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Student Spotlight: Chris Sarkis
At SUNY Potsdam, especially with the Crane School of Music present, there is a large appreciation and value for creativity. Here at the Center for Applied Learning (CAL), we have a large appreciation and value for students who show initiative and improvement through the services we provide. That being said, Sophomore Chris Sarkis embodies some of the qualities that both SUNY Potsdam and the Center for Applied Learning hold in such a high regard. This is why Chris is this week’s Lougheed Center for Applied Learning Student Spotlight of the week!
Chris is an avid hiker who loves difficult hikes. He even wants to hike the Appalachian Trail after his graduation from Potsdam. He’s also a Sophomore Music Education major. Hehas a concentration in choral music education. That’s cool, right?! Well it doesn’t stop there. Chris also has concentrations in in general music, voice, piano, and piano pedagogy. What a catalogue of skills and concentrations! Chris is also part of the Honors program here at Potsdam. The Honors Colloquium class is where Chris obtained his first exposure to the CAL and the services we provide. As the Honors Program is a service that some of our great staff members here at the CAL oversee, the students in the Honors Program get the opportunity to tour the center while learning about all of the great experiences that are at students’ fingertips if they choose to utilize our offices. Chris familiarized himself with the CAL through this tour, and he also ended up using this knowledge later on.
Recently, Chris took part in a 10-day excursion to St. Elizabeth, Jamaica as part of a Service Learning project, an office that is part of the Center for Applied Learning. Chris emphasizes how the trip helped him in a number of ways. “…I taught music and gained invaluable experience as a musician, teacher, and more cultured and aware human being.” It sounds like Chris maximized his Service Learning Experience, ensuring that he got all that he could out of a possible once-in-a-lifetime trip. Chris has also recently begun to dabble in the Career Services portion of the CAL. He has been bolstering his résumé and his networking skills as well.
Whether it be his involvement in the Honors Program, his Service Learning International Trip to Jamaica, or even his initiative to come in and work on his professional self with Career Services, Chris can be looked at as a Center for Applied Learning Poster Child! He’s utilized almost every aspect of our services here, and it has changed him for the better. If he had never come to the CAL, Chris is sure that he would have missed out on the Jamaica Trip. Without that Jamaica trip and its influence on Chris today, he says he would never have gained the confidence in his abilities as a teacher that he gained during his experiences there. It sounds like the CAL has definitely affected Chris’ career for the better.
When asked to give a piece of advice to all the students here at Potsdam, Chris says he would tell all of us “Start thinking about your future now, and use the research, internship, and professional development opportunities the Center for Applied Learning provides to get you off your feet after college!” Take Chris’ advice and make an appointment with us today! The sooner you come the more we can help!