"I have always had an interest in healthcare and the human body. My dad was a pharmacist and my mom was a nurse, so growing up there were a lot of conversations in our home about healthcare. I was a special ed elementary teacher for 17 years and had been thinking about a career change. I was in a bad car accident and had a health scare, those events were the catalyst that brought me here. Life is short, you need to follow your dreams.

I've realized that all those years of teaching have helped me be a better student. Repetition, focusing on details, and positive self-talk; all of the things I was teaching students I am telling myself on a daily basis. It has helped me more than I ever could have imagined. And being a tutor here has been incredible. I've learned that kids and adults learn the same way, and in turn, tutoring helps me retain the information as well. Working with challenging content like chemistry, biology, and anatomy and physiology has been so interesting to me, helping students make those connections and understand the material is so rewarding. I've learned I am a huge science geek after all.

I am thinking I'd like to be a nurse practitioner in a specialized area, but I'm not 100% sure yet. All of my nursing classes are at the Queensbury campus but I live right down the road from the Wilton Center and I love the atmosphere here.

It is so convenient, I take as many classes at Wilton as I can. I've gotten to know a lot of people through tutoring, there is something very special about the experience here. The camaraderie is amazing.

I grew up in Saratoga Springs and went to grad school in Boston. SUNY Adirondack is such an affordable option but it doesn't mean you get any less of an education. I have been to the expensive schools, I paid a fortune for my Master's degree and I believe what is offered here is just as good if not better. The sense of community here is something you don't find in bigger schools. There are a lot of adult students here, we are all juggling many responsibilities but the beauty of it all is that it is so affordable, and there are a lot of people here to help. Life is too short to wait on your dreams."

Amy Griffith
Saratoga Springs, NY
Nursing, Class of 2017
Peer tutor in Anatomy & Physiology and Biology
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