Category: Vitality

As part of his online walk and jog class, Professor Eric Marsh asks students to send in photos from wherever they are walking and jogging.

Those photos often have fascinating backstories.

This is the case for Anthony Marrero, 34, an online computer science major, who moved to La Trinidad in the Benguet province of the Philippines to marry his wife, Jane, who is originally from the Finger Lakes area.

“We have 3 kids (two are twins) and one baby on the way in October. I returned to school last fall as a computer science major to switch to a career in AI programming,” Anthony explains.  “We have been processing our visas for two years now and hopefully will be able to come back to the Finger Lakes next year.”

The photo he took for his class shows a part of La Trinidad called Alapang, where roses are grown to supply all of the Philippines. This mountainous environment is the only place with the right climate.

“I definitely recommend visiting the Philippines to any American,” he said. “Filipinos are very friendly toward us.  There are also tons of running and biking associations and events. The trail running is probably the best.  Also, if you like riding motorcycles, the mountain roads are some of the best in the world for cruising and enjoying the views.”

Finger Lakes Community College has produced a video series on mental health, with a focus on youth, that debuts Sunday, Sept. 10, on the Finger Lakes Television public broadcast network.

“Straight Talk on Mental Health” is a series of seven 30-minute episodes that touch on several aspects of mental health, including counseling, mental health first aid, trauma and resilience.

After release, episodes are archived on the Finger Lakes TV programming page.

The show features students from Finger Lakes Community College and Hobart and William Smith Colleges interacting with mental health professionals, leaders from K-12 schools, and staff from the Partnership for Ontario County.

“My hope for this series is to eliminate the stigma around mental health and raise awareness of the wide variety of training, services, and supports available for young people in our region,” said Joseph Fantigrossi, founder and former coordinator of Seneca County Community Schools and current regional community schools coordinator for Monroe 2-Orleans Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES).

Community school associations provide training and technical assistance to improve the ability of K-12 schools to serve students struggling with poverty, mental health and other challenges. Fantigrossi took part in episodes about Youth Mental Health First Aid and resilience.

“I hope that individuals who view this learn more about mental health and the impacts of trauma,” added Ashley Lewis, vice president of operations for Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes. “I would love to see individuals empowered to seek out mental health supports and to know they are not alone. The more we discuss mental health, the more we dismantle the stigma associated with it.”

Lewis served as the expert for episodes on mental health counseling and trauma.

The series also features Hennessey Lustica, community schools mental health director at the Seneca Falls Central School District and assistant professor at the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester.

The episodes will run on Finger Lakes Television, the public broadcasting network based at FLCC. Finger Lakes TV is available  four ways:

• Roku
• A 24/7 webstream at fingerlakestv.org
• Spectrum cable channel 1304 in the Finger Lakes region
• The Cablecast app for Apple and Android

“Straight Talk on Mental Health” will run daily at 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. with two additional spots at 9 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays. Each episode runs for two weeks. After release, they will also be available on demand on the station’s website at fingerlakestv.org and the Finger Lakes Community College YouTube channel.

Episodes and release dates are as follows:

Episode 1: Mental Health Counseling, Part I: The Basics, Sept. 10

Zachary Shirley and Terrance “Dom” Dominguez-Hover, president and vice president, respectively of the FLCC Student Veterans Organization in 2022-23, interview Hennessey Lustica about the basics of mental health counseling with a focus on middle and high schoolers.

Episode 2: Mental Health Counseling, Part II: Tough Questions, Sept. 24

Shirley and Dominguez-Hover ask Ashley Lewis of Family Counseling Service of the Finger Lakes, about what happens when counseling doesn’t seem to be working. This episode addresses both youth and adults.

Episode 3: Mental Health: Who are the Players? Oct. 8

Shirley and Dominguez-Hover meet with Lustica to talk about the different types of professionals who work in mental health, including social workers, with a focus on those who work in K-12 districts.

Episode 4: Mental Health First Aid, Oct. 22

Joseph D. Fantigrossi of Monroe County and Seneca County Community Schools, meets with a community member and Hobart and William Smith Colleges student who trained in youth mental health first aid. Terrence Rodgers, a youth advocate and job coach for Finger Lakes Community Schools, and Colleen McElduff, an HWS master’s degree student, explain why they took the course and what they learned.

Episode 5: Community Resources, Nov. 5

Shirley learns about mental health programming available from the Partnership for Ontario County. Tracey Dello Stritto, the executive director, and Ashley Tomassini, program coordinator, explain recent initiatives: Ontario Cares, an online resource, and Lock and Talk, a suicide prevention project to reduce the availability of guns and medications.

Episode 6: What is Trauma? Nov. 19

Shirley and Dominguez-Hover ask Ashley Lewis to explain trauma, reactions to trauma, and how people can get past the trauma in their lives.

Episode 7: What is Resilience? Dec. 3

Blythe Hodgson, an FLCC student, asks Joseph Fantigrossi how individuals of all ages build resilience to get past the tough times in life.

“We had a great group representing a wide range of people from the Finger Lakes region,” said Lenore Friend, director of public relations and communications for FLCC. “We made a TV series to explore topics in depth. For example, advice to get counseling sounds simple, but students had a lot of questions about what that really means for people of different ages.”

Friend worked on the project with staff members Jay Gillotti, creative director and editor, and Hugh Laird, videographer. Funding for the series comes in part from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, COVID relief legislation.

All six wines bottled in 2021 under the Synthesis label at the Finger Lakes Community College Viticulture and Wine Center were awarded medals in the New York Wine Classic competition this summer.

The wines are produced by FLCC students under faculty instruction as part of their work toward a viticulture and wine technology degree or certificate.

Medals are as follows:

Gold Medal: Empire White Bland
Gold Medal: Empire Red Blend
Gold Medal: Rose, Blaufrankisch
Silver Medal: Chardonnay
Silver Medal: Riesling
Bronze Medal: Cabernet Franc

The New York Wine Classic, an annual competition organized by the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, included 749 entries from 108 wineries from across the state. Judges awarded 10 Platinum, 320 Gold, 294 Silver, and 81 Bronze medals. Full information is available at newyorkwines.org. FLCC has received medals in every New York Wine Classic since 2016.

Students in the viticulture and wine technology two-year degree and one-year certificate programs produce commercial wines that are available at Ryan’s Wine and Spirits in Canandaigua and Pedulla’s Wine and Liquor in Geneva. Orders can also be arranged via online form on the FLCC website at flcc.edu/viticulture-center.

The Synthesis label was created by Emer O’Brien, a 2023 graphic design graduate. Every fall graphic design students present designs in a competition to select a label for the wine that will be bottled the following spring. Graphic design students present their work during an event at the FLCC Viticulture and Wine Center in Geneva to viticulture and wine technology students, who vote to select a winner. The winemaking and label design are part of the college’s emphasis on hands-on learning that aligns with current industry practices.

For more information about the viticulture and wine technology program, visit flcc.edu/wine.

Seven Finger Lakes Community College employees and students have received the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence, which acknowledges individuals across the SUNY system for notable achievement. They are as follows:

Hannah Hoffman of Cameron, Steuben County, a business administration major, received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. She has served in three roles on the Student Corporation: executive secretary, executive treasurer and president, and was a member of the softball team. Hoffman joined the Phi Theta Kappa honors society in 2022.

Zachary Shirley of Phelps, Ontario County, a May 2023 liberal arts and sciences graduate, received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. Shirley served from 2016 to 2021 in Army intelligence and currently serves in the U.S. Army Reserves. While president of the Student Veterans Organization for two years, he led Veterans Week, a series of events to honor veterans in November. He was master of ceremonies for the 2022 FLCC Veterans Day Ceremony.

Wendy Bacon of Canandaigua, Ontario County, received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Classified Service. She is the senior clerk for the FLCC Office of Instruction where she oversees the scheduling of classes and events and has filled in as assistant to the provost, managing administration of faculty teaching assignments. She is credited with helping manage many adaptations necessary to keep classes running during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Melissa Soules of Canandaigua, Ontario County, received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service. She is the disability services coordinator with the FLCC Academic Success and Access Programs Office. Soules works with more than 300 students each semester arranging accommodations and is credited with advocating for improved inclusivity across the college. She is often an informal academic counselor and personal advocate and coach for students.

Kathleen Fuchs of Geneva, Ontario County, received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching. An FLCC adjunct instructor for more than 12 years, Fuchs has taught Composition I and II and Children’s Literature. Her nomination included colleague and student testimonies. Students wrote they felt welcomed, supported and respected in her classes and grew in critical thinking skills. Over the past 25 years, Fuchs has been a member of the Geneva Martin Luther King Jr. Committee and is a recipient of the Geneva 2008 Martin Luther King Educator Award.

Maureen Maas-Feary of Rochester, Monroe County, professor of humanities, received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. She led the Humanities Department through the COVID-19 pandemic and the restructuring of developmental English that streamlined the pathway for students to complete composition courses. She also co-chaired the effort to prepare an extensive report for the College to maintain its accreditation with the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Lisa McAnn of Middlesex, Yates County, associate professor of nursing, received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. She has taught at FLCC for 15 years and played an important role in revising the nursing curriculum to align with contemporary nursing practice. McAnn developed two case studies for Wolters Kluwer, a Dutch health care and research company, for its upcoming medical-surgical textbook and received a national award for implementing successful strategies in assessing students’ readiness for the national nursing exam.

For more information about the SUNY Chancellor’s Awards, visit suny.edu and search for “chancellor’s awards.”

 

Finger Lakes Community College celebrated its first phlebotomy class graduation in May, following a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fourteen students from across the region completed the nine-week course, which trains participants to work in blood draw stations in medical settings.

Those interested in taking any of the College’s healthcare training programs, which also includes certified nurse assistant and home health aide, can fill out a form at flcc.edu/reimagine or email workforce@flcc.edu.

Grant funding is available to cover costs for these in-demand programs; all 14 of the most recent phlebotomy graduates received assistance from government workforce grants.

Below are graduates by town:

Canandaigua: Emma MacDonald

Fairport: Jacquelyn Geihs

Geneva: Jasmine Hoffman, Sarah Pesta, Emily Ubiles

Phelps: Azure Wing

Rochester: Patricia Hollins, Octavia Overton, and Desha Snow

Romulus: Eva Lunduski

Seneca Falls: Mykaela Turner

Sodus: Julie Steffler

Waterloo: Adi Aunkst-Park, Kimberly Shores

Daniel DiSalvo of Canandaigua graduated on May 20 with a degree in liberal arts. He is a 2021 graduate of Canandaigua Academy. He shared some thoughts recently on his FLCC experience, which he calls “life-altering.”

What are your plans after graduation?

I plan on spending this summer in my hometown with my friends enjoying my time off before I move down to Wilmington, N.C. to take a gap year with ambitions on continuing to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

What has been the most rewarding part of your experience and why?

The journey. The whole time I’ve been a student here at Finger Lakes Community College I thought my reward and goal would be graduation, the day I get to walk across the stage and get my diploma. I dedicated every day I had at Finger Lakes Community College for this day. Along the way I took up as many opportunities as I could. While at Finger Lakes in my athletic life I competed in multiple sports such as Track and Field, Lacrosse, and the Woodsmen team even making school history by helping the men’s track and field team to win the school’s first ever regional championship for that program last spring. Aside from athletics, in my academic life I achieved a lot such as becoming the president of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, making the All-State USA academic team, and raising my GPA up from when I started here at a 3.7 to finishing with a 3.85.

I also got the chance to see a lot more of what else is outside of my world of the college campus and my hometown of Canandaigua. For example, I won a raffle for tickets to the Buffalo Bills vs. the Miami Dolphins game this past Fall where I had the chance to tailgate and crash some tables, but also watch my NFL team kick some butt on their homefield under the lights while it was snowing. For the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, I had the chance to be flown out to Columbus, Ohio for the annual catalyst event where there were over 30,000 members attending. While there I was able to tour Ohio State University.

All these different experiences, achievements, medals, and awards with my name on it, all of this I achieved in just two years. When I was working hard and trying new things at school here, I didn’t care about medals or going down in history books or any of that tangible stuff, I just wanted to do what I thought was the right thing and all those achievements were just extra bonuses I got from my hard work. I may be the one talking now about my journey, but it’s not just me that’s walking across this stage.

We celebrate everyone who is a student here at Finger Lakes Community College: Business, Environmental Science, Communications, Healthcare, and every other major. Everyone here is gathered for one purpose and that’s not only to celebrate our academic achievements and success, but to reflect on our journeys here. For the sophomores such as myself here, two years of our lives we dedicated our time and effort into this one school each with our respective majors and here we are now about to graduate. Goals achieved and diplomas received, everyone had their own journey, yet all of us have experienced loss. As most of us know life isn’t always about winning there’s a lot of loss, but as we students know one thing it’s how to get up and keep going, how to buckle down and get ready for the next class, next assignment, next exam, and maybe even next semester.

My journey here has been the most rewarding part of my experience here at Finger Lakes, not because of the achievements and awards, but because of the adventures I got to go on and the people I met along the way. I got to know so many different people coming from all sorts of walks of life. Professors, students, faculty, and staff alike. During my time here I had to overcome so many obstacles and I’ve grown so much as a person, yet none of this would’ve been possible if it weren’t for the people beside me such you all gathered here with me today that helped me along my adventure.

Our time here at Finger Lakes has come to an end, yet the lives we impacted and the things we’ve achieved will always remain with myself those who got to be with us and help us along our journey. It’s easy to give up, it’s easy to be lazy and do things just for yourself. Where it’s hard is when it’s time to wake up and get to work. To wake up and do things for others. It’s hard to dedicate your time and effort to helping others without looking to get anything for yourself. Speaking for myself, I did a pretty dang good job here and I’m excited for what adventure awaits me tomorrow, but for today we all should thank those who helped us along the way. We must thank Finger Lakes Community College for providing us with a place of opportunity and unity for us to come together and chase our dreams, allowing us to achieve greatness along the way. We must thank our professors, faculty, and staff for helping us along our journeys making this college be as great as it is. For athletes such as myself, we must thank our coaches for dedicating their time and effort into believing in us and our athletic abilities allowing us to achieve what they knew we were capable of, finally we must thank our parents for raising us and being our biggest supporters as they will always be there for us in our lives. Thank you, Finger Lakes Community College, we are grateful for everything you have done for us and will continue to do so as we all go on to our next journey.

What advice would give to a new student?

If I were to give a piece of advice to everyone here whether they’re graduating, transferring, or returning in the fall, I just got this here to say:
Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. Someone who isn’t willing to give up everything will never change anything. While attending Finger Lakes Community College I made the choice to give up who I thought I was, for what I knew I could become. It’s easy to be a good person and help others along your way. We may be at the same school together, pursuing the same major, on the same team, or in the same class, yet everyone here is on a different adventure of their own. Just because we’re all on our own adventures going for different dreams doesn’t mean you can’t give some of your time to step out of your way to help someone achieve theirs. You’ll find you may get more in life from doing that then doing nothing at all. I believe that not only for this school, but in this world it’s better to try and do something than nothing.

The FLCC team won first place for the second consecutive year in the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Competition, sponsored by the New York State Two-Year Engineering Science Association.

The event took place on April 28 at Monroe Community College with seven teams from five community colleges; the others were Broome, Hudson Valley, and Jefferson CC.

The competition involved two vehicles, a self-driving UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle), and a remotely piloted UAV. The objective was to autonomously transport the UAV through a series of ground navigation obstacles and release it at the designated zone.

The remotely piloted UAV had to maneuver around and through obstacles, change altitude to accomplish the flight mission, and land safely at the final destination. The project aimed to simulate a rescue mission where human navigation would be dangerous, and aerial navigation would be partially difficult.

Each team was evaluated based on their poster presentation and a series of mission demonstrations. FLCC’s team, named Bob ‘n’ Rob, was part of the Victor Campus Center based Engineering and Technology Club. Members are Bailey Phillips of Shortsville, Ksystof Seibak of Canandaigua, Eric Sandle of Bloomfield (the team captain and pilot), and Jacob DiGiovanni of Waterloo. They were coached by technical specialist Joshua Bell.

This year was FLCC’s sixth participation in this annual competition and their third win. Their poster presentation was judged to be the best among participating teams, and their mission demonstration was equally impressive.

Dancing has always been Erin Joy Grgas’ life.

“I started dancing when I was 2 because my sister was in tap and ballet classes, and I wanted to dance with her,” said Erin, 24. “I was immediately hooked and have danced ever since.”

Erin, who grew up on Long Island and moved to Manhattan at 18, is among FLCC’s newest graduates. She completed her associate degree in kinesiology and human performance in December. 

The online program turned out to be a silver lining in the pandemic cloud that shut down live performances just as her dancing career began.

“I never imagined going to college until after my dance career, or maybe ever, so this degree is more than a piece of paper for me,” she said.

“Before the pandemic, I was living the hustle lifestyle,” she said. “For most dancers there’s no consistency, just a gig when you can, waking up at 6 a.m. and going to an audition, getting out at 3 p.m. to go take a dance class, then going to work.” Continue reading “We interrupt this dance career … with a degree”

Nash Bock’s passion at FLCC was music, and he thought he would make a career of it. But his early college experience was also about community, and that struck a note when he had an opportunity to take a leadership role at Habitat for Humanity.

“I fell in love with the mission of the organization, was inspired by the people involved in the work, and opportunities presented themselves,” says Nash, now the chief business and innovation officer for Greater Rochester Habitat for Humanity. 

The organization is a recent merger of the Flower City (Monroe), Ontario and Wayne county Habitat chapters and reflects a trend in human service organizations seeking creative ways to pool resources and generate new revenue.

Michelle Jungerman ’99 has spent her entire career at another well-known social service agency, The Arc Ontario, formerly Ontario ARC. She has witnessed a transformation in the agency’s approach to helping those with intellectual and developmental disabilities build work and life skills.

What’s more, her current role as chief operating officer of the agency’s business enterprises requires her to be as much a serial entrepreneur as a social worker. Continue reading “Laker magazine cover story: Alumni who lead in human services”

The Finger Lakes Community College nursing class of 2022 had a pass rate of 93 percent on the NCLEX-RN, which stands for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses.

The FLCC score exceeded the average 63 percent pass rate for New York state associate degree holders and average 69 percent rate for that group nationally.

Students with a bachelor’s degree in nursing who took the exam in New York had an average 66 percent pass rate.

FLCC has recently updated its curriculum to focus on clinical judgment, a key component of the exam.

The Nursing Department has also incorporated more elements to reinforce learning, such as recorded lectures students can revisit, online quizzes and discussions, a professional tutor, and a study and test-taking coach.

FLCC graduated 45 nursing students in 2022, meaning 42 passed the national exam last year.

The College recently expanded facilities to be able to accept new nursing students in the spring semester. The inaugural spring semester class of 20 students began in January.

In addition, the college Board of Trustees in January approved the curriculum for a new licensed practical nursing certificate program. The State University of New York and the state Education Department must sign off on the program before students can enroll. Approval is expected in time for a fall 2024 class. Students who graduate from the certificate program will receive 14 credits toward the 64-credit registered nursing associate degree program.

Check the nursing webpage for more information and take a virtual tour of the Sands Family Center for Allied Health.