Brian Dailey

 

"When I was in high school, I visited my brother, who belonged to a fraternity at a college in Buffalo. That version of college life was attractive to me as a young high school student and unfortunately, it played a big role in my decision when choosing a college for myself. It seemed like fun; and it was fun for a while, but that ulti mately became the problem. I only lasted about a year and a half before I found myself sitting amongst the other pledges with a shaved head and a 0.7 GPA. I quickly realized that this wasn't who I was at all. I was a smart kid in high school. When I finally woke up and realized what I was doing, I picked myself up, m oved back home and luckily my parents didn’t kick me out.

I’m sort of dreaming of a fictional future at this point. I am really not sure what I want to do yet and that scares the hell out of me, but choosing to start over at SUNY Adirondack has been a godsend. This school has really helped me to develop a good work ethic and get back on track. I am in such a better place now. have applied to about 10 different schools for the fall semester and I actually was just accepted to SUNY Purchase. I will continue pursuing a Liberal Arts degree until I figure out what it isthat I want to do next.

I was never involved in theatre before; it’s not like I had a secret ambition to be in theatre. I was always involved in sports, so it never even crossed my mind. I had some free time when I started at SUNY Adirondack so I figured I would give it a shot. It has turned out to be something that I really enjoy.

I play Doctor X in the production of Hearts Like Fists. He is a very sinister and sort of perverse character who lost love and became scarred by it. It’s over the top and funny and I have really enjoyed being involved in this production.

I was clearing out old emails and I had an email from Nick Buttino about a speaking competition. I had missed the deadline, but on a whim, I reached out to see if I could still compete. I found myself winning the Speak Off and earning a spot on the SUNY Adirondack team that went to the 4th Annual Free Enterprise Marathon Competition atSUNY Plattsburgh. I went on to win the Speak Off finals and our team took home the first place prize in the Free Enterprise Competition. I spoke about homelessness in our nation during my speech and I am so grateful to have won that it only seems right to give back. The majority of my winnings will be donated to the Code Blue Homeless Shelter in Saratoga Springs.

Mr. Buttino has been going to this competition for a few years now and he was so excited for our team. He called his wife right after we won; it was really touching and I am so glad to have witnessed him experiencing this success after all these years. I am really grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to represent our school in this way."

Brian Dailey
Saratoga Springs, NY
Liberal Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

#HumansofSUNYADK
#experienceitforyourself