Class Notes

notebook with the text class notes on the cover

Michael Aiello ’17, G’19: In August, Mike was promoted to Associate Director of Alumni Relations at SUNY Poly.

William Benson ’81: I decided to attend SUNY Poly because my sister lived in Utica. The faculty overall was good, and I had a lot of friends up there. After graduation, it opened a lot of doors for me, and I had a couple of excellent jobs because of it.

Cynthia Calzone ’92: SUNY Poly was a local college. I still talk to my roommate that I had during college, but we lived off campus. There weren’t dorms back in my day, so we rented an apartment together. It was fun. I needed a degree, and I ended up in healthcare.

Nicholas Cenci ’82: Nicholas has retired.

Jae Fish ‘23: In April, Jae Fish was elected as the State University of New York (SUNY) Student Association Vice President. 

Giovanni “Gio” Harvey ‘23: In April, Giovanni Harvey was elected as the State University of New York (SUNY) Student Association President. 

David Humphrey ’92: I was working the whole time I was going there. I had a few friends and live in central Pennsylvania now. I will commend New York in general because New York has a great base of community schools and state schools and I know they’re more today than they were when I went. They make it very affordable for pretty much anyone who wants to go to college. They’re good schools. I lived in a town near there and there was a local community college Mohawk Valley Community College, and I was working. It was a good school with a good reputation. I had gone into computer science and they had a computer science program there. It all fit for me. It was a nice transition and it worked well for me. It was a good school that has changed so much.

Michael Imhoff ’82: The reason I went there was they had a partnership with Herkimer County Community College. The curriculum, the teachers, and the urban experience were some of my favorite memories that I had there. My favorite professor was Gary Gordon, a criminal justice professor. I ended up with a four-year degree in criminal justice. It was an investment in future leaders. They paired us with real folks who have real-world and real-life experiences, which we could leverage in our careers as we went forward. SUNY Poly set me up in the sense that it taught me that hard work can overcome obstacles. If you believe in yourself and you’re willing to work for what you want to achieve, anything’s possible.

Brian Jweid ’13: Brian is the current Director of Civil Service Administration for Oneida County. In 2022, he was nominated and selected to sit on the Executive Committee for the New York State Association of Personnel and Civil Service Officers (NYSAPCSO). In June of 2024, Brian was nominated and selected by his peers to be the 2nd Vice President of NYSAPCSO for the 2024-2026 term. Brian is excited to collaborate with fellow executive officers, members, and the State of New York to further advance NYSAPCSO goals, enhance civil service practices, and support the dedicated personnel and civil service officers across New York State. This opportunity is both a privilege and an honor to continue to drive that positive change needed within public service and our communities.

Catherine Kennedy ’78: Retired from the position of Sonoma County Mental Health Director

Jerry Lowery ’77: I met a lot of good friends back in the mid-70s. At that time, SUNY at Utica Rome was a ‘small’ school. There were a lot of good teachers that gave their time to help you understand what they were teaching. There were lots of good activities on the weekends. Utica was a fun town, especially the business across the street, the Utica Club Brewery. I really enjoyed my time there, and I’m still in touch with my roommates.

Deborah McClendon ’93: I had a lot of friends, good experiences, and an opportunity to play collegiate sports. I was mentored by a finance instructor who was friends with the dean of the school of business. Being a business major gave me a lot of opportunities. I am now the director of systems and data center management at SUNY Oneonta.

Paul Sabatelli ’92: The telecommunications program made me attend SUNY Poly. It got me started on my career. In about a month, I was able to get a full-time job in New York City. That really started me. What makes me smile was the friends I made and the good times we had. They’re all very positive memories.

Michael Schwedatschenko ’86: There was a direct transfer from Hudson Valley Community College to SUNY Poly. I was able to transfer the credits there and complete my bachelor’s degree. I got a two-year degree at the community college and then a four-year degree at SUNY Poly. SUNY Poly was still pretty new and a very small campus. Having the degree certainly helped me get a job. I joined the Navy after that. Once I got out of the Navy, I started working for AT&T. What made the difference in getting my position at AT&T was having the degree from SUNY Poly.

Azra Tricia ’16: I heard great things about the business program of SUNY Poly. That was my main interest, so I went with that. It was also very close to home. It was a great class for the experience, the programs, and everything. I remember the people in charge of the events really wanted to make an impact and make everyone’s time really fun. As much as SUNY cares about the academics of everyone, they also really care about the experience.

Jean Van Kinsley ’95: One of my friends told me SUNY Poly was a great school and recommended that I go. I got accepted, so I went. I think it’s where I really solidified my eagerness to continue learning. I didn’t know that I was capable of learning much until I was there. We had some really great professors. The dean at the time was Dean Walker, and she was very supportive in so many aspects. It was a really great and supportive environment. I was a vice president of the nursing organization. I ended up being the starting goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team. That was lots of fun. We would sit in the cafeteria, have breakfast, and stay there all the way through lunch. We would study at the table, and the friends would keep on coming to the table. I’ve kept in touch with some of the people.

Stanley Winnie ’95: SUNY Poly was local for our area. The accreditation helped me in my quest for the correct college. All of my professors were very helpful in my credentials. They were always glad to provide references and I learned things in my classes from them. They were all exceptional in that regard if you didn’t understand something. The college was wonderful because you don’t always get that one on one from other colleges. In a lot of colleges, you have to schedule an appointment two weeks in advance. SUNY has a wonderful Math Lab where you could walk right into and get help immediately. In that regard, your college was exceptional. The Library Department was always willing to help with finding what you need to find. I spent a lot of time at the library and the people there were always very helpful. SUNY helped me understand communication. It helped me learn and how to be part of a group. It taught me how to work as a team as I had a lot of team projects. I really had fun there.