Online Student Profiles

Eleonor Alvarez Pazmino 

Major: Event Management 

Why did you pick Delhi for your online degree?
Delhi has a great reputation in the hospitality industry.  The curriculum and schedule for the program put me on track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in approximately 15-18 months which worked well with my future plans.   

How has your online learning experience been so far?
So far, my experience has been excellent! I have the support of wonderful professors and Professor Caponera is an amazing instructor and mentor, and she is highly motivational.  It has been especially important for me, as an adult student returning to school after 30 years working in healthcare, to have a peer in my professor and advisor.  She understands the personal challenges I have faced throughout the program and has been incredibly supportive with ideas and sound advice. 

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Delhi or learning online?
The online community is very welcoming and supportive.  You don't ever feel alone or lost even if you only know your classmates via a computer.  The professors make sure that we communicate routinely and respectfully, and any contributions to discussions and forums are filled with useful information for the good of the group. 

Thomas Elliott 

Major: Criminal Justice 

How did you learn about SUNY Delhi?
I first learned about SUNY Delhi from one of my family friends who went there.  I drove her out to Delhi after a break and upon arrival, I was stunned at how beautiful the campus was. It seemed well maintained and very alive with students. It was a good first impression for me. About a year or so after that visit to Delhi, I had decided that I wanted to go back to school to complete a bachelor's degree. I had decided that it would be advantageous to continue with a SUNY school since I already completed an associate degree with Columbia-Greene Community College. I started thinking about what colleges I wanted to look at and Delhi came to mind. I went online and looked at the SUNY Delhi website and after reading all the information online, I knew this was the college I wanted to get my degree from!  

How has your online learning experience been so far?
I have been doing online classes now for about three years now and it has been a very pleasant experience. Vancko Hall (the online class management software) is very easy to use and navigate. The professors have their courses laid out in a way that is very easy to understand and works with anyone's schedule. I work full-time, so I do most of my coursework in the evenings and I have never had any issues with getting assignments done. 

Any advice for students considering an online program at SUNY Delhi?
My advice for someone who is interested in online learning at Delhi is to sign up! The professors are very knowledgeable in the program areas and even though the course is online, the professors are very engaging. For example, one of my professors has us going around and looking at our own homes to see if we would be an easy target for burglars. This kind of activity is engaging and makes you apply what you've learned to your actual life. When I first started taking online courses, I was worried about not having enough time to do the work. It turns out that the professors assign enough work to cover the course material, but I haven’t felt inundated.  

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Delhi or learning online?
My favorite thing about Delhi online courses is the professors. These professors are smart individuals who come from world life experiences and careers to provide a top-notch education. Some of my professors are lawyers and detectives. For example, I am taking a class where we are learning about investigating crimes. Who better to be our professor than a retired detective from the New York City Police Department? They are some of the best in the world and now they are passing on their experiences to us. The professors are also very understanding of the students and their lives. I would recommend the Criminal Justice online program at SUNY Delhi to anyone.   

Christopher Samson 

Major: Nursing Administration MSN 

Why SUNY Delhi?
I learned about SUNY Delhi through internet research of online nursing programs within the state. Following in my mother’s footsteps, I pursued a career in nursing, graduating from Adelphi University in 2011. Employed by Elmhurst Hospital in 2012, I worked in the Behavioral Health Forensics unit until 2014. Looking for a change of scenery, I joined Elmhurst Hospital’s Emergency Department where I transitioned from staff nurse to charge nurse. After receiving Mount Sinai’s Nurse of the Year in 2016, I sought to improve my skill set further. Although I enjoy bedside care, the fact is that many of my colleagues left for perceived greener pastures or pursued continuing education because of the stresses placed on them at the workplace. After taking my Certified Emergency Nurse specialization exam, I realized that I wanted to pursue a different path. While many of my colleagues became mid-level providers and have removed themselves from the present issues, the fact is that those issues remain. I then decided to work towards an administrative position which is why I chose to pursue a master’s degree at SUNY Delhi. 

How has your online learning experience been so far?
After having been out of the classroom for eight years, I felt like a fish out of water, especially in an online setting. Dr. Aleksa helped me transition back into school mode with structured assignments.  Dr. Bhatt’s Leadership & Quality Improvement class, along with Dr. Winter’s research course, showed me that nurse leaders can help affect change. Additionally, Mr. Olson, the writing tutor, helps me put my best foot forward with academic writing. Their teachings allowed me to participate in my hospital’s clinical ladder program and present a quality improvement project to our hospital’s shared governance and unit councils. 

Any advice for students considering an online program at SUNY Delhi?
I would recommend the MSN program to those who are looking to advance their nursing careers. The program is both flexible and informative. Due to my shift schedule, I wake at 6 p.m. and sleep at 9 a.m. SUNY Delhi’s flexible online courses have allowed me to maintain that sleep cycle.  SUNY Delhi already had online learning up and running, which was comforting to me, as so many schools struggled to switch to online classes at the beginning of the pandemic.  I look forward to learning more and using the knowledge acquired to contribute to my hospital’s growth and success.  

Alycia Carosella 

Major: Criminal Justice 

Why did you pick Delhi for your online degree?
I went to Bryant and Stratton for my associate in paralegal studies and I knew I wanted to go for my bachelor’s degree. I'm a mom of three, all under six years old, so I knew it had to be an online program. Delhi was the only school I could find that had a fully online criminal justice program. 

How has your online learning experience been so far?
I have heard many of my friends say that they wouldn't have been able to do online learning, but I absolutely love it. I have a busy life working full-time, being a mom, and helping with remote learning for my oldest. I needed a program I could do on my own schedule and that is exactly what I got at SUNY Delhi. 

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Delhi or learning online?
I live three hours away from the school, so it is cool to have classmates from many different areas. The difference in locations made it exciting to read my classmates’ posts when they talk about their work. 

Maureen Mackey 

Major: Hotel and Restaurant Management 

Why did you pick Delhi for your online degree?
My situation is a little different. I got my associate degree from SUNY Delhi in 2012, as I attended right out of high school. I opted to stop at my associate degree at the time. In the fall/winter of 2017, I was living in South Carolina and decided I wanted to continue my education at Delhi. I reached out to the admissions office and they were so helpful. I enrolled for the online program beginning Spring of 2018.  

Any advice for students considering an online program at SUNY Delhi?
My advice to anyone doing an online program is to reach out to your professors. I think I probably annoy my professors for how much I am in contact with them, but they are so nice. In doing this, I have never felt like “just another number” in my courses. I feel that my professors appreciate my involvement and desire to learn.  They are very responsive and committed to helping me learn! 

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Delhi or learning online?
The best part of learning online for me is that ability to complete assignments whenever it is convenient to me. I work full time and am currently in the process of buying my own house. My “free” time isn’t always at a normal time, so I like the flexibility of having a week to complete various assignments instead of just one day.    

Matthew Vaughan 

Major: Business and Technology Management 

How did you learn about SUNY Delhi?
I live in the Schenectady, NY area and I decided I wanted to earn a bachelor’s degree. During my lunch hour one day I went to SUNY Schenectady to review pamphlets and materials they had regarding their programs and I happened upon the Schenectady/Delhi partnership program. I researched it more and found I could stay in the Capital Region, so I decided to pursue the Business & Technology Management program as it aligned with my career goals. 

Why did you pick Delhi for your online degree?
I picked Delhi for two reasons: I had a friend who attended Delhi years ago and only had good things to say about it, and because the partnership with SUNY Schenectady made it easy to access classes that required in-person attendance.  

Any advice for students considering an online program at SUNY Delhi?
Absolutely! The best advice I can give anyone considering an online program with SUNY Delhi is to remain diligent, keep your eyes on the goal, and don't be afraid to ask questions! 

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Delhi or learning online?
My favorite thing about SUNY Delhi, speaking from my personal experience alone, is the ease at which I have been able to transition between semesters. From reviewing course offerings, course selection, registration, tuition payments, etc., the process has been user-friendly. Professor Paula Reardon has been instrumental in my success. As my academic advisor, she has offered advice when sought, gives quick email replies, and she was a wonderful instructor for the classes I’ve taken with her. 

Alexis Cordle

Major: Criminal Justice 

How did you learn about SUNY Delhi?  I first learned about SUNY Delhi when I decided to do some research into the best online programs that New York had to offer. I saw that I could earn my bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice completely online through Delhi, which was not something that a lot of schools were offering at the time. 

How has your online learning experience been so far?
My online learning experience has been nothing short of incredible since starting this program. My courses are easily accessible, and my professors have all been extremely accommodating and helpful, especially in the beginning, when I was trying to navigate the site and all my coursework. 

What is your favorite thing about SUNY Delhi or learning online?
I love that I am able to do my coursework anytime, anywhere. I never have to worry about being late to a class. I have free time to do my assignments at my own pace throughout the week and can plan my days accordingly. Online learning gives you the freedom to make your own academic schedule and is challenging but extremely rewarding. My favorite thing about SUNY Delhi is the fact that the coursework is extremely interesting and has really helped me gain a better understanding of our criminal justice system as a whole.