Letter to the editor: A graduating student’s take on Hudson Valley

Dear Hudson Valley Community,

When I first matriculated to Hudson Valley Community College in the Fall of 2013 I was weary that I would not receive the full college experience, and would just drift through the system without properly establishing myself well enough in the community, as well as with the student body. I could not have been more wrong. I have come to realize that Hudson Valley has been the best educational opportunity I have received which has taught me life lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

I can say these things honestly because of my dramatic improvement in my academics as well as my heavy involvement with numerous clubs and organizations on campus. My attendance at Hudson Valley was something I was very excited about and was an option that I always considered but decided to pursue my other educational opportunities. In the Fall of 2012 I started my college freshman year at a different institution away from home, which did not fully satisfy my wants and needs, so I moved back home and looked into Hudson Valley Community College to further my education. I could not believe the hard work and dedication from everybody here that went in to making my experience from applying, to enrolling, and now leaving so seamless. Each and every faculty and staff member is dedicated to helping the needs and wants of everybody here and they succeeded with flying colors.

I have learned several things from my experience at Hudson Valley, or HVCC as we like to call it. I have learned about commitment to myself and to my goals. Throughout my life I have had commitments that I had a challenging time sticking with, but because of all the support and resources at my finger tips, I have done things here that I never thought I could have achieved. Another tremendous  lesson that I have been taught here is a better understanding in my communication skills. With proper communication skills you can go very far in life and I learned it through powerful engagements with  professors and students who both had similar goals. Lastly is a dramatic improvement in my critical thinking. I am thinking differently and assessing situations with a different mindset. This has helped me make very big decisions such as, which school I will transfer to and which career path I want to go down. I know my decision is one I am ready for because of the way Hudson Valley prepared me,

I am truly blessed that I have been given the absolute pleasure of attending and growing at Hudson Valley Community College, for myself and all others that have been affected by my presence here. I have achieved things that make me very proud because of the hard work and motivation that I put in to achieving those goals.

I will be attending Bentley University in the spring of 2015 and could not be more prepared for any future endeavors I may be facing at my time in Boston. Hudson Valley has truly prepared me for success in life and I cannot be more grateful for the things it has given me.

Sincerely,

Brian William Harris