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SUNY Sullivan students shining examples of the motivated college student

Loch Sheldrake (November 29, 2011) – When the American playwright, James Lapine, wrote “opportunity is not a lengthy visitor,” he might not have had college students on his mind, but he very well could have, because life, especially for college students, is all about opportunities. More importantly, it’s about recognizing and seizing them. And that’s exactly what SUNY Sullivan students, De’Lorien Brown and Vennicia Walker did. Opportunity knocked…and they opened the door.

The opportunity was the “Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program” at SUNY Purchase. The program provides underrepresented minority students with the academic and scholarship support that allows them to complete a baccalaureate degree program in biology, chemistry, environmental science, math and computer science, or psychology.

The program’s goal is to recruit underrepresented minorities for enrollment in the science degree programs at SUNY Sullivan and to offer students summer research and internship opportunities.

Both De’Lorien and Vennicia took advantage of the Bridges program and participated in a paid five-week program this past summer. By seizing this great educational opportunity, both SUNY Sullivan Students were offered another opportunity as a result of their hard work. De’Lorien and Vennicia applied to be presenters at the  2011 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students held in St. Louis (Nov. 9-12).

And since most worthwhile opportunities come with additional work, both De’Lorien and Vennicia, who were accepted by the ABRCMS, were up to the vigorous challenge of being presenters. De’Lorien’s poster presentation was “Emotional Responses to Music” and Vennicia’s was “Investigating Thermophilic Bacteria in Centralia, PA.”

Although SUNY Sullivan has been a long-time partner with SUNY Purchase in the Bridges Program, this marks the first time SUNY Sullivan students participated in the annual conference which draws minority students from around the country.

“As an educator,” said Kathryn Scullion, SUNY Sullivan Bridges Coordinator and instructional assistant in mathematics and science, “it is rewarding to see student’s grow so much both academically and socially by participating in the Bridges Program. De’Lorien and Vennicia not only had a chance to demonstrate their academic accomplishments, but they also had an amazing opportunity to work on their presentation skills, not to mention the chance to interact with other students and educators.”

De’Lorien, who will be leaving SUNY Sullivan at the end of the 2011-2012 fall semester, has her eyes set on earning both a medical degree and a Ph. D. Currently. De’Lorien currently serves as the student representative on the college’s board of trustees.

The hard working De’Lorien said, “if you really want to succeed, you have to be fully engaged and committed.”

Vennicia, who plans on transferring to SUNY Delhi in the fall, said that her experience at the conference in St. Louis “helped me make some career choices. I had always envisioned myself as a veterinarian technician, but after participating in the conference, I’m leaning more toward becoming a veterinarian. I also came away from the experience with new insights because I got to speak to so many other minority students.”

Both De’Lorien and Vennicia are looking into summer research opportunities because they want to continue to hone their skills.

To learn more about the partnering programs with SUNY Purchase, contact Kathryn Scullion at 845.434.5750, ext. 4447