Class Notes
Alyssa Aiello ’14: I was inspired to go to SUNY Poly because of the school’s reputation of being well known as an IT school. I was really interested in that field. I had a lot of support from my professors. They definitely pushed and challenged me to be better and made me step up my game. The course content was very challenging, but very engaging. I would definitely recommend SUNY Poly to a lot of my family. I’m actually helping my two younger brothers with their applications. Having SUNY Poly on my resume had been very helpful in applying for work.
Jerome Andersen ’78: I wanted to continue my studies in auto mechanics, and SUNY Poly at the time offered a bachelor’s in vocational-technical education. After graduation, it gave me an opportunity to have structured thoughts, see things as they are, and see things how they could be. It also gave me an opportunity to be a very effective leader to help guide people through their careers.
Constance Jackson ’92: SUNY Poly was the only university close by where I could get a bachelor of science in nursing. I wanted to advance my education. All the nursing staff and the educators were great; I liked them. My last job was as director of nurses, and I enjoyed every minute of it. The person I became and the education I got at SUNY was my very helpful. I was working as a staff nurse at a general hospital; I advanced to head nurse manager. I moved to Iowa and became a diabetes educator. From there, I moved to Arizona and became a certified palliative care and hospice nurse. I became a director of nursing there, where I retired.
Brian Jweid ’13 welcomes the newest member of the Jweid family, our 2nd born, Ava May!
Cherise Kujawski ’18: Dr. Darryl Lee and Dr. Haber changed my life and how I thought about things. It opened up a whole new world for me. I am currently pursuing a job in PR. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without attending SUNY Poly. The degree that I got taught me how important the community was. I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to attend.
Maura Farrell Miller ’78: The HVCC Class of 1975 celebrated 50 years as Registered Nurses in May, 2025. Patricia Beck, RN, MSN, my Nursing Dean at that time, reminded us that the Associate in Applied Science in Nursing degree laid the foundation for our professional nursing career. Her words made a positive impact. I went on to obtain my BSN at SUNY Utica/Rome. We attended classes at the campus on 811 Court Street. In 1976 nursing students did not have computers, cell phones, or remote classes since they did not exist at that time! Nursing has come a long way since then! Maura Farrell Miller PhD, AAPRN, GNP-BC, PMHCNS-BC, ACHPN
Tucker Mogren ’19 married Alison Campney (UAlbany 2019) at the White Eagle Conference Center in Hamilton, NY on June 21st.
David Ryan ’96 was honored by ASCE with the 2024 Orville T. Magoon Sustainable Coasts Award for dedication to building coastal resiliency and sustainability through shoreline and infrastructure planning and management. Ryan was instrumental in the town’s project with North Carolina Sea Grant to understand the town’s future vulnerability to sea-level rise (VCAPS) and increase the community’s capacity to develop sustainable adaptation approaches related to stormwater management, shoreline management, and wastewater systems.
David Sadekoski ’00: SUNY Poly was the path I wanted to take, so I transferred there. When I first started, I was working part-time for the state DLT. Then, I was working full-time. I liked the labs, and I lived off campus. Jayne Baran was there at that time, and she was influential. I finally got a full-time job in 1998, and I’ve been there ever since. SUNY Poly was a good all-around school. What I learned there was very practical for the job.
Paula 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.
Arnold Timian ’80: I went to school there before it was SUNY Poly. I was over 40 years old when I went there. First, I went to learn a little more about electronics. Eventually, I went for a vocational master’s degree. It was nice there. It has helped a lot of my students that went there because I started teaching in 1959. I’m retired now.
Douglas Timian ’14: I was living in the Utica area, and SUNY Poly was a good value. I was a commuter student and a nontraditional student in the sense that I was a little bit older; I was in my late 20s when I went back to college. I was also working when I was getting the degree. I think it’s a nice campus, and I enjoyed my professors. I had a business law professor who took an interest in me, and I did really well in his class. He facilitated some meetings with an accounting firm in Utica, and I was able to get an internship there for a semester. Then I was able to leverage that experience when I moved to New York City to be able to get a job at one of the big prestigious accounting firms here.
Alexander Turner ’17 has returned to campus as the Construction Project Coordinator in the Facilities Department. Alex has spent the past seven years working in transportation planning and engineering in both the public and private sectors. In his new role, Alex will help support SUNY Poly’s commitment to excellence by working to ensure a well-designed and well-maintained campus infrastructure. Alex resides in New Hartford with his wife and two sons, where he serves on the New Hartford Public Library’s Board of Trustees. He is excited and proud to return to his alma mater.
John “Woj” Arthur Wojdan ’76: I went to SUNY Poly because it was easy for me to transfer my credits there. It was also close to home, and it was affordable. My degree was in health services management. When I graduated, it was a tight job market, and I had a tough time. I actually ended up back in school in respiratory therapy, so that’s what I did. That was my job, graduating with that background in health services. That was my second career, and I did it for probably a little over 20 years. Before that, I worked for another 20 years for an electrical wholesaler down in Milwaukee. Both of them were good careers, but I liked working in the hospital because I helped a lot of people.
Isabelle Young ’19: I was in a graduate program at SUNY Poly. I was able to work while I attended there. One of my professors there stood out to me. She always was able to view student’s crises, and she had us in the right direction. SUNY Poly allowed me to reach that dream of finally becoming a nurse practitioner.
Dorothy Zarbo (Rabinowitz) ’78: I needed to get a bachelor’s degree in nursing, so I went to SUNY Poly. I am happy that I went there. I met a lot of special people and my husband there. It was November 13, 1977, when they had a talent show, and a friend of mine had celebrated our roommate’s birthday. It was quite fun, and it was packed, so we came during halftime. There were no seats there, but we found two empty seats. My roommate and I sat down in them when this guy came along with two beers in his hand and said, ‘Excuse me, these are my seats.’ I looked at him and said, ‘Okay. Do you mind if I sit on you?’ I sat on him, and we had a wonderful evening. It’s nearly been 43 years since that moment, and I’ve been married to him for 42 years. We now have two kids and four grandkids.
Jennifer Zeigler ’04: I transferred to SUNY Poly because it was a little bit closer to where I was living at the time. I also liked their business school. The professors I had while I was there was what really stood out for me. When I went there, I had about a year and a half left to get my bachelor’s degree. I was determined to get it finished within a year, and I was able to do so. Having a degree from SUNY Poly has helped me earn a little bit more money.
