Alumnus Nicholas Buonanno is the assistant senior editor for The Record, The Saratogian, Community News and the Oneida Daily Dispatch. His column, Nick on the Record, appears in print every Wednesday.
Working in the news industry for five years now, I’ve learned that you really never know what may come up on any given day.
Some good and some bad stories can pop up unexpectedly, and then you also get those upsetting stories.
On Monday, I woke up not knowing what the day would bring as far as news content. I was shocked when I saw an email from officials at Hudson Valley Community College announcing that former President Drew Matonak passed away.
I was lucky enough to attend HVCC when Drew was president there, and I will never regret my decision to attend HVCC before transferring to The College of Saint Rose.
HVCC isn’t only a good way to save some money before transferring to another college, but the education there was top-notch.
The community college really does help prepare you for a career or to transfer to another college and everyone there including Drew loved to see students succeed while there.
Once I began working at The Record as a news reporter, I remember getting assigned to cover various events and press conferences at HVCC. I was actually excited to go back on campus there, and all the good memories of being there as a student came back to me.
I remember my first interview with Drew outside of his office and can still remember how excited he got when he heard that I attended HVCC for two years. His face beamed with pride to know that I began my higher education at HVCC, and was able to transfer to Saint Rose and then get a job in my desired field.
Covering graduations at HVCC for the newspaper was always an assignment that I would volunteer for because I knew I would get a chance to see Drew speak to the graduating class that year and he would express his excitement for them.
If you knew Drew, then you would know just how much he cared about the HVCC community and how much he wanted students to succeed. He always showed interest in speaking with students on campus and was never afraid to show off all that HVCC has to offer.
I’m glad that I got to know Drew as a student and had the opportunity to talk with him numerous times after my college career was finished.
Nicholas Buonanno is the assistant senior editor for The Record, The Saratogian, Community News and the Oneida Daily Dispatch. Nick on the Record appears in print every Wednesday.
Published: Wed, 11 Nov 2020 13:05:22 +0000 by d.gardner