Students share why they chose Hudson Valley

Grace Sgambettera
Staff Writer

Leila Bruske

“I’m at Hudson Valley because I wanted to be in a more accepting environment than my high school,” said Leila Bruske, a high school senior who attended Cambridge Central High School until this fall.

The Cambridge teen said the diversity on campus was also a draw for her. “It’s diverse here, unlike where I was before, and it’s just good for everyone to be around diversity,” said Bruske.

She chose to finish her last year of secondary school in a community college setting specifically to get away from the high school setting. Hudson Valley offers a program that allows her to complete college credit and high school credit at the same time.

The high school senior doesn’t plan on staying to complete a degree here, but has aspirations of attending Ohio Northern University for musical theater next year.

Elijah Devivo

“It’s only ten minutes from my house,” said second year student Elijah Devivo about why he chose Hudson Valley. He also cited the amount of people he knows at the school, the low cost of tuition and even the fact that his father attended as contributing factors to his decision last year.

The liberal arts major said that he wasn’t totally sure what he wants to do for a living, so being at Hudson Valley is a good (and inexpensive) start to figuring out where to go next. He can complete prerequisites that will transfer to other schools while deciding what he wants to do.

Devivo said he’s currently thinking about transferring into UAlbany’s finance program after completing his degree at Hudson Valley this spring. “I would definitely do it again, though,” he said, referring to his time at Hudson Valley.

DeHondre Ansley

Dehondre Ansley, originally from Greensboro, North Carolina, relocated to the capital region with his family and decided to attend Hudson Valley because of the price. “It’s the best community college you could go to around here and it’s cheap,” said Ansley.
As a second year digital media student, Ansley is studying with the goal of getting into the field of animation or game design. He is currently taking an animation class that he’s enjoying immensely.

Once he graduates in May, Ansley has high hopes for the next step in his education and his career. “I’m going to try to transfer to NYU or get straight into animation,” he said. “I really just want to work for Disney.”

Hosanna Davis

“I found out this place had a good teaching program and I thought I’d start here and figure out where to go from there,” said Hosanna Davis on her third day as a Hudson Valley student.
Davis, an Early Childhood Education major, said that she chose to go to Hudson Valley after having been homeschooled her whole life because it was less of an adjustment for her. “It’s easier to go from being home schooled to going here than straight to a four-year university,” she said.

Like many other students, Davis views Hudson Valley as just the start towards a greater goal and hopes to eventually teach at a school.

“I’m hoping to find a school where I can transfer and not have to go through the whole four years,” said Davis. She added that she wasn’t sure it was going to work out the way she planned, but is determined nonetheless to get her teaching certificate. “This is just the first two years,” she said. As for what’s next, Davis has her eye on Nazareth College.