GCC Albion is an Outpost of Community Events and Interesting Opportunities

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Dana Milligan

BATAVIA, NY (05/02/2017) (readMedia)-- Albion, NY- It is a happening place. Whether you are looking for employees or employment, finishing high school or developing artistic talent, an engaged civic leader or an alumnae who continues to value lessons learned a decade ago-the Albion Campus Center of Genesee Community College boasts a wealth of opportunity-not unlike all seven of GCC's campus locations.

This past Monday, the Albion Campus Center had an interesting array of events and opportunities targeted for broad range of interests. Among the events were:

• "Where Can We Work," a two-hour session providing students and guests with the opportunity to mingle with representatives from nearly a dozen different local and regional organizations and businesses, and receive individual career advice from working professionals.

• The Albion Campus Center Advisory Council held its every semester meeting with nearly two dozen officials from area public schools, businesses and academics-all focusing on developments in the regional community and how Genesee Community College can continue to play supportive role.

• The annual spring Student Art Show dons the hallways with paintings in water colors, acrylic, oils, markers and pen and ink-all exhibiting the talents from students enrolled in the Campus Center's ART 114 Painting 1 class under the instructor Karen Flack.

• New and continuing students received advisement about summer and fall registration, including information about the Genesee Promise Plus program offering tuition scholarship for up to two summer classes for high school seniors, juniors or adults without any prior college experience.

• Lastly, among the college courses being taught that day were Pamela N. Lusk's Sociology 101 class to a group of high school students enrolled in the ACE (Accelerated College Enrollment) program. The students enjoyed hearing a special presentation from Dana Milligan, a GCC alumnus who graduated in 2001.

Early in 2017, Ms. Milligan had contacted her former professor as a professional and personal courtesy; thanking her for some of the lessons she had learned 17 years prior in one of several psychology courses that Ms. Milligan had taken when she was as a young freshman or sophomore at GCC. Nearly two decades later, many of those early lessons continue to resonate with Ms. Milligan, both in her personal life as a mother and wife, and also in her professional life as a marketing analyst with the University of Rochester.

Ever eager to illustrate real-life success stories to her students, Professor Lusk invited Ms. Milligan to share her story with the students in her current Sociology 101 class. The opportunity to hear from a local alumnus helps young people realize that life's journey is not always a straight path and that "students of life never stop learning," Professor Lusk said, quoting Socrates.

After deciding her love of animals did not necessarily translate into a life-long career as a veterinarian, Ms. Milligan recalled how GCC encouraged her to explore other areas such as art, psychology, business and even statistics. Gradually things started coming together.

After graduating with a Liberal Arts degree from GCC in 2001, Ms. Milligan continued on and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from Roberts Wesleyan College in 2008 and 2011, respectively. She worked in four other positions including being patient services representative, data analyst, trainer and an associate at Community Action before she began her tenure at the University of Rochester in 2012.

Today, as a marketing analyst, young mother, wife as well as all the other 'hats' any working professional wears each day, Ms. Milligan fully appreciates the communication skills and techniques that her GCC professor from 17 years prior had instilled. And she shared a bit of her own advice to the students. "Enjoy this part of your life, look around and don't be so set on just one thing," she remarked. "I loved everything about this place. The atmosphere. The professors. The small class sizes."

GCC is now shifting toward the summer semester with three sessions. The full, ten-week session runs June 5 through August 11; Session I runs June 5 – July 7, and Session II runs July 9 through August 11, 2017. Students of all ages and with all kinds of interests are encouraged to register.

Genesee Promise Plus, GCC's summer scholarship program, provides high school juniors, graduating seniors, recent GED recipients and adults who have never attended college with the opportunity to enroll in one or two GCC summer classes tuition-free.

The first step can seem like the hardest, according to Dana Milligan and many others. But by contacting or stopping by one of GCC's seven campus locations, one soon discovers GCC will help you get where you want to go, even when you don't know exactly where that is just yet.

• Albion Campus Center - 456 West Avenue, Albion, NY 14411 (585) 589-4936

• Arcade Campus Center - 25 Edward Street, Arcade, NY 14009 (585) 492-5265

• Batavia Main Campus - One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020 (585) 345-6809

• Dansville Campus Center - 31 Clara Barton Street, Dansville, NY 14437 (585) 335-7820

• Lima Campus Center - 7285 Gale Road, Lima, NY 14485 (585) 582-1226

• Medina Campus Center - 11470 Maple Ridge Road, Medina, NY 14103 (585) 798-1688

• Warsaw Campus Center - 115 Linwood Avenue, Warsaw, NY 14569 (585) 786-3010

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Editor's Note: For photographs from the Albion Campus Center on Monday, April 24, 2017 go to:

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/Dana_Milligan.jpg

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/PamLusk_DanaMilligan.jpg

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/Albion_Art_Show_Spring17.jpg

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/Albion_Advisory_Meeting_April_24_2017.jpg