It recently occurred to me that, starting next semester, I’ll be among the few Suffolk County Community College students to have attended class at all of its locations. This experience has given me a rare, big-picture look at everything the college offers. Here are a few takeaways that I think any student can benefit from.

The Eastern Campus

I began at the Eastern Campus and the Culinary Arts Center in Riverhead in the Fall of 2023. I really enjoyed the Eastern Campus. It’s a beautiful place. The nearly circular cluster of trees surrounding the buildings made it feel like we were tucked away in nature.

The downside was the low student population. With fewer people on campus, it was harder to make connections, and because I wasn’t there often, I never joined any clubs. It didn’t help that I only had one class there–Introduction to Math–before heading to work at Wingstop.

The Culinary Arts Center

At first, I thought I wanted to become a chef, so I enrolled in the associate’s degree program in culinary arts.

But after an accident totaled my car–a situation I’ve found to be more common among students than I realized–I had to rely on others to get to school.

One great benefit of the program was that it prepared me to take the test for the Suffolk County Food Handlers Certification, which I passed, and saved $150 in necessary training because I was learning all that as a Suffolk student. 

The certification allowed me to work as a restaurant manager. But at that point, I realized the associate’s program wasn’t for me. I’ve never been a good test taker, and I want to take classes that directly relate to the job I want. So I switched to the culinary arts certificate program for the spring 2024 semester–and I loved it. The faculty, the students, and the people we met during trips and visits were incredibly friendly and always did their best to make our experience enjoyable.

One trip I recall going on was to the Hyatt Place Long Island/East End, next to the Riverhead Aquarium, for an event where restaurants and chefs promoted their work. My class got the opportunity to walk around, talk to people, and sample all kinds of dishes, which we all enjoyed.

But to succeed in that field, you need to have a true passion for the daily grind of the restaurant business. I ultimately realized I needed something different–though I continued working in the food industry. Some people might recognize me by my flaming red hair behind the counter at the Wingstops in Centereach or Medford.

So I took a year off from school to figure out what I actually wanted for my future.

The Ammerman Campus

When this semester was approaching, I decided to pursue the HVAC program. First, I needed to take some SUNY general education courses to raise my grades, which brought me to the Ammerman Campus–and it has become my favorite one yet. I enjoy the Selden atmosphere, the relaxed students, and the friends I’ve made. I also joined the campus newspaper, which I never thought I’d do.

Next Up: The Grant Campus

Next semester, I’ll be heading to the Grant Campus to finally start studying for what I hope will be my future career. In high school, I was in the career and technical education program for carpentry, where I learned a few skills about electrical work. I even took it upon myself to fix the Coke machines at Wingstop. I hope that experience gives me a nice head start.