Some students travel across the country to come to St. John’s. Jasiel Martin-Odoom, a criminal justice major with a concentration in forensic psychology, traveled halfway around the world. Odoom, who hails from Tema, Ghana, chose the University in part because of its New York City location. “This is the center of the world, so St. John’s has an extremely diverse student body,” he said. Enhancing  this cosmopolitan experience, Martin-Odom has taken advantage of the opportunity to study abroad in places like Ecuador. As he described it, “I’ve encountered so many different people, so many perspectives.

Jasiel Martin-Odoom
St. John’s University

Terry L. White had been working as a waitress in the Fultonville truck stops and about to turn 40 when she finally heeded the call for a higher education. Already a folk musician and would-be writer, she sold her kitchen table and chairs to find the funds to send her application to Fulton-Montgomery Community College. Accepted, she found help through grants, the support of her friends, and with a great deal of faith, she completed a course of study resulting in an Associate’s Degree with high honors.

Terry L. White
Fulton-Montgomery Community College (SUNY)

A 1971 graduate of Bishop Scully High School in Amsterdam with a heavy interest in math and science, Randall Smith decided to attend FM to pursue an engineering degree. He always dreamed of being an architect or mechanical designer, but then his focus changed. Randall graduated in 1976 with an AAS Business Accounting Degree.

Randall Smith
Fulton-Montgomery Community College (SUNY)

Getting yourself actively involved is what it’s all about. It is for Bridgit Noone, anyway. Bridgit, a 2006 FM alumna, attended elementary schools in Caroga Lake, Amsterdam, and Chino Hills, California. She came back to Amsterdam where she attended Lynch Middle School and eventually graduated from Broadalbin-Perth High School. She wasn’t ready to leave home again so Bridgit chose to pursue a fine arts degree at FM.

Bridgit Noone
Fulton-Montgomery Community College (SUNY)

At Geneseo, I feel both challenged and encouraged to do my best. My professors know me and want to help me succeed. And I have made many close friends that make Geneseo a great place to live and learn.

Shivani from India
Geneseo, State University College at (SUNY)

Going to college in America wasn’t part of Kinni Akpabot’s original plans, but circumstances in her homeland and learning about Hofstra’s plan to start a medical school clinched her choice of colleges. “After I took the SATs, I received information about Hofstra by e-mail,” said Kinni, who dreams of working for the United Nations’ World Health Organization. “I’ve wanted to become a doctor for a long time, and when I read that Hofstra was opening a medical school, I decided it was the right place to start studying.”

Kinni Akpabot, Class of 2013
Hofstra University

“I was born in Moscow, moved to Madrid when I was three years old and have lived in the U.S. ever since I was 12 – I truly believe you don’t know the world until you see it,” says Cristina Fernández Méndez ’09C, recent graduate from St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Cristina Fernández Méndez ’09C
St. John’s University

The reason that actually made us choose Old Westbury is because it is really close to New York City – a city that we always wanted to visit and live in. We nearly can’t describe what we felt when we were visited Times Square for the first time of our life. As we come from a country where skyscrapers are rare, it was just astonishing for us to be surrounded by so many of them and every building was higher than the other one. However, the best part of that trip was walking down Fifth Avenue, passing by one exclusive designer store after another. We had the desire to buy just everything.

Bernadette Huber and Daniela Schmiedhuber
Old Westbury, State University College at (SUNY)