Before even graduating from college, SUNY Oneonta senior Adrianna Newell got an opportunity many aspiring photographers can only dream of. In April 2022, a photo editor from The New York Times came across her work and emailed her to offer a freelance assignment photographing Danny Roberts from MTV’s “The Real World.” She said, “Yes!” and has since completed eight additional assignments for The Times.

From the age of 14, Ali Szymanski knew she wanted to become a physical therapist and help people. At SUNY Oneonta, she gained the knowledge she needed to prepare for that dream, and now she’s living it. Meet Alexandra Szymanski, PT, DPT, SUNY Oneonta Class of 2018.

Twenty-five years ago, SUNY Oneonta alumnus Bill Karins made his first television appearance on the college’s weekly, student-run “Red Dragon News” program. Today, you can see him in action any day of the week by turning the channel to NBC News, MSNBC or NBC News Now, where you’ll find him reporting on the nation’s weather as the chief meteorologist for MSNBC.

I chose to stay local for college because I already had a network of family and friends here and knew I could get a great education. I was also a straight-A student and was able to get quite a few scholarships and aide. My best experiences at SUNY Oneonta were really in the classroom. I loved Dr. April Harper and took all of her classes, and she became so much more of a friend and colleague to me after I graduated and gave me such great advice.

Kristin Lee is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in the Intensive Care Unit at Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital. She earned her undergraduate degree in dietetics at SUNY Oneonta and then completed our one-year (three-semester) online M.S.-Nutrition and Dietetics Program in May 2022.

Being a first-generation students means so much to me. It shows me how hard my parents worked in order to come here and want me to continue higher education.

The course of Yale University Ph.D. student and graduate researcher Kimmy Cushman’s life changed dramatically on an autumn day inside SUNY Oneonta’s Science Discovery Center.

I originally came to SUNY Oneonta for the education program because I had heard such good things about how much experience you get in the classroom. … But I quickly realized that my passion is more working one-on-one with kids. I’ve always been interested in psychology, too, so that’s what brought me to the Human Development and Family Studies major.

SUNY Oneonta and the business major absolutely helped to get me where I am now. Not just the classes, the classes, of course, are important, but also the networking. You meet a lot of people, and networking, I would say, is one of the most important things when people want to do business. If I hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t be expanding the company to New York at first, but this is such a great location and there’s so much opportunity here.

Oneonta has been amazing! I've met so many new friends that I know will last a lifetime. I have made so many memories being part of the women's tennis team and the Oneonta State Emergency Squad (OSES). Being on both has really brought me out of my shell and allowed me to try new things I never thought I would. If it weren’t for OSES, I wouldn't have become a New York State EMT.

Growing up where I did, I worked at Howe’s Caverns and always loved walking through the caves and exploring. That helped me realize Earth Science was what I wanted to do. I definitely want to teach middle school earth science in a rural school district.

Caroline Shannon completed the M.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics program in May 2022 and landed a job as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at A.O. Fox Hospital and Nursing Home in Oneonta, NY, soon after, in part because of networking and connections developed through the program. She also earned her undergraduate degree in dietetics at SUNY Oneonta.