Spring 2023 SUNY WCC Peekskill Newsletter

Center for the Digital Arts SUNY Westchester Peekskill • 27 North Division Street Peekskill NY 10566 • 914-606-7300 14 I have been teaching English at the Peekskill campus since 2005. I enjoy the friendly atmosphere and the opportunity to work closely with enthusiastic students and the dedicated staff members. I discovered SUNY Westchester Community College when taking math and science courses while working on my Master’s degree at Pace University. I was impressed by the faculty and students and thought that this was where I wanted to teach. I was thrilled to begin working as an adjunct in 2004; I teach Writing and Literature as well as Writing and Research. I grew up in Brooklyn, New York and earned my BA in Drama and much later an MST at Pace University. I have a personal history in Peekskill; as an off-off Broadway director, I brought theater to Peekskill in the mid-1990s before the reopening of the Paramount. I presented two plays at One Station Plaza which was housed across the street from our campus on North Division Street. I directed over 25 productions in New York City and regional theater. I have taught at Pace University for many years and have been the faculty advisor and co-founder of the Pace Drama Alliance, the student drama club. I plan on teaching a Modern Drama class there next year. While in high school, I planned to become an English teacher; however, life took me in other directions. I worked as Director of Alumni Relations at Pace for several years, and later as the marketing and advertising director for a company in the photography industry. While still working full-time, I studied for my Master’s degree and began teaching at SUNY Westchester Community College. For exercise I enjoy swimming, and taking long walks every day. My hobbies include antiquing, and collecting old postcards from Portland, Maine, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the 1964-1965 World’s Fair. I’m also a stamp collector; I especially look for first day covers and plate blocks. I love the theater, going to the movies, and visiting museums. My hope is to continue my journey here at SUNY Westchester Community College and be the best teacher I can be. I try to make courses relevant and student- centered. Clear and concise writing and communication are so important to enable students to succeed in our evermore competitive world. I use journal writing in all my classes to inspire students to express themselves and hone their writing skills. I published an article called “Using Journals in College Classrooms” in “English Teaching Professional Magazine.” I feel privileged to be a part of the SUNY Westchester Peekskill community. — Leo Boylan Faculty FOCUS L ast spring I got to be a crew member in SUNY Westchester Peekskill’s Culinary & Hospitality Certificate Program. It was a great experience! I loved working with the instructors, my fellow crewmates, and my colleagues while interning. I also love to eat, so it was a perfect fit for me. I had already worked in food service for about three years prior to the internship portion of the program, which included career development. It was beneficial to me because I’m a baker and want to start my own small business, Kira’s Key Lime, named with my grandma in mind. (Key Lime is her favorite!) My favorite parts of the program were when we were at the restaurant, The Factoria at Charles Point. During class instruction at The Factoria, Instructor Jeffrey Vaden taught us many special culinary techniques to help us stand out in the culinary field. I can also show my friends how to hold a knife properly and save a bunch of their fingers! (Thanks, Jeff!) It was really fun working and cooking in an actual work environment. I bonded with my colleagues over those couple of months, they felt like family. I really miss them. I’m currently attending college at SUNY Cobleskill and about 99 percent of the produce that we eat at the cafeteria— the veggies, meat, etc. —are actually produced here on campus. When I graduate, I want to do sustainable living just like that. I would live out of my house like a homestead; have a garden and animals to tend to and basically grow the things that I eat myself. I see myself probably staying upstate because it’s really beautiful over here in Cobleskill and is the perfect area for my own homestead. I recommend the Culinary & Hospitality Certificate Program because you get the inside scoop on what’s going on behind the scenes at restaurants and events, especially if you are working back of the house. In the back, we don’t often get appreciated. The standard person wouldn’t recognize or understand our work until they actually see what we do. You’ll learn the ins and outs of the field and different techniques on how to prep and cook. It’s pretty cool how everything works. If I hadn’t participated in this program with SUNY Westchester Peekskill, I wouldn’t have gained the invaluable experience that got me where I am now. From the college’s instructors to the staff at the various internships, everybody is there to help you. Have faith and trust in them and they’ll guide you in the right direction like they did for me. I promise! — Kira Cummings Student FOCUS