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EASTERN SUFFOLK BOCES SUCCESS STORIES
Katrina Anderson
ESBOCES graduate of Fashion Merchandising
As a little girl, Katrina Anderson played with Barbie dolls; enjoying their seasonal clothes, coordinating the accessories, and paying attention to color and detail. Now all grown up and a graduate of West Islip High School and Eastern Suffolk BOCES Fashion Merchandising program, she assists with fashion show preparation, designs and sews dresses for charity fashion events, and works in a fashion boutique. In the fall, she will continue her studies in college with a goal of working and living in New York City.
New York City is where her father, Jim, is vice president of Christian Dior and where her Fashion Merchandising teacher, Joyce Sims, sent her for Fashion Week. She loves to see what people are wearing and has even been the fashion police on a few occasions.
Diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, Kristina’s parents encouraged her to enroll in Fashion Merchandising at Brookhaven Technical Center (BTC). She entered the program as a shy, quiet girl, and graduated recently as an energetic, enthusiastic, articulate, and intelligent young woman on the road to success. A bright student with grades no lower than 98, Katrina’s dyslexia caused some difficulties for her in the traditional classroom setting. Her mother, Kim, reported that in ESBOCES “she blossomed. I cannot praise ESBOCES enough. It gave her wings. There are so many great advantages there for young people who are not ‘traditional’ students. Every school district should provide this essential educational option.”
Katrina describes herself a visual learner who enjoys hands-on activities. Graduating as an honor student, captain of the varsity swim team and a designated scholar-athlete, she received a variety of scholarships, including the Glenn Pettit Award. Glenn was an ESBOCES student in the Television Production program who after graduation went to New York Institute of Technology, worked at News 12, and later became a New York City police officer. He died in the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack.
This summer, Katrina is working three jobs, one in the fashion boutique, and two as a lifeguard. Last summer, she took three courses at the Laboratory Institute of Merchandising (LIM), a university
described by Princeton as a facility “where business meets fashion.” Located in New York – a city that Katrina truly loves – the school will provide her with a bachelor’s degree. But first, she’ll get an associate degree at Nassau Community College.
Mrs. Anderson said, “In BTC, my daughter became much more outgoing. She opened up, became comfortable with herself and others, and her confidence soared.”
Katrina adds, “ESBOCES gives you insight into your field of interest and prepares you well for college and the future. In my home school, I struggled every day to get good grades, but when I attended the Fashion Merchandising class, I learned what it’s like to be successful, happy, and enjoy school. BOCES is an experience that I will always treasure and the knowledge that I gained there will be utilized in my everyday life. Plus, I know my career direction. Many high school graduates don’t.”
Asked if she could sum up in one sentence what her two years at ESBOCES means to her, she replied, “Everything!”
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Christopher Ballester
ESBOCES graduate of Aviation/Professional Pilot Training
Learning to fly an airplane is exhilarating. Just ask Christopher Ballester, a 2005 graduate of Eastern Suffolk BOCES Aviation/Professional Pilot Training course. He’s living his dream, he says. “I love what I’m doing and I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
At the age of 6, Chris had his first flight with his father. “I loved it,” he reported, “and from that point on, I was looking up at the sky.” As the years went by, Chris remained focused on aviation. Those closest to him were not surprised, however, because his dad, Louis Ballester, is an instructor at the Suffolk Aviation Academy. It was his father who suggested he enroll in the ESBOCES course, which he did while a member of the Center Moriches UFSD Junior Class. The course prepares students to obtain their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Private Pilot Certificate.
While in 11th grade, the ESBOCES class took a field trip to New York Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZNY). Learning that air traffic control training is among the hardest things anyone can accomplish did not deter him however; he knew he could soar above it all. Chris studied the science of meteorology, radio communications, airplane construction, aerodynamics and related sciences, and air traffic control. He learned there is a multitude of federal regulations that pilots must adhere to, as well as a lengthy list of skills to be learned in physics, mechanic meteorology, and math. His ESBOCES teachers George Dzenkowski and Louis Ballester and flight instructor Fred Rogers guided him through the maze of knowledge. At age 17 he flew solo, which he says was “a natural high.”
“I knew while in the two-year ESBOCES Aviation course that I would take my training to the next level,” Chris says. He enrolled at Beaver County Community College in Pennsylvania, a two-year aviation school. “But I attended for only one year because of everything I learned in ESBOCES and because I already had my private pilot certificate. That saved a few dollars,” he says with a chuckle.
In 2007, the FAA hired and sent him for training in Oklahoma. Chris fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming an Air Traffic Controller later that year, working in the Albany Airport Tower, a Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility. “ESBOCES pointed me in the right direction,” he says. “You can’t beat it. Other controllers I work with didn’t have that opportunity. I tell them, ESBOCES is great.”
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Joseph Belonzi
ESBOCES Barbering program
“I love meeting people, so this is the perfect job for me,” says Joe the Barber in Bayport. It’s thanks to Eastern Suffolk BOCES that I’m in this particular career field and am, consequently, really enjoying life.”
Joe Belonzi is a graduate of the Barbering course with teacher Luke Mahoney. As a senior in Longwood CSD in 2009, he considered enrolling in the Trade Electricity course, but learned the classes were full. “That was when the fork in the road presented itself,” he said recently. “A new path opened up for me. I enrolled in Barbering and became focused on a totally different industry. Which was a good thing; a very good thing,” he says with a big smile, adding, “I can still remember what my father said when I told him: ‘It’s an opportunity and it’s up to you to make the most of it’.”
As part of the curriculum, the class took a field trip to the annual International Beauty Show, Flea Market, and Expo in New York City. “I was blown away,” he said. “I didn’t realize that so many people had careers in making others look good. I was amazed. The next year, I went back on my own.”
On days when the Barbering class opened to the general public, providing students with the experience of working on real customers, one of his “clients” was a child. Always a jokester, Joe found a way to be playful and style the perfect haircut for this anxious youngster. “It’s important to make them laugh,” he says, adding “Lollipops work, too.” When the family made a return visit, the youngster said, “I want Joey, I want Joey.” And that, Joe recalls, made him feel “really good.” At age 17, he passed the Master Barber Exam and received his state license.
Joey the Barber enjoys working with children. “They add a lot of fun to the day,” he says.
Joe credits ESBOCES for his success. Through a combination of classroom instruction and laboratory opportunities designed to develop academic and professional knowledge - in addition to the skills required for job acquisition, retention, and advancement - Joe learned about safety on the job, sanitation, precision scissor and clipper cutting, styling, texturing, and shaving techniques. “I was amazed at how much I was being taught,” he recalls. “I often think back at that time and about how lucky I was to fall into this career. All I can say is, Thank you ESBOCES; I love what I’m doing!”
Joe is employed at the Hats Off Barber Shop in Bayport.
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Dan Ciano
Eastern Suffolk BOCES Trade Electric program graduate
Dan said, “My dad taught me how to do plumbing, carpentry, and auto repairs, but nothing related to electricity. Together we blew up enough things to realize that trade electric could be something I could learn about and teach him.”
Dan set his sights on attending the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Trade Electric program at the Edward J. Milliken Technical Center (MTC) in Oakdale but because of his reading disability, he had to work hard and apply himself so he could transition into mainstreamed classes. Dan’s aspirations paid off and he entered the trade electric program in his senior year of high school; thereafter Dan enrolled for one year as an adult student.
Dan said, “I liked the hands-on aspect of the program. My teacher, Mr. Neal Mahoney, helped me to understand why I was doing what I was doing.” The classroom was structured and Mr. Mahoney was strict, remembers Dan, “He would say there’s a time to learn the academics at your desk and there’s a time to work on the shop floor. At the time I didn’t understand, but now I have that understanding of how important it is to learn the academics of the trade.”
Upon graduation from Center Moriches UFSD and the ESBOCES program in 2008, Dan began his first year apprenticeship position at a small local electrical shop and attended evening classes at IBEW - Local 25/International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. “The knowledge I gained at ESBOCES, like recognition of tools and materials, was very helpful as an apprentice because I was constantly asked to get tools for the journey- men.”
He also attributes experience and knowledge acquired by being a Scout Master to his success as a trade electrician. “I learned leadership skills and life skills, and from the scouts and Mr. Mahoney I learned it’s important to be punctual, responsible, to work hard, and realize that the final result will be well worth the effort.”
In 2011, Dan was accepted into Local 25’s A division apprenticeship program. “My goal is to complete this five-year apprenticeship and become a journeyman.”
Presently, Dan is working under a journeyman doing retro fit – hospital grade work. He said, “Looking back, ESBOCES gave me a jump-start. I have an understanding and respect for learning the academics as well as the practical knowledge of the trade. ESBOCES taught me that.”
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Richard Lanza
ESBOCES Culinary Arts program
In historic Greenport Village, known for its serious commitment to everything fish and fresh, something was different on May 21, 2011. That Saturday was the Preakness, the second jewel in the triple crown of thoroughbred racing, and chit-chit focused on horses and the ladies wearing the latest in couture hats. At a new, upscale seafood restaurant called The North Fork Oyster Company, Black Eyed Susan drinks were being made, while at the raw bar, oysters, littlenecks, and other delectable offerings - specially prepared by Chef Richard Lanza, a 1983 graduate of Eastern Suffolk BOCES Culinary Arts program - were available at half price.
Preparing excellent seafood isn’t Chef Richard’s only forte; he’s in charge of the entire process. He orders all ingredients, checks them upon delivery, and does the prep work before finally creating unforgettable menus that are part of “this fascinating business,” he says. “I love it. It means sometimes working 60 hours a week and being here weekends and holidays, but I enjoy what I do.” He also does private consulting work for dining establishments in New York City.
Richard began in the restaurant business as a teenager at the entry level: washing dishes. Later, as a prep cook, he decided to enroll in the Culinary Arts program at Eastern Suffolk BOCES. “I liked going to ESBOCES and I knew then that this was the profession for me,” he explains.
After graduating from the two year course and Patchogue-Medford UFSD, Rich attended the Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 1986. “ESBOCES prepared me for college,” he said, pointing out the importance of having received advanced college readiness. The agency’s Culinary Arts/Restaurant Operations Management course included food preparation, baking and pastry arts, weights and measures, menu planning, food styling, management, and customer service skills. Chef Richard thinks so highly of the program, he’s a proponent of providing internships to students and hiring ESBOCES graduates. He also participates in the ESBOCES-sponsored Job Fairs.
Chef Richard, an ESBOCES Culinary Arts graduate, is employed on the East End, does private consulting in New York City, and plans to build his own establishment.
Still a Medford resident, now with a wife and two children who attend the same schools he did, Richard recently purchased the site of the old Pat & Jim’s Restaurant on Route 112 in Patchogue where he worked while a student. He and his brothers plan to build a 6,000 square-foot casual but upscale restaurant and catering establishment with an outdoor dining area and bar called Ristegio’s. This venture will bring him full circle, back to where it all began.
Asked if his two sons like to cook, he laughed and said, “They like to eat.”
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Anthony Lepore
ESBOCES Aviation Airframe Mechanics program
As a child, Anthony Lepore didn’t look up at the silver streaks in the sky and think about becoming a pilot. Instead, he pondered the mechanics of keeping the airplane safe. He played with toy aircraft and when they broke, he enjoyed putting them back together again, all the while with his mind on the future. Today, he is an aircraft inspector at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with the responsibility of keeping the civil fleet safe.
As a teenager, he “somehow knew” that Eastern Suffolk BOCES would have a course for budding airplane mechanics, and as a high school junior he enrolled in the program that would teach him the technical skills needed: Aviation Airframe Mechanics. He learned about electricity, weight and balance, math, physics, and corrosion control in addition to welding, assembly and rigging, fuel systems and maintenance forms and records. At the age of 16, he had a plan in place for a successful career and it involved graduating from Connetquot CSD, which he did in 1985, and receiving his airframe license through ESBOCES.
Anthony’s father, Anthony William Lepore, now a retired airframe and powerplant mechanic, was and is his son’s inspiration. When the younger Anthony received his airframe mechanics license, he recalled, “My dad was very proud and was also very pleased that I had done so well on the written and practical exams. That was thanks to ESBOCES.”
Following in his father’s footsteps, Anthony enrolled at Teterboro School of Aeronautics where he received a powerplant license. Both certifications are issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The airframe certification is often used by air carriers as one of several hiring requirements and allows the candidate to satisfy the experience prerequisite. Without it, the employee can only work under the supervision of a certificated person and is not able to release aircraft to service. “To work commercially, you need both licenses,” Anthony explained.
After working for four years for Pam American at JFK Airport in New York as a mechanic on 747s, Anthony accepted a position with American Airlines and relocated to Texas where he met his future wife. Now married and the father of three children, Anthony looks back at his time at ESBOCES and said, “That gave me a solid foundation. It was a great start. I learned a lot, and the hands-on experience in the simulated work environment was excellent.” Asked if he would follow the same path if given the chance to do it all over again, he replied, “Absolutely. That’s how I met my wife.”
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Joe Merrone
ESBOCES graduate of Pet Grooming course
The Bark, Bath and Beyond pet grooming salon is a little hard to find since it’s located on the side of a Ronkonkoma building. A visitor might think that being set back from the street on Hawkins Avenue could hinder patronage - until you step inside this creatively-named business. A shortage of clientele is clearly not an issue, for once you walk through the door, you discover that the establishment is hopping. And, while there’s lots of activity and barking, there’s plenty of tail wagging, as well.
Owner Joseph Merrone is a graduate of Middle Country CSD. His original plan after commencement was to join his father in a tire business, but when his dad died, he was left wondering what to do next. Fate stepped in when his mother, who had enrolled in an Eastern Suffolk BOCES Pet Grooming Adult Education course and couldn’t make the first session, asked him if he wanted to go in her place. That’s when his future became clear.
Drawn into the profession of animal care and grooming, Joe finished the course that combined theory and practical hands-on learning. “I liked it a lot,” he said while trimming the facial hair of a normally active golden doodle that was standing like a statue except for wagging his tail. “That’s how I found my future.”
Murray, a golden doodle, seems mesmerized while being groomed by Bark, Bath and Beyond salon owner Joseph Merrone.
The course, designed to prepare individuals for entry-level positions in pet grooming, taught Joe a variety of grooming techniques, first aid procedures, and everything he needed to know about bathing and fluffing, ear cleaning, nail trimming, and coat cutting. After completing the course, he applied at Petco for a job and the company sent him to school in New Hyde Park to embellish on the skills he had developed in the adult education classes. “But it was ESBOCES that gave me the solid foundation,” he said.
Eventually Joe began his own business. “It’s interesting to think back to my graduation from Middle Country when I said I didn’t want to work an eight-hour day. Now, I’m working sometimes 10 or 12 hours a day and I love it. This is where I belong.”
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Cathy Muller
ESBOCES Dental Assisting Program graduate
Cathy’s father was a dental technician and her uncle was a dentist. Naturally, the field of dentistry made an impression on her. She said, “I always knew dentistry was the field for me. It fascinated me how they had the ability to create something from nothing - fabricating crowns and caps.”
Cathy’s father passed away when she was 14, leaving her mom to support a family of three children. She said, “My mom worked in a coat factory. I saw what she went through. My driving force was to be self-sustaining and I knew I could achieve my goals with education.”
The ESBOCES Dental Assisting program was the natural pathway for Cathy into the SUNY Farmingdale Dental Hygiene program. “I learned terminology, procedures, and instrumentation at ESBOCES so I was way ahead of the curve in college.”
Cathy remembers meeting students from all across Long Island in the dental assisting program. “We were strangers, but we had a common bond, we all wanted to learn something about the dental profession. It turned us from strangers into a family,” she said.
ESBOCES was a natural pathway for Cathy. Her desire to transform her own life began at ESBOCES. Her drive spurred her to obtain an associate degree in Dental Hygiene at SUNY Farmingdale, then to the New York Institute of Technology for her teaching degree. She secured her MBA at Dowling College, and thereafter obtained her Work Based Learning Certificate.
Cathy’s has over her many years at ESBOCES imbued her students with her sense of fortitude. One case in point is Carol Donohue. After Cathy vacated the Dental Assisting teacher position to move into a Work Based Learning Coordinator spot, Carol was interviewed and hired. Carol said, “Cathy Muller is someone I looked up to from the very first day I sat in her dental assisting class. She motivated me and inspired me to become a dental hygienist and an educator. She is a great role model, mentor and a dear friend. She constantly pushed and inspired us to follow our dreams. My dreams and goals came true because I had a wonderful teacher like Cathy to guide me and I hope to one day be that person for my students as well. “
As a Work Based Learning Coordinator, Cathy has a new vantage point to guide the students attending ESBOCES, she said, “I work with students everyday, giving them the opportunity to make the connection between education and the world of work. I’m a real life example of it and ESBOCES gave me that edge.”
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Sarah Podlewski
ESBOCES Early Childhood Education program graduate
Sarah Podlewski grew up in the small hamlet of New Suffolk, on Long Island New York, in a single-parent household. Her mother Denise worked three jobs and Sarah contributed to the best of her ability. “I learned how to manage myself and set small goals for myself; reach them, and make new ones,” said Sarah.
From an early age, Sarah and her mom went to the beach. “Mom said I would go off and play with the little children. I seemed to be drawn to them,” said Sarah. Denise knew Sarah was destined to be a teacher. Sarah’s path to the ESBOCES Early Childhood Education (ECE) program at the H.B. Ward Technical and Academic Center (WTAC) came a few years later at the age of 16.
In her junior year of high school in the Mattituck-Cutchogue UFSD, Sarah found out about the ECE program. Sarah was advised by her guidance counselor that her mom would have to incur the *cost of the tuition. Her desire to attend ESBOCES was so strong that she attended a New Suffolk Board meeting advocating for herself to attend ESBOCES. In the end, a private benefactor made it possible for Sarah to participate.
In her first year at ESBOCES, Sarah said she felt like she was enrolled in a college course. “Ms. Gail Klepper taught us how to plan a pre-school and write lesson plans,” said Sarah. In her second year, Sarah learned the psychology of children. “It was college level material but Ms. Klepper’s teaching methods made it easy to understand. Can you imagine I’m in high school and learning at college level?”
Over the years, Sarah set goals that would enhance her knowledge and experience related to childcare. She became CPR certified, swimming certified, and she is First Aid certified. “Ms. Klepper supported me with advice and guidance and encouraged me to participate in SkillsUSA. I competed in the Pre-School Teacher Assistance competition and came in first place. I received a trophy and continued on to the State competition.”
Sarah had a job at 16 years of age at the Tanger Outlets and maintained honor roll status all four years in high school. She was a member of the National Honor Society and interned at the Riverhead Day Center.
“My dream came true, to come to ESBOCES, to pursue the field that I wanted,” said Sarah. “I learned college level material at ESBOCES. My education was well-rounded and I feel I had a huge advantage when I continued on to college because I already knew how to write lesson plans and ESBOCES provided me an internship.”
Sarah found out who her benefactor was the day she graduated from ESBOCES. It was her high school guidance counselor’s father. “At my ESBOCES graduation, Mrs. Straub-Stripe approached me and informed me that it was her father that paid for my ESBOCES education. I cried because I finally knew who my angel was,” said Sarah. He paid for Sarah’s education at ESBOCES and thereafter he paid for Sarah’s education at St. Joseph’s College in Patchogue. Sarah never met Mr. Straub in person.
*New Suffolk Common SD maintains a contract with Southold UFSD to educate its junior and senior high school students, but some families have opted to send their children to Mattituck-Cutchogue UFSD, picking up any additional costs beyond the tuition New Suffolk Common SD pays to Southold. Mattituck-Cutchogue UFSD requires payment for BOCES and other outside programs beyond the tuition cost. Traditionally, parents have been responsible for such extra payments.
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Terri Raffel
ESBOCES Cosmetology program graduate
Looking back at her teenage years at Southampton High School, Terri Raffel remembers that sociology and psychology were the only two classes where she received 95+ grades. She knew she had three things going for her: she was a good listener, a good storyteller, and she was good with her hands, but she had no direction.
“I was the oldest of five children and I struggled in school,” she said, “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I thought that maybe I would do interior design. Then a friend showed me the cosmetology kit she used in her class at Eastern Suffolk BOCES. I thought it was so cool.” Initially, Terri thought that going to ESBOCES would be better than sitting in a classroom; little did she know how the decision to attend the ESBOCES Cosmetology program at the H.B. Ward Career and Technical Center in Riverhead would change her life.
“I graduated high school at the age of 17 and I felt very fortunate to have a profession, a license, and direction. In my yearbook it said under my name, “Professionalism will not be handed to us; we must earn it.” “ESBOCES helped me create a future for myself” said Terri.
At ESBOCES, Terri made friends with several people from Hampton Bays and Sag Harbor. One special friend was Sherri. “We bonded, Sherri and me, and we became close friends. Sherri died in a fire at the age of 16. It was a hard lesson to learn. I remember Mrs. Lutterman, the Cosmetology teacher, told us to live our lives to the fullest.”
Terri graduated at 17 with a cosmetology license in hand and set her sights on New York City to live her life. She was hired as an assistant at Glenby’s, then trained at Jean Louis David’s Salon, and then at Sassoon for about a year.
Terri said, “I found my direction at Eastern Suffolk BOCES. I feel fortunate to have graduated with a license and skills that provided a foundation for me in the industry. I tried over the years to do other things like real estate and make jewelry but I wasn’t happy and I wasn’t doing what I do best – hairstyling. I have a great eye, I can create, and my hands have memory and are very important to me. I don’t know where I would be today if I didn’t enroll in the Cosmetology program at Eastern Suffolk BOCES when I was in high school.”
Terri owns her own salon in Sag Harbor and has a thriving business mostly by word-of mouth via her clients. One client, Anne Mackesey, said of Terri, “She was one of my dance students. I’ve been coming to her for more than 15 years and I never knew where she initially got her training. I just found out she was an ESBOCES graduate. I think that Terri is a model of success.” (Anne Mackesey is an ESBOCES Board member.)
Once married, Terri is now a single parent and a survivor. She said, “We all have our trials in life. I live in a small town. I own a small private studio and I’m blessed and lucky to have the skills to provide for my family and I’m thankful to ESBOCES because that’s where it all started.”
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Angel Rojas
ESBOCES Adult Education Literacy Program graduate
Angel saw a flyer in a Hampton Bays laundromat advertising free adult education literacy classes at Eastern Suffolk BOCES. He knew classes of this type were offered at local schools and agencies but they were expensive. Angel said, “My father lived in the United States for 10 years. He didn’t learn English. It was a disadvantage for him. I wanted to understand what people were saying to me, so I wouldn’t have to point at things and expect people to know what I want.”
Angel was born in Mexico and came to the United States in 2000. He began taking ESBOCES Adult Education Literacy classes in 2005 with teacher Carol Sirico. Angel said, “Ms. Carol always pushed me to work harder. She would say, ‘be someone in life – push yourself and better yourself’”.
Angel is currently employed as a landscaper and also does irrigation work in East Hampton and Southampton. “I wanted to learn English so I could understand my supervisor. I have good ideas and I wanted to be able to share them,” he explained.
Watching television in English and reading magazines in English has helped Angel significantly. He said, “I have a notebook with words and pictures and I study them every chance I get. I work 13 to 14 hours a day, five days a week and I play sports and run competitively.”
Angel competes in 5K races and has won numerous awards. He said, “I am happy to say that I have been interviewed by local newspapers because of my wins and proud to say that I was able to do the interviews in English.”
Friends and family are proud of Angel. Angel has received several certificates of completion from the ESBOCES literacy classes and completed computer classes as well. “I would like to be an example to the Latino community. I tell everyone: this is a beautiful country, the country of opportunity. I learned English language because of ESBOCES and now I can communicate with my supervisor, my doctor, everyone.”
Angel has set several goals for himself: to attain his GED, in English, and to own and operate a gym. He will surely meet and exceed his goals!
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Nicole Ruffo
ESBOCES LPN Program Graduate
A life altering experience at the age of 15 set the stage for Nicole Ruffo’s career path in nursing.
In 1990, Nicole was in a terrible car accident. A hydraulic rescue tool was used to cut her free. She had multiple broken bones, her teeth were shattered, and she spent several months in a pediatric ICU unit. Her trauma didn’t end there. She said, “I wasn’t treated kindly during my hospital stay. It upset me, and at that moment I decided that instead of being a veterinarian, which was my lifelong dream, I would be a nurse.” Nicole added, “People should be treated better than I was and maybe I could become a nurse and make a difference.”
In her junior year at Middle Country CSD, Nicole found out about the Eastern Suffolk BOCES LPN program from a pamphlet she received in the mail. Because she was an honor student, Nicole was advised to go directly to college but she stood firm. She wanted to go to ESBOCES. Nicole said, “Attending ESBOCES in my senior year of high school changed my whole life. It paved the way for a great career path. I came from a single-parent household and there were financial issues. A career in nursing would be rewarding and I knew I could support myself.” Nicole graduated from ESBOCES in 1993 and continued onto Suffolk County Community College. She said, “Nothing was stopping me! I so enjoyed making people feel comfortable and providing for their needs.”
Nicole secured a job as a nurse assistant at the Sunrest Nursing Home in Port Jefferson, working there on weekends while attending St. Vincent’s School of Nursing in Manhattan.
“At St. Vincent’s,” said Nicole, “I was called upon to demonstrate a variety of skills and I could because I already learned them at ESBOCES.” Nicole graduated in 1997 as a registered nurse with a 4.0 GPA and secured employment locally at St. Charles Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital, and Stony Brook University Hospital; thereafter Nicole journeyed across the United States from Boston to California as a travel nurse working at prestigious institutions like Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which is an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
Nicole said, “I was motivated and I had discipline but ESBOCES taught me how to study, what to study, to be punctual, to be responsible, and to have high personal expectations.”
Nicole’s life has now come full circle. In September 2010, Nicole was hired to teach Medical Surgical Nursing at Eastern Suffolk BOCES.
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