Kathleen Stone
Kathleen Stone, a
geology
major, transferred here from Clinton Community College (CCC), where she was the valedictorian
of her class. Stone started her college career a little later than most, and at the
age of 30, will receive her bachelor's degree at Winter Commencement."It's been challenging and wonderful for my self-esteem and confidence," said Kathleen.
"It has done a lot for me as a person."Stone is the mother of two - a son, Austin, who is in the fifth-grade, and a daughter,
Colette, who is four-years old. Her husband, James, works at Wyeth. Prior to going
back to school Kathleen was an accounting clerk."I was in a dead-end job. I saw no future, and I wanted to better myself."While going to school, she has also taught Math 101 at CCC as well as worked in the
geology labs
at SUNY Plattsburgh."When you're an adult student, its definitely challenging. I've had to have really
good organization of my time."She has decided to get her master's in teaching, with the hopes of becoming a secondary
education science teacher."I've learned a lot more about myself. My experience here has been better than my
expectations."
Daniel Christie
Daniel Christie, from Syracuse, N.Y., is a regular in the ceramics studio in the Myers
Fine Arts Building.An art major with a
concentration in ceramics, Christie said that he has enjoyed his time at SUNY Plattsburgh."I was able to grow quite a bit here," said Christie. "I connected with a lot of professors
here. The art faculty is really reliable for their guidance."He plans to continue working in ceramics and is applying for residencies and graduate
schools where he can continue his work.Christie was commissioned to make cups for the Koffee Kat, a coffee house in downtown
Plattsburgh. He has also been active with the North Country Cultural Center."I've taught ceramics to elementary students as part of a 21st. Century Grant through
the cultural center," said Christie. "I also teach private lessons through the center."
Kristin Spring
Kristin will have the honor of being the first student to receive her bachelor's in
environemental science
with a concentration in Ecology).Spring, from Washingtonville, N.Y., has applied to Columbia Teachers College in hopes
of attending graduate school for teaching."My science and history professors were the most supportive and encouraging people
I've come to know in life," said Spring. "They have helped me through every step with
complete faith that I would complete the task at hand."Spring is a member of multiple honor societies at Plattsburgh State. She has been
inducted to Phi Eta Sigma (freshman honor society), Phi Alpha Theta, (history honor
society), Sigma Xi (scientific research society), and Omicron Delta Kappa (national
leadership society).Spring hopes to one day pursue a career teaching biology.
Rebecca Turner
Rebecca Turner from Peru, N.Y., is a
mass communications
major and will be graduating Summa Cum Laude (highest honors) with a GPA over 3.9."Plattsburgh State has been a great experience," said Turner. "Two teachers,
Professor Tim Clukey
and
Dr. Jin Kim, have inspired me to try my hardest at all I do."Turner has been inducted into two honor societies, Lambda Pi Eta (communications honor
society), and Phi Kappa Phi (national academic honor society).She plans on returning to school after graduation in order to pursue a degree in nursing.
Orin Swanton
Orin Swanton, a
computer science
major, was questioning his decision to come to Plattsburgh about this time of year
during his first semester.He was used to 95-degree days at his home in Trinidad in the Caribbean. It didn't
take him too long, however, to become acclimated to the North Country winters and
to SUNY Plattsburgh."Soon as I felt the weather, I called home," he said. "But then I started getting
more involved. I started up a club called the Afro-Brazilian Capoeira Club and became
involved in the
Gospel Choir."He received the Marlene Fields Award for outstanding member in the choir last semester.
He was the first male to receive this honor.Swanton is a resident assistant in Mason Hall and works for the
Career Development Center
on campus.Through these extracurricular experiences, he's been able to use his computer science
knowledge."I prefer Web applications and Internet technologies," said Swanton. "I learned a
lot because of my involvement with these clubs, and I applied it to my classes."This past summer, he interned with Wyeth in the Drug Safety Information Center.Following graduation, he hopes to work for a year and then go on to graduate school."I took a bio class from Dr. (Donald) Slish, and I became interested in bioinformation
technology. This is where I would like to end up 10 or 15 years down the line."
Cherese DeRoche
Cherese DeRoche, a senior from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, will graduate with
a bachelor's degree in
marketing
and a minor in
Africana Studies.DeRoche came to Plattsburgh from St. Vincent Community College, where she graduated
in 2001 as the valedictorian. Since her arrival at SUNY Plattsburgh, DeRoche has been
involved in leadership positions throughout campus. She has held many positions with
the Student Association, including senator and Organizational Affairs Board member.
She is currently the vice president of Student Activities.She is a resident assistant in Kent Hall and has been both the vice president and
president of Club Caribbean, and manager of the Gospel Choir."I learned so much about leadership at Plattsburgh," she said. "My involvement here
has given me opportunities I never thought would happen."DeRoche is a member of the national leadership honor society Omicron Delta Kappa and
has received awards for her involvement with the
Student Association.Still looking for the perfect job, DeRoche hopes to attend graduate school in fall
2006. She is looking at Penn State and SUNY Binghamton."My time here was great," said Deroche. "I learned how to think big, and got so much
support from everyone here at Plattsburgh."
Jamie Prudhomme
Originally from Cohoes, N.Y., Jamie knows the meaning of managing her time.As a
biology
major who will be graduating Magna Cum Laude and a Lady Cardinal for the Plattsburgh
State
Women's Softball Team, Prudhomme has plenty on her plate.Prudhomme said her busy schedule has helped her excel in both academics and athletics."Being involved in sports on campus makes it so much easier to manage your time,"
she said. "Being engaged in clubs and organizations on campus leaves you no time to
procrastinate and helps you do better in school."Prudhomme hopes to work in the biology technology industry for a year before continuing
on to graduate school."The experience I have had at Plattsburgh State has been great," said Prudhomme. "Between
the professors and the friendly community, I am definitely going to look back on my
time here very pleased with what I have accomplished."
If you would to see some of the things that SUNY Plattsburgh students do both in the
classroom and out of the classroom, we invite you to learn more about
Student Life
.
