Friday Knight Alumni Spotlight
Tell us about yourself. Where you live now, career, and/or family news. What have you been up to since you left Geneseo?
Living in Ithaca, NY, working in alumni affairs and development at Cornell University. Have stayed connected to Geneseo through my involvement on the SGAA Board and try to get out to visit a couple of times each year.
What motivates you to work hard?
The opportunities I've been provided. I'm the first to admit my privilege has afforded me chances that not everyone would get, and I won't let those go to waste.
What trait do you like most about yourself?
I'd like to think of myself as having become a compassionate person. I always try to think of how my choices will affect other people before I think of myself. When this is all over, I want to look back and think that I was kind and made people smile.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Anyone who has ever been told they weren't good enough to do something, who fought against any number of barriers to prevent them from succeeding, and yet succeeded anyway.
What are you passionate about?
Taking care of the environment; we've only got one earth, so we better not screw this one up.
Are you related or distantly related to anyone famous?
Anyone who’s lived in the little town of Colden, NY, will know it was once called Buffum's Mills and was founded by my great-great-etc., etc. grandfather. So those couple hundred people would say yes, I suppose!
If you could go back in time, what year would you travel to and why?
Academically, the late 1580s to find out what happened to the lost colony of Roanoke (shout-out to Professor Oberg's history class for that one!), but, honestly, I'd love to go back to 2001-2002 just to relive my senior year at Geneseo again.
What kitchen appliance do you use every day?
I am an Instant-Pot evangelist; if you give me half a chance, I'll tell you about the hundred different ways we use ours!
Who is your favorite author?
This changes every year but right now I'd say Robin Hobb. She paints such a rich tapestry with her words that you can't help but be drawn into her intricate fantasy worlds and feel such strong emotions about her characters and their lives.
What was your favorite class or professor at Geneseo?
War and International Terrorism with Karla Cunningham. I took the course the first semester it was offered, in response to 9/11. It gave me a real appreciation for the practical application of political science in everyday life and was a telling example of the "new normal" our world had become.