panel of faculty and staff that this year included Margaret Pence, Rick Cook, Dave Ghidiu and Jeff Kidd.

Members of the New Media capstone class are shown during a visit this past winter to the Geneva Campus Center to plan the Park Shark project.

One of the projects, a mockumentary called “Room 2420,” began with last year’s New Media capstone class. Student Sam Bailey is the project lead for this year’s Season 2. Paul said it was off to a good start “but quickly changed when we could no longer be together for the production.”

“At that point,” he added, “the class had to decide if we were to continue production or not. The class accepted that it would be different and storylines had to change a little, but everyone adapted to the change and was up for the challenge.”

Staffer Jim Perri joined Webex meetings in recent weeks to help guide students through the script change process. “Although not an ideal situation being remote, I think it presented opportunities to think about story and approaches differently,” said Paul, noting that the first three episodes will be shown during today’s capstone presentations.

Another project to be aired is a game called Park Shark that was inspired by the success of the Project Rock and Holo-Pong games, also created by last year’s capstone class and still available at the main campus for public use.

“The idea evolved from trying to Park in A lot on main campus and having others sneak into the spot you were pulling into – park sharking,” said Paul. “The plan was to develop an upright arcade style game with webcams allowing head-to-head competition with different campus centers, bringing a different level of collaborative play across all our campuses.”

The move to virtual forced a change, and the student developers got to work creating an app-style game instead.

Learn more about Park Shark, “Room 2420” and two additional projects, “Will of the Wisps” and MILK by tuning in at 5 p.m. here.